I like to tell people, “Never say never!” I thought I’d never like salmon until I tried smoked salmon. And there’s an added bonus to the great flavor that smoking imparts. Smoking, which uses low heat, is a great way to maximize the health benefit of salmon’s omega-3 content. (Omega-3s are easily oxidized by heat; see sidebar, opposite.)
But whenever I ask a butcher or smoke shop what ingredients are in their smoked salmon, I find that they season it with some sort of sugar and often soy sauce, which contains wheat. That is why I love to smoke my own! Not only are you in charge of the ingredients, but you can also control how smoky you make your foods. The longer you smoke something, the more smoke flavor the end product will have.