High-quality smoked salmon starts with the right fresh ingredients, only the freshest fish sourced from conscientious, sustainable sources, proven smoking methods and ends in a consistently fantastic product. The first step in making smoked salmon is of course sourcing the fish. The only way to create a superior, tasty product is to start with the best ingredients. Supermarket smoked salmon is purchased from farms all over the world and the salmon might not always be raised in the best environments.
The water may be too warm, the feed might be adulterated with hormones and colorants, and the salmon might be treated to preservatives and nitrates before shipping. There are also lots of different salmon species offered at the grocery store. Catsmo Artisan Smokehouse takes a different approach to sourcing salmon.
We purchase only Atlantic salmon from the right countries at the right times Scotland in the winter and Chile in the summer to make sure the salmon is always raised in cold waters, which has a huge effect on both the flavor and the texture. The fish is raised in large, aquaculture farms with plenty of space to keep the fish stress-free and happy.
We have direct relationships with the farmers and have visited the locations to check the quality of the natural feed and the aquaculture conditions. Everyday shipments of fresh, ice-packed salmon filets are sent directly from these partner farms to our artisanal smoking facility in the Hudson Valley via plane and then our own refrigerated trucks. Next up: quality control! When a shipment arrives, we open up all the boxes and check out the fillets.
Less telling than the sense of sight is actually the sense of smell. The only scent that passes inspection is one of fresh, clean water—not fish.
Immediately after the fish is received and inspected or should we say smell tested? Because the curing happens so quickly, the product stays incredibly fresh, and our end-product is never dry or fishy but instead has a fresh, delicate texture and flavor. Since salmon's flavor gets concentrated as it cures and smokes, the type of salmon you choose has a lot to do with the flavor you end up with. That said, you can make smoked salmon out of any kind, so use what you have.
Keep in mind that each salmon species has a unique oil content. Salmon with a lot of oil like king or sockeye is more full-flavored and will retain its moisture more efficiently as it smokes. Salmon like Atlantic or coho are lower in oil with a pale color and a more mild flavor. These fish are best for those who prefer a lighter fish and a dryer texture. While you want the salmon to be fresh, that doesn't mean it can't be frozen.
If your choices are smelly "fresh" fish or pristine frozen fish, the latter is the better choice every time. The flavor of the salmon will intensify as it goes through the smoking process, and if it developed an off, fishy flavor because it was spoiling, it definitely won't taste very good after it's smoked.
Because freezing fish causes the cells to burst, it actually allows the fish to take in more of the brine and smoke flavors , too. You'll just want to make sure the fish is fully thawed before moving on to the next step, as salt can't penetrate frozen tissue. After preparing the salmon fillet, the next step is to apply salt to the fish.
Salt gets a bad rap , but its importance in seasoning and preservation cannot be underplayed. There are two ways to cure salmon : wet or dry. Applying a dry cure means covering the fish in salt and maybe some sugar and seasonings and rinsing off the excess after a long period of time — anywhere between an hour and a full day.
With a wet cure, a brine is prepared using salt and sugar, and the salmon is submerged in the liquid for around six to 10 hours. By the end of the brining process, the salt has done a lot for your piece of salmon. Not only does it remove some of the moisture, helping to stay fresh longer and tolerate the smoking process better, but it also improves and intensifies the flavor. The sugar has a job to do, too, aside from adding some sweet flavor.
Sugar helps the salmon absorb moisture, allowing it to take on some of the wet brine after the salt has pushed out the fish's original moisture. We're really close to tossing that fish on the smoker! Now that's it's been cured, there's only one more step before we can add that delicious, smoky flavor. It's time to develop the pellicle , a skin that forms on the surface of food as it's exposed to air and moisture is removed.
Professional kitchens often use a fan and higher temperatures to form a pellicle on salmon in as little as 30 minutes, but most at-home recipes call for drying salmon at room temperature for one to three hours.
This might seem like a step you could skip if you're in a hurry, but that protective layer has a few functions. First, it traps moisture inside the fish, ensuring that your final smoked salmon will be moist despite the long smoke time. It also gives the finished product an attractive glean and helps the smoke adhere to the meat as it cooks, making your smoked salmon that much more flavorful. After it's properly dried, we're finally ready to smoke the salmon.
Alder a popular wood for smoking salmon, but you can use any type of hardwood you like. Some companies prefer maple or apple wood because it gives the fish a sweet characteristic.
Using fir, pine, spruce, or cedar is not recommended, as these woods can impart bad flavors and give the fish an unpalatable finish. At this point, it's time to decide if you're using hot or cold smoke. The two types of smoking produce a fish with different tastes and textures. Keep in mind that the cold-smoking process doesn't actually cook the fish, so it comes with some risks associated with bacteria and food-borne illness.
We'll dive into cold smoking in a minute, but first, let's walk through how to hot smoke salmon. The Kitchn recommends setting your smoker to degrees Fahrenheit and smoking the fish until it reaches an internal temperature of degrees at its thickest point. Depending on the thickness of the fillet, this should take about one to three hours.
If you want to infuse more smoky flavor into your fish, you can lower the temperature to 90 degrees for the first two hours. With either method, you'll have to then cook the fish in your oven until the salmon reaches degrees at it's thickest point. This makes is safe for eating, but it can also dry out the fish. Stay near by and attentive during this part of the process. Cold-smoked salmon is tasty, but it's riskier than its hot-smoked cousin.
That's because with cold smoking, the smoker never reaches temperatures above 80 degrees Fahnerheit. You see, food needs to be above degrees Fahrenheit or below 40 degrees to stay out of the so-called "danger zone.
Not only that, but the USDA's minimum internal cooking temperature for fish is degrees, which means cold-smoked salmon is technically raw. The brine will not only help to preserve the salmon so it lasts longer after it is smoked, but it will help to pull some moisture out and intensify the flavors of the smoke and salmon.
The sugar adds a hint of sweetness to help balance out the flavors. Smoking salmon can seem very complicated with all the theories out there, but let's simplify it into 3 main steps. Alder trees are native to the Pacific Northwest, and more specifically along the Copper River in Alaska where this salmon comes from. Alder gives the best mild flavor to the salmon, but apple or cherry can also work.
Use smaller wood chips rather than chunks for smoking this salmon over charcoal, as it is not a long smoke. Soak the chips in water for 20 to 30 minutes prior to smoking. I don't usually soak chips when smoking meats, but I do for salmon. The reason for this is to help keep the temperature down and create milder smoke. There are a lot of factors that determine the time it will take, including the actual temperature in the smoker, fat content and the thickness of the filet.
The best tool for monitoring the temperature of the smoker and the fish is a Thermoworks Smoke 2-channel alarm affiliate. You can just set the temperature alarm to the temp right before it's done cooking and it will start beeping to let you know to head outside to verify.
Hot smoked salmon is considered fully cooked, while cold smoked or cured salmon is not considered cooked, as it does not reach high temperatures. Hot and cold smoked salmon are very different. Hot smoked salmon like the one in this recipe is cooked by heat. Cold smoked salmon and lox is "cured" with salt and sugar over a longer period of time to preserve it rather than cook with heat. Hot smoking the salmon actually cooks the fish via a heat source that is producing hot smoke.
Cold smoked salmon is usually cured, then smoked with smoke that has been cooled down before it comes in contact with the fish so it doesn't change the texture.
It is also possible to cold smoke salmon and then cook it over direct heat, like in a skillet or on a grill. This is the best of both worlds because you get the smoky flavor, crispy skin and perfectly cooked salmon. Hot smoked salmon lasts for about 1 week in the refrigerator if it was fresh when you brought it home and you smoked it right away.
You absolutely can freeze hot smoked salmon! Just place portions into ziplock freezer bags, remove as much air as possible, and freeze. Defrost slowly in the refrigerator or in a bowl of water leaving it in the sealed bag.
Avoid defrosting in the microwave. The protein is liquid when the salmon is raw and coagulates when it comes in contact with heat. It is completely harmless and you can either eat it or wipe it off with a paper towel prior to serving.
Besides simply eating hot smoked on its own, there are so many ways to use it in your favorite dishes. Here are a few ideas for tasty inspiration:. Contains affiliate links where I might receive a commission if you make a purchase, at no additional cost to you. Hi Chibi. You should be able to but I haven't experimented with those specifically, so I'm not sure how they would turn out. Should be good though. Some with brining overnight. This is a great.
I mean great simple and best of all great tasting recipe not too