How to make whole roasted mohawk salmon

Recipe and Photography by Chef Eric Gephart

Don’t just host the party, own it!

The Mohawk Whole Roasted Kvaroy Arctic Salmon is not only easy and approachable, but it’s an absolute showstopper. Create your masterpiece in under an hour and a half!

For the Salmon

• 1 Kvaroy Arctic, whole salmon

• 3 lemons, sliced and grilled until soft

• 2 chunks hickory wood

For the Cream Cheese Garnish

• 1 pound cream cheese, room temperature

• 1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest

• 2 serrano peppers, seeded and minced

  Directions: Mix and transfer to a star tip piping bag.

Accompaniment Options

• 3 tablespoons capers, drained

• 1 bunch dill

• 1 english cucumber, sliced

• 4 eggs, hard boiled / separated / crumbled

• 2 shallots, diced

• 1 red onion, thinly sliced

• 2 boxes crackers

• 1 cup marinated beans

• 1 cup gherkins

• 1/2 cup whole grain mustard

• 1 cup fruit preserve such as fig or apricot

• 2 lemons, sliced into wedges

• 1 cup marinated olives

DIRECTIONS

Stabilize your grill or oven at an indirect temperature of 350 -375F. If smoking, place the hickory in the hottest portion of charcoal pile to promote good clean smoke.

Slice the salmon down both sides of the fish to but not through the spine, into 6 even pieces (roughly 2 ½ to 3 inches between slices). The first cut should start just behind the pectoral fin working your way toward the tail fin. (watch video above for more detail)

Make a foil oval to stuff in the belly cavity. This will allow the fish to stand up as well as promote even heat.

Bend the fish onto the grill surface. Place the fish standing upright on the grill as it it were swimming and pull the belly from under the fish on both sides, sort of like a salmon belly kickstand. This will allow the fish to be more stable during the cook.

Roast the Salmon for 1 hour. Then slightly trim the skin of the fish directly behind the head. Peel the skin off the fish leaving the skin on the head and tail. Place the removed skin on the grill surface to crisp up. This is a great time to grill your lemons. Close the dome and cook for another 15 minutes.

Open the dome, use your fingers top remove the dorsal fin and gently clean the fat from top of the fish from the head to the tail and where the dorsal fin was.

Squeeze the grill smoked lemons over the roasted salmon then transfer the fish and crisped skin to the presentation plate.

Using the flavored cream cheese piping bag, pipe small dollops of the cream cheese down the spine creating a mohawk, finish the fish by placing few triangle shaped crisped skin pieces where the dorsal fin was.

Garnish the platter with your chosen sides and accoutrement and enjoy!

Chef Notes:

Don’t forget to eat the cheeks, those are my favorite part!
All the Best
Chef E