The salmon was another story. No chiles here, so skip this part if you don't want to read about anything else. *g* This is not a slow-smoking recipe; this is more like a quick roast. Sassafrass is the same tree as used for root beer, and it has a strong spicy flavor. The leaves are ground for file seasoning, which I want to make this year. When freshly split, the wood actually smells like ginger. If you can't get it, you could substitute maple or apple.

Dissolve the salt in the water. Crush or grind the whole seeds together, and combine with the water. Immerse the salmon in a pan (or bag) and allow to marinate for three or four hours.

Light a covered grill (kettle-style, or box-style) with a fire of sassafrass wood. You can boost this with ordinary charcoal briquettes at first. Once you have a good bed of embers, and while there is still much wood left to burn, choke the fire with the lid and vents so you have just a light stream of exhaust, similar to a cloud of steam from a boiling pot of water. You'll have to get a feel for this with your own grill/wood combination.

Lay the salmon out, skin side sown, onto a sheet of heavy-duty foil. Place it on the rack, close the lid, and leave it closed. Check the cooking progress by the rate of smoke output, and by listening - you can hear the salmon gently sizzling if you have the heat right. Cooking time will be 30 minutes or so; start checking after 15 or 20 minutes and judge for yourself when the fish is sufficiently cooked through to your taste. If you leave it on too long, it will dry.

The skin will stick to the foil; you can serve it that way, or flake it all apart and serve it loose. Watch out for the occasional bone.

I brought this non-chile dish to the festival just to contrast against the heat of the other foods. However, I could not resist having _something_ hot about it, so I also brought toasted bagel chips which I brushed with a garlic-butter-habanero sauce combination.