Gently Smoked Salmon

• 1/2 cup kosher salt, or as needed
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup rice
• 1/4 cup oolong tea leaves, mixed with 2 tablespoons water
• Cooking-oil spray
• 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil, to drizzle

1. Line the inside of a stove-top smoker (or large wok) with aluminum foil so that it comes at least 2 inches up the sides of the pan.
2. Mix together 1/2 cup salt, the sugar, rice and tea leaves and pour into the base of the smoker or wok.
3. Grease a small (10- to 11-inch) round baking rack and set on top of the spice mixture.
4. Season the fish on all sides with salt and pepper and place, skin side down, on the rack.
5. Turn the heat to high (and turn on the exhaust fan above your stove), and when it starts to smoke, cover the pan tightly with a lid, reduce the heat to medium and smoke until cooked through, 10 to 16 minutes depending on the thickness of the fish.
6. Drizzle the fish with extra-virgin olive oil.
7. Serve with the corn and fennel ragu.

kosher salt, sugar, rice, oolong tea, cookingoil spray, salmon fillets, freshly ground black pepper, extravirgin olive oil

Taken from cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11981 (may not work)