How to Make Smoked Salmon Homemade

Smoked salmon is a delicious and versatile dish, perfect for appetizers, main dishes or fast snacks. Although smoked salmon is easily available in shops, preparing it in the house allows you to control the quality of the ingredients and obtain a product with a unique taste. In this article, I will guide you step by step in the process of preparation of home-made smoked salmon.

Ingredients

• Fresh sauce: A high quality salmon fillet, preferably with skin.
• Large halls: Essential for brine and to extract moisture from the fish.
• Sugar: To balance sapidity and contribute to conservation.
• Events for pleasure: Black pepper, vinegar, aromatic herbs or citrus peel to flavor.
• Wood for smoking: Apple wood chips, cherry or hickory are ideal for smoking.

Instruments

• Smoker (or barbecue with lid and special smoked wood)
• Kitchen thermometer
• Smooth Grid
• Large container for brine

Steps to Make Smoked Salmon

1. Preparation of the salmon

First of all, it is essential to choose a high quality salmon fillet. Wild salmon has a more intense flavor, while the bred one is more fat and soft. Make sure the fillet is clean and without thorns.

2. Salting and Seasoning (Dry Brining)

Salt is a crucial step, because it helps to remove moisture from the salmon and improves its conservation. The process of “dry brining” consists in creating a dry mixture of salt and sugar to cover the fish.

• Recipe of dry brine:
  • 1 part of large salt
  • 1 part of sugar (you can use cane sugar for a richer flavor)
  • Black pepper, aromatic herbs, or lemon peel (optional)

Cover the salmon fillet with this mixture and put it in an airtight container. Let it rest in the refrigerator for 8-12 hours, depending on the size of the fillet. This process will allow the salt to penetrate the fish, dehydrating it slightly and flavoring it.

3. Rinse and Drying

After the brine, gently rinse the salmon under cold water to remove the excess of salt and sugar. It fills the fillet with kitchen paper to dry it. After that, leave the salmon discovered in the refrigerator for another 2-4 hours, so that a light film is formed on the surface.

4. Preparation of the Smoker

If you use a smoker, follow the manufacturer's instructions to turn it on and reach the desired temperature. If you use a barbecue with a lid, you can set up an indirect cooking: place the carbons on one side and the salmon on the other.

• Choice of wood: The apple or cherry wood will give the salmon a sweet and delicate taste. The hickory, on the other hand, will give a more robust and smoked taste. Dip the wood chips in the water for about 30 minutes before using them, so that I slowly burn and produce a uniform smoke.

5. Smoothing of Salmon

The ideal temperature for smoking salmon is low, among 60°C and 75°C (140-165°F). Salmon should cook slowly, absorbing the taste of smoke without drying too much.

• Hot smoker: Cook the salmon at a higher temperature, about 75°C, for 2-4 hours. Salmon will be cooked, with a consistency more similar to grilled fish.
• Cold smoke: It happens at temperatures below 30°C (86°F) and takes a much longer time (6-12 hours). The result will be a raw but smoked salmon, with a consistency similar to sashimi.

During smoking, check that the temperature remains constant and add other wood chips if necessary.

6. Coting control

If you smoke hot, the salmon will be ready when it reaches an internal temperature of about 60°C (140°F). Fish must be tender but compact, with a slight pink shade inside. If you opt for cold smoking, the texture will be more silky and the salmon will remain raw inside, but deeply flavored by smoke.

7. Conservation and Service

Once the smoke is finished, it lets the salmon cool before cutting it into thin slices. It can be stored in the refrigerator for a week, or frozen to prolong its duration up to a month.

Ideas for Serving Smoked Salmon

Homemade smoked salmon is incredibly versatile. It can be used in many recipes or enjoyed alone. Here are some ideas to serve it:

• On croutons: Spread some fresh cheese on a slice of crispy bread and add a slice of smoked salmon.
• In a bagel: Classic combination with cheese cream, red onion, cucumbers and capers.
• In salad: Mix the smoked salmon with fresh vegetables, avocado and a light dressing of oil and lemon..
• In pasta dishes: Add smoked salmon to a creamy pasta or risotto.
• How topping for pizza: An original idea is to use it on a pizza with a base of soft and rough cheese.

Conclusion

Preparing smoked salmon in the house takes time and attention, but the final result is absolutely rewarding. With a few ingredients and a little practice, you can create a product that exceeds the one bought in the shops both in freshness and in taste.

If you do not want to try it at home you can always buy our smoked salmon that does not know antibiotics and GMOs and is rich in precious omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.
Baltik the smoked salmon number one in the world