Smoked Salt & Smoked Tomato Salsa
Chef Michael Voltaggio's smoking-gun technique for cold-smoking flaky sea salt and a fresh tomato salsa in minutes, for deep smoky flavor without any heat.
Ingredients
| — | wood chips for the smoking gun (hickory or applewood) | |
| 1 cup | 240 ml | flaky or coarse sea salt |
| 4 | ripe tomatoes, diced | |
| 1/2 | red onion, finely diced | |
| 1 | jalapeño, seeded and minced | |
| 1 | garlic clove, minced | |
| 1/4 cup | 60 ml | fresh cilantro, chopped |
| 1 | lime, juiced |
Instructions
- Smoked salt: Spread the sea salt in a thin, even layer in a wide bowl or shallow container.
- Load the smoking gun with wood chips. Cover the container tightly with plastic wrap and slip the gun's hose under the wrap.
- Turn on the gun, light the chips and fill the container with smoke until it is dense. Remove the hose, seal the wrap and let the salt sit in the smoke for 5–10 minutes.
- Stir the salt and repeat the smoke once or twice more for a deeper flavor. Spread out to dry, then store in an airtight jar.
- Smoked tomato salsa: In a bowl, combine the diced tomatoes, red onion, jalapeño, garlic, cilantro and lime juice; season with the smoked salt.
- Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and slip the smoking gun's hose underneath. Fill the bowl with smoke, remove the hose and seal.
- Let the salsa infuse in the smoke for 2–3 minutes, then stir. Re-smoke once more if you want a stronger smoky note. Serve right away.