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I smoke a lot of salmon, and I am proud of this recipe, although it would be the height of arrogance to say that what I do is the end-all, be-all of salmon smoking recipes. Lots of people smoke their salmon in lots of ways, and many of them are good. But I’ve been smoking fish for many years, and I’ve developed a system that works well.
Keep in mind this is a hot-smoking recipe. Cold smoking, which is the kind of slice-able smoked fish you get in fancy boxes from Scotland is an entirely different thing.
Almost everyone in Salmon Country hot smokes their fish. If you’re unfamiliar with hot-smoked fish, think about those golden smoked whitefish you see in delicatessens; those are hot smoked.
How do you eat it? Well, you can just eat it plain, or you can flake it and make it into a smoked salmon salad, you can pound it with butter and make salmon rillettes, serve it in deviled eggs, tossed with pasta… you get the point.
Here’s what you need to get started:
- A smoker. I’ve uses a Traeger and a Bradley. Both are good. No matter what smoker you use, you will need to be able to a) know your smoking chamber’s temperature, and b) control the heat, at least in a rough sense.
- Wood. The only downside to a Traeger smoker is that you need to use their wood pellets. As a guy who used a Brinkmann wood-fired BBQ for years, fueling it with scraps of almond and other fruit woods, buying wood can be annoying, but you get better precision with this method. I prefer to use alder wood for my salmon, but apple, cherry, oak or maple work fine.
- Salt. Buy a box of kosher salt from the supermarket. Do not use regular table salt, as it contains iodide and anti-caking agents that will give your salmon an “off” flavor. I use Diamond Crystal, which is cut finer than Morton’s.
- Something sweet — salmon love sweet. I prefer to sweeten my smoked salmon with birch syrup; It’s just like maple syrup, only tapped from birch trees instead. Super cool stuff. But maple syrup is just as good. Just use real maple syrup, OK? Not the imitation crap. Honey works, too.
- A large plastic container. Buy the big, flat ones from the supermarket. They stack easily in a normal fridge, so you can have two different brines going. And they clean easily and are pretty cheap.
- A wire rack. You need to rest your brined fish on a rack with plenty of air circulation to form the all-important pellicle (more on that in a bit), and you will use it to rest the smoked fish before storing it.
- A basting brush. You probably already have this in your kitchen, but if not, pick one up. Get the flat kind, like you use to paint detail on window trim.
When you are ready to start, you will need smallish pieces of salmon about 1/4 to 1/2 pound each. Any salmonid fish will work with this recipe. I’ve done it with king salmon, sockeye, coho, and pink salmon, dolly varden, plus kokanee, steelhead and Lahontan trout.
There is no reason it would not work with chum salmon or any other char or trout species. And yes, it works with farmed Atlantic salmon, but I never eat the stuff.
I prefer to smoke salmon with its skin on, but I’ve done it with skinless pieces and it works fine.
Smoked Salmon
Note that my salmon cure is very simple. Feel free to add things if you like. I've added bay leaves, chiles, thyme, garlic and minced onion. All are fine, but subtle. And since I often use smoked salmon as a base for another dish, I want mine to remain simple and clean-tasting.
Ingredients
- 5 pounds salmon, trout or char
- Birch or maple syrup for basting
BRINE
- 1 quart cool water
- 1/3 cup Diamond Crystal kosher salt, about 2 ounces of any kosher salt
- 1 cup brown sugar
Instructions
- Mix together the brine ingredients and place your fish in a non-reactive container (plastic or glass), cover and put in the refrigerator. This curing process eliminates some of the moisture from the inside of the fish while at the same time infusing it with salt, which will help preserve the salmon.
- You will need to cure your salmon at least 4 hours, even for thin fillets from trout or pink salmon. In my experience, large trout or char, as well as pink, sockeye and silver salmon need 8 hours. A really thick piece of king salmon might need as much as 36 hours in the brine. Never go more than 48 hours, however, or your fish will be too salty. Double the brine if it's not enough to cover the fish.
