Cold Smoked Salmon
Salmon for cold smoking must be deep frozen in minimum -18 °C (0°F) for at least 14 days prior to use.
Preparing:
- Defrost fish slowly in the fridge
- Fillet the defrosted fish leaving the skin on.
- Remove pin bones
- Wash fillets in cold water and pat dry with paper towel
Salting:
- Generously sprinkle with salt only – use coarse salt with no additives only
- Place the fillets skin down in a container and apply a layer of salt so it completely covers the flesh. As you work from the head side towards the tail of the filet, reduce the salt layer thickness in proportion to the thickness of the filet, so that the tail of the filet has just a slight sprinkle of salt.
- Place in a container in the fridge. The time required for salting varies depending on the size and thickness of the fillet and your own taste. For starters:
- Keep salting for 4 hours for average Sockeye salmon fillet but increase the time with the thickness of the fish to up to 12 hrs for big Spring fillet (about 2 hrs per every 1/2 inch of thickness of the fillet in the thickest section).
With experience, you can experiment with mixing other ingredients with curing salt such as brown sugar, crushed pepper corns, bay leaves or dill. You can also adjust salting time to achieve your desired saltiness.
Drying:
- After salting wash the fillet in cold water, pat dry and brush a layer of maple syrup on the meat side only.
- Air dry fillet on a rack inside the fridge for 48 hours for average Sockeye and up to 80 hrs for big Spring The salting and air drying removes between 8 – 10% of the weight of the filet leaving the flesh firm and springy to the touch.
Smoking:
- Cold Smoke in 20-26°C (68-79°F) for 6 hours, using cherry wood in first 3 hrs and apple in the next 3 hrs.
- After smoking, wrap in plastic foil and rest in the fridge for 2-3 hours.
- The salmon is ready for consumption at this point. For best experience cut the meat thin at an angle and against the grain.
You can vacuum package the fillets for future use and freeze.