Homemade Cold Smoked (King) Salmon
Servings: 24 people
Calories: 120kcal
Print Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 lbs salmon fillets King/Chinook or Atlantic; about two medium fillets. See Note 1.
For the brine
- 1 gallon water at 38F or lower
- 2.25 lbs kosher salt about 4 cups
- 1 lb brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp Cure #1
- 1/3 cup lemon juice
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp onion powder
- 1 Tbsp allspice powder See Note 2.
- 1 Tbsp white pepper powder See Note 2.
- 1 Tbsp coriander powder See Note 2.
Instructions
- Add the water and the rest of the brine ingredients to a large bowl and whisk until sugar and salt are fully dissolved. Ensure the brine is at 38F or lower before adding salmon to it.
- Place the fish in a deep pan or something similar. It should be just big enough to fit the fish. Add the brine. Make sure there is enough brine to cover the fish. Slightly weigh the fish down to keep it from floating up. Let the fish brine for 9-24 hours in the fridge, depending on thickness. See Note 3.
- Remove the fish from the brine and rinse under cold running water. Place the fillets in a pan filled with clean cold water and let soak for 60 minutes (.75" - 1" thick fillets) or 120 minutes (1.5" - 2" thick fillets). Change the water once or twice. Drain and pat dry the fish with paper towels.
- Place the fish on a tray fitted with a cooling rack, skin side down, and transfer into a fridge to dry and develop the pellicle for 12 hours. The salt inside the fish will equalize as well during this time.
- Next, move the fish to the smoker and smoke at 70F (22C) for 12-16 hours, depending on size. See note 4.
- After smoking, transfer salmon to a tray, cover, and refrigerate overnight before slicing and enjoying.
- Smoked salmon will stay fresh in the fridge for up to 10 days. Longer storage will require freezing.
Notes
Note 1 - if you intend to smoke only one salmon fillet, you can cut the amount of brine by half. The amount of brine in this recipe is good for 4-5 lbs of fish.
Note 2 - to give the fish more flavor, toast whole white peppercorns, coriander, and allspice, then grind.
Note 3 - brine salmon according to the following schedule:
Fillet thickness - Brining time
0.75" - 9 hours
1" - 12 hours
1.5" - 18 hours
2" - 24 hours
Note 4 - Smoking can be split into 2-3 days, with the fish resting in the fridge in between smoking sessions.
Nutrition
Serving: 100g | Calories: 120kcal | Protein: 19g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 52mg | Sodium: 560mg | Potassium: 463mg | Sugar: 0.2g | Vitamin A: 38IU | Calcium: 11mg | Iron: 1mg