• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Subscribe
Subscribe by email Connect on Facebook Connect on Pinterest Follow Me on Instagram

Hunter Angler Gardener Cook

Finding the Forgotten Feast

  • Shop
  • Video Course
  • Stories
  • About
    • Public Events
    • Privacy Policy
  • Wild Game
    • Venison Recipes
    • Duck Recipes and Goose Recipes
    • Rabbits, Hares and Squirrels
    • Pheasants, Turkey, Quail
    • Dove Recipes
    • Wild Pig and Bear Recipes
    • My Best Taco Recipes
    • Wild Game Sauces
  • Charcuterie
    • Homemade Sausage Recipes
    • Smoker Recipes
    • Bacon, Jerky, Hams, etc
    • Salami Recipes
    • Confit, Pate, Terrines
  • Fish
    • General Fish Recipes
    • Salmon Recipes
    • Snapper Recipes
    • Crabs, Shellfish and Squid
    • Little Fish and Oddballs
  • Gathering
    • Preservation Recipes
    • Mushrooms
    • Sweet Things
    • Wild Greens and Herbs
    • Acorns, Nuts, Starches
  • Podcast
Home » Fish » Salmon and Trout » Salmon Jerky

Salmon Jerky

By Hank Shaw on July 6, 2020, Updated October 29, 2020 - 41 Comments

Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe Comment
4.75 from 16 votes
Print Friendly, PDF & Email
Salmon jerky on a wooden platter
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

Salmon jerky is the logical extension of both regular smoked salmon as well as salmon candy.

The way I do all three is, more or less, the same. Only the cure, cut and times are different. Let me walk you through it. First, there is my standard smoked salmon recipe, which is well regarded, incidentally. This is hot-smoked salmon fillets or blocks, brined and basted with birch or maple syrup or honey. The intention is tender, lightly smoked but fully cooked salmon.

Then there is my salmon candy recipe. This is a half step towards salmon jerky. Instead of a brine, I salt (and sugar) relatively thick strips of salmon, then smoked them and baste them until they are a bit sturdier than my smoked salmon. This allows them to be carried along on day trips, and they’ll keep a long while in cool conditions.

But salmon candy will still go bad at room temperature after a few days. That’s where salmon jerky comes in. It’s the same basic cure as salmon candy, but for longer, the cuts are thinner and the smoke time is longer.

The most important thing to know about making salmon jerky is to slice it around 1/2 inch thick, from the tail to the head. This is important. If you do cross cuts, i.e., from top to bottom of the fish. the jerky will fall apart. I also would not slice thinner than about 1/4 inch, or you risk the jerky drying too much and turning brittle.

You will also notice I left the skin on. It’s perfectly edible, and it helps keep the jerky together. If you don’t like it, peel the skin off before you eat it.

Salmon jerky closeup photo
Photo by Holly A. Heyser

When done right, the finished product is chewy, a bit salty and a bit sweet.

I like it a lot as a trail snack, road trip food, or to eat while catching more salmon.You can play with things a bit, too. The initial amount of sugar in the cure is mostly to remove water from the fish, the same way salt does. Sugar mitigates the harshness of pure salt. But if you can’t have sugar at all in your diet, you can replace the sugar with more salt.

If by chance you forget about things and leave the fish in the cure too long, you can dunk them in a bowl of ice water to remove excess cure. In this case, it’s better to err on more time in the cure than less, because you are shooting for preservation.

As for the flavoring, I still like my maple or birch syrup baste. (You can buy birch syrup made by my friend Sam Thayer here.) But you can go with black pepper pressed into the fish after it cures and before it’s smoked, or chile powder or garlic or really whatever makes you happy. Or do a variety.

Wood choice is up to you, too, but I recommend alder, maple or fruit woods.

Let your salmon jerky cool on a rack after it’s been smoked until it hits room temperature, then put it in a container in the fridge.

Detail image of salmon jerky for recipe
Print Recipe
4.75 from 16 votes

Salmon Jerky

I normally make this with the tail sections of king salmon, but any salmon, trout or char will work here, as would whitefish. Whatever fish you use, it needs to be fatty.
Prep Time20 mins
Cook Time5 hrs
Curing Time12 hrs
Course: Appetizer, Cured Meat, Snack
Cuisine: American
Servings: 12 servings
Calories: 251kcal
Author: Hank Shaw

Ingredients

  • 4 pounds salmon, cut in strips
  • 1 cup kosher salt
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup maple syrup or birch syrup

Instructions

  • Mix the salt and sugar together. Sprinkle a thin layer of this over the bottom of a lidded container. Arrange the strips of salmon in the container in one layer. Cover with the remaining cure. If you need to do this in more than one layer, heavily dust the first layer with the cure before adding more fish.
  • Cover the container and let this cure in the fridge for 12 hours. If you can, turn the container upside down once during this time, or mix the salmon pieces around, so you get a more even cure.
  • Remove your salmon from the cure and quickly dunk it in a large bowl of ice water to rinse off excess cure. Pat the fish dry with paper towels and set on a rack over a baking sheet in the fridge overnight if possible, or in front of a fan or in a cool, shaded, breezy place for at least 1 hour. You want the surface of the salmon to get sticky-tacky, which will help smoke adhere to it.
  • Fire up your smoker. I generally smoke at about 200°F. See the headnotes for your wood choices. Smoke you salmon for at least 3 hours, and as long as it takes to get dried, but still chewy. It normally takes me 5 hours. If you are using maple syrup, paint it on the fish every 30 minutes or so after 1 hour has elapsed.
  • Once you have salmon jerky, put it back on the cooling rack to return to room temperature. It will keep in cool room temperature, i.e., 60°F or below, for a long while, but I keep my jerky in small, vacuum sealed packets in the fridge until I need it. It should last like this for months.

Nutrition

Calories: 251kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 83mg | Sodium: 68mg | Potassium: 771mg | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 60IU | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @HuntGatherCook or tag #HankShaw!

Thanks for Sharing This!

1.2K shares

Filed Under: American Recipes, Appetizers and Snacks, Charcuterie, Featured, Fish, How-To (DIY stuff), Recipe, Salmon and Trout

Avatar for Hank Shaw

Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet's largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Avatar for Jenni TJenni T says

    February 28, 2023 at 7:28 am

    Can jerky be made from frozen cold-smoked salmon? Perhaps I could cut it into strips, add the maple syrup, and smoke it until it gets dry enough?

    Reply
  2. Avatar for SeanSean says

    December 2, 2022 at 1:35 pm

    Mine turned out incredibly salty (unedible). I followed instructions to a T. Any idea why this would have been?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      December 2, 2022 at 1:52 pm

      Sean: My guess is that your salt tolerance is lower than mine. The 12 hour soak really makes a durable, and yes, salty, jerky. One that keeps a long time. I am sorry yours came out too salty, but if you do this again, pull the fish out of the brine at 6 hours and try that. As for this batch, use it as a salty accent in rice, or with pasta — flake it out or chop and mix it into things, leaving out salt in the rest of that recipe.

      Reply
      • Avatar for SeanSean says

        December 2, 2022 at 5:57 pm

        Got it, thanks Hank!

      • Avatar for Dylan S.Dylan S. says

        February 2, 2023 at 4:59 am

        I would think an EQ cure ratio would work well here also. +/- 3% salt by weight of salmon, and do a 24ish hour cure(penetration time should be quick with the salmon cut into thin strips) in a vacuum bag. That way you could dial in the level of salt closer that a salt box method. I’ve had good luck making lox with eq cures over traditional brines and salt boxes.

  3. Avatar for PoldiPoldi says

    November 18, 2022 at 8:38 am

    Hi Hank,

    is there a way to make this low carb and without all the sugar? Or is the sugar needed for preservation?

    Reply
    • Avatar for Hank ShawHank Shaw says

      November 23, 2022 at 11:15 am

      Poldi: you can skip the sugar, but the flavor will be a little harsher.

      Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Hank Shaw holding a rod and reel in the American River

Hi, my name is Hank Shaw; I’m a James Beard Award-winning author and chef. I started this site back in 2007 to help you get the most out of all things wild: fish, game, edible wild plants and mushrooms. I also write cookbooks, have a website dedicated to the intersection of food and nature, and do a podcast, too. If it’s wild, you’ll find it here. Hope you enjoy the site!

More about Hank...

Featured Recipes

Closeup of sliced, smoked venison backstrap on a platter
Venison 101: How to Cook Venison
pickled pike recipe
Pickled Pike
Slices of smoked venison roast on a cutting board.
Smoked Venison Roast
Conejo en adobo on a plate
Conejo en Adobo
A platter of fried walleye with lemon.
Fried Walleye
A plate of pine nut cookies.
Pine Nut Cookies

As Seen In

As seen on CNN, New York Times, Simply Recipes, Martha Stewart, Food and Wine, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Field and Stream, Outdoor Life, and The Splendid Table

Never Miss a Recipe

Receive recipes direct to your inbox.

 

 

Back to Top
  • Home
  • Shop
  • Video Course
  • About
  • Podcast
  • Stories
  • Wild Game
  • Charcuterie
  • Fish
  • Gathering
Subscribe by email Connect on Facebook Connect on Pinterest Follow Me on Instagram

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

© 2023 Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, All Rights Reserved.

Site built by: Site by Status Forward

1.2K shares
  • Print
  • Pinterest
  • 324Facebook
  • WhatsApp
  • Save
  • Email
1.2K shares
  • 324