- Take your fish out of the brine, rinse it briefly under cold running water, and pat it dry. Set the fillets on your cooling rack, skin side down. Ideally you'd do this right under a ceiling fan set on high, or outside in a cool, breezy place. By "cool" I mean 60°F or cooler. Let the fish dry for 2 to 4 hours (or up to overnight in the fridge). You want the surface of the fish to develop a shiny skin called a pellicle. This is one step many beginning smokers fail to do, but drying your cured, brined fish in a cool, breezy place is vital to properly smoking it. The pellicle, which is a thin, lacquer-like layer on top of the fish, seals it and offers a sticky surface for the smoke to adhere to. Don't worry, the salt in the brine will protect your fish from spoilage. Once you have your pellicle, you can refrigerate your fish for a few hours and smoke it later if you'd like.
- Start by slicking the skin of your fish with some oil, so it won't stick to the smoker rack. Know that even though this is hot smoking, you still do not want high temperatures. Start with a small fire and work your way up as you go. It is important to bring the temperature up gradually or you will get that white albumin "bleed" on the meat. I can control my heat with my smoker, so I start the process between 140°F and 150°F for up to an hour, then finish at 175°F for a final hour or two. NOTE: What my smoker is set at is not necessarily what the actual temperature is. Smoking is an art, not a science. To keep temperatures mild, always put water in your drip pan to keep the temperature down. If your smoker is very hot, like a Traeger can get, put ice in the tray.
- After an hour in the smoker, baste the fish with birch or maple syrup, or honey; do this every hour. This is a good way to brush away any albumin that might form. In most cases, you will get a little. You just don't want a ton of it. Even if you can't control your temperature this precisely, you get the general idea. You goal should be an internal temperature of about 130°F to 140°F. (Incidentally, yes, I keep the smoke on the whole time. I don't find this to be too much smoke, but if you want a lighter smoke, finish the salmon without smoke or in a 200°F oven.)
- You must be careful about your heat. Other than failing to dry your salmon long enough, the single biggest problem in smoking salmon is too high heat. If you've ever seen salmon "bleed" a white, creamy substance, that's a protein called albumin. If you see lots of it, you've screwed up; a little is normal. Here's what happens: If you cook a piece of salmon at too high a heat, the muscle fibers in the meat contract so violently that they extrude albumin, which immediately congeals on the surface of the fish. It's ugly, and it also means your salmon will be drier than it could have been. You prevent this with a solidly formed pellicle, and by keeping your heat gentle. If you let your heat get away from you and you do get a white mess on your salmon, all is not lost. Just flake it out and make salmon salad with it: The mayonnaise in the salad will mask any dryness.
- Once your fish is smoked, let it rest on the cooling rack for an hour before you put it in the fridge. Once refrigerated and wrapped in plastic, smoked fish will keep for 10 days. If you vacuum-seal it, the fish will keep for up to 3 weeks. Or freeze your fish for up to a year.
Notes
One last piece of advice: Try to fill up your smoker with fish. This process takes a while to do, and your smoker doesn't care if its full or half-empty, so you might as well make a big batch.
And keep in mind this recipe is for basic smoked salmon. Other options are smoked salmon candy, a great snack, and, once you have your smoked salmon, you can use it in smoked salmon dip on crackers.
Nutrition
Serving: 113g | Calories: 132kcal | Protein: 21.3g | Fat: 4.9g | Saturated Fat: 1.1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2.3g | Cholesterol: 26.7mg | Potassium: 198.7mg | Vitamin A: 100IU | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!
Wow! Best fish I’ve ever had. Smoked about 5 pounds and the family put the hurt on it! Maybe a pound leftover after dinner.
I have been using this recipe for a couple of years now and love it. Have you ever tried cold smoking salmon? If so, do you have any recipes or tips? Going to try my hand at cold smoking for the first time this year. Have LOTS of sockeye this year.
Thanks for this recipe! I had some frozen sockeye fillets in the freezer, but our power went out! This was a great way to save the fish and turn it into something delicious.
Made this today almost exactly as shown here. Best I’ve ever done. Family agrees. I put some black peppercorns in the brine as well and used brown coconut sugar. Agree with the recipe. I patted it dry after brine and let it cool in front of a fan on high for three hours. That step is truly key. Started smoking with apple chips at 145 for an hour and then moved up to 175 for an additional 2.5 hours in electric smoker, basting every hour with syrup/honey. Almost no albumin at all and still moist inside. Great recipe. Thank you!! This will be my go-to recipe now for sure 🙂
Hank – a complete novice, followed your instructions (waiting on the pellicle was the hardest part) and the salmon turned out amazing. Family is asking for more.
Did have once question – adding herbs etc. is this at the brine step or as a basting mixture (i.e. add the herbs to the syrup)?
Christopher: If you add herbs, yes, put them in during the basting step.
Could this be pressure canned after smoking to make shelf stabe?
Zach: I think so. The University of Alaska Cooperative Extension has a method that is safe to use for smoked fish.
You mentioned freezing this smoked salmon for up to a year. Do you have any specific advice for freezing or thawing it? Do you find any difference in quality when you freeze and later thaw your smoked salmon? Thanks!
Evan: Yes, I vacuum seal the smoked fish and when I want to thaw it, I remove the plastic while it is still frozen and thaw it wrapped in paper towels in the fridge, set in a container. As it thaws, the towels get damp and I change them. Works very well. And yes, it is not as good as fresh off the smoker, but it is a great way to have smoked salmon all year.
Awesome, thank you!
Great recipe! I smoked a 1.5 lb filet and only needed to brush it once with maple syrup. This recipe is a keeper! Thanks for sharing it.
Hi
Made this today. Flavor was wonderful but really salty. What can be done to tone down the salt? Less in the brine? Rinsing?
Thanks
Carol: Yes, less time in the brine. You can also use what is called an equilibrium cure. This is where you weigh the piece of fish in grams, then weigh out 1.5 percent of that weight in salt. Use that salt to lightly coat the piece of fish, then ideally, vacuum seal it and set it in the fridge for a day or two. It will be totally cured, and never too salty.
What about the sugar ratio if I decide to dry cure it? Have you tried using this recipe to do cold smoke lox?
Did this step by step in my Bradley smoker and it was excellent! Combined with pacific blend pucks this recipe is simple yet delicious
thanks for the detailed information.
Just reading your recipe makes me hungry for kippered salmon. My Dad
Smoked Chinook Salmon for 50 years.
Thank you
I’ve bought a cold smoker, whats the difference and can I use your recipes?
Do you rinse the fish after the brine?
Ed: Sometimes very briefly, but not always. Depends on how slick the meat is.
Just tossed the fillets in the smoker. Now to partake in a few frosty cold beverages and prep for the first basting. Super easy and fun. Now if only I hadn’t been thrown into this at the last minute and could have eaten these instead of the chops earlier. ?
I have a Little Chief electric smoker that you add chips in a pan & put it on an electric eye in the bottom. There are no controls or temperature gauges on it. I have done a lot of jerky but how should I do salmon?
Jetta: I don’t know. I have never used a Little Chief, but my instinct says just keep things cool(ish), you want a gentle, slow smoking process, so however you get there depends on the equipment.
Loved the insight on cooking temperature. I always struggled with albumin in the past.
Came upon this recipe in 2019. Tried and true, perfect EVERY time. Thanks so much for sharing??
So glad I stumbled across your website. It’s amazing!
Quick question on your brine solution for the salmon…
Is the brown sugar vital in the brine? Can I substitute honey for that ingredient in that step?
Thanks for the clarification.
Karn: It’s not vital. Yes, you can substitute honey.
What would you recommend if no kosher salt diamond or any but have Morton pickling canning salt would that suffice ? Ty lmk
B: Yes, that will work.
Made this for a few friends last weekend. Everyone loved it. I dare say one guy got a little jealous that his girlfriend kept raving about it all night (he’s made her smoked salmon many times in the past). As a guy that loves to research before diving in, I loved the depth of knowledge in the recipe. My time table was a little short, so I had to cut each step down a bit. I will be sure to follow it more closely next time. Served it to guests, then used the leftovers to make poke bowls, so good!
Making my 2nd batch, the 1st was excellent as posted, this time I used Steelhead, I used Himalayan pink salt & Zatarain’s crab boil in the brine, and a good teriyaki sauce for the baste…Outstanding!!!
I’ve been making this recipe at least once a month since I discovered it. Definitely recommend filling up the smoker as Hank suggests. That way you get the most out of your time, smoker and brine. Thanks for the great recipe Hank!