Ready for smoking

So I have been mainly sitting in the garden reading a book, barbecuing and then serving him food in front of the TV or taking my new borrowed doggy for walks while husband watches football. I found this cuter than cute yellow lab girl in Borrow my Doggy and we've been going out quite a few times. She looks like an angel, but can be a bit naughty. She eats everything she can find on the pavements, which is pretty normal for a lab. My parents lab was particularly fond of chewing gum. And moose droppings, which is not so much the problem on Hammersmith pavements. Also this one can sometimes just stop without any fathomable reason and not move. Whatever you do she won't budge. Just tilts down her pretty blond head and digs her heels in.

I read a lot of online dog training blogs and other advice. A common theme seemed to include extra delicious treats to reward good behaviour. So I took some chicken pieces with me of course checking with the owner that she was ok with this to reward her (the dog) when she was walking nicely and not stopping or eating shit off streets. And off we went. About 2 minutes into the walk she jumped and snatched the whole bag from my hand, biting my thumb accidentally in the process and before I could do anything ate all of it. Including the plastic bag.

I was just thinking that the plastic bag probably is not good for her when she found an unblown bright red balloon and ate it. So I thought, maybe the thin little bag with the chicken is not going to be the main reason for any near future indigestion.

Next time she didn't steal my training treats but those of an unsuspecting bloke in the dog park. I quickly apologised and explained that she wasn't my dog. During our last walk she decided to lie down and not move right in front of a pavement cafe full of dog-owners with their well-trained, shiny and poised canines serenely sitting next to their tables observing my futile efforts to move the slightly overweight stubborn balloon-eating bitch muttering something about Borrow my Dog.

Today obviously was always going to be arranged around afternoon's England game. Football is apparently coming home! Whatever that means. My easy to swallow while shouting at the team, coach and the ref meal was a delicious BBQ smoked side of salmon with gorgeous roasted vegetables and red pesto wholewheat fusilli.

Smoked side of salmon in coal barbecue

Wood chips (ideally alder)
Side of salmon (around 1kg)
Salt
Lemon pepper or Blackpapper
Zest of  lemon
Dried herbs (optional)

Remove any bones and pat the fish dry. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with dried herbs of your liking and zest of a lemon. Cover and refrigerate for a 3-4 hours.

Soak a couple of handfuls of wood chips for 30 minutes.

Light your coal bbq and once the coals are ready move them to one side. Sprinkle half on the wood chips on the coals and place the fish on the other side of the barbecue skin side down - I usually just use a piece of tin foil under the fish. Cover.

You don't want to keep checking the fish too much because the smoke will escape every time you open the lid. Halfway into the cooking (after about 10 minutes) add the rest of the wood chips on the coals.

Cook for about total 20 minutes or until the fish is done.