Smoked Salmon
Smoked salmon is a delicacy. This thinly sliced fish is gently smoked for hours, imparting a delicate, savory flavor that's both rich and slightly sweet. Its texture is silky, and it often has a slight translucence, highlighting its curing process. It is perfect as an addition to a bagel with cream cheese, as part of a sophisticated appetizer, or simply on its own.
- 2 lbs Salmon (Wild-Caught or Flash-Frozen Preferred)
- 1 cup Kosher Salt
- 1 cup Brown Sugar (Light or Dark)
- Food Grade Smoking Pellets
Prepare the dry rub mixing a cup each of kosher salt and brown sugar, light or brown does not matter whichever you have handy.
Cover all sides of the salmon filet with the rub and wrap tightly with plastic wrap. I usually double wrap the salmon.
Place the package in a water proof container like a casserole pan and put some weight on the filet, like tomato cans or similar. Place it in the refrigerator for about 24-36 hours.
The next day, unwrap the salmon and rinse thoroughly under cold water.
Place it in a container and cover it in cold water, and store it in the refrigerator 30 minutes to soften the exterior a bit.
While the salmon is resting in the water bath, light the pellets with a torch, like the ones you use for crème brûlée.
Light the top pellets (it may take a few tries), and let the flame lit for about 5 minutes. After that, blow out the flame and let the smoking begin!
Remove the salmon from the water bath and pat it very dry with paper towels.
Place the dried salmon filet in the smoker, away from the heat source.
I also like to place a chunk of mozzarella in there when I smoke salmon; since it is cold smoking it is the perfect environment to make some smoked mozzarella.
After about 6 hours remove the salmon and mozzarella from the smoker and wrap them tightly in multiple layers of plastic film. Store them in the refrigerator for about 2 days. This will infuse the smoking flavor even deeper in them.
Enjoy the salmon thinly sliced over bagel and cream cheese (classic) or as an appetizer with some capers and dill, and garnished with thin slices of lemon.
The smoked mozzarella can be used in sandwiches, melted on top of pasta or in lasagnas.
The possibilities are endless.Buon Appetito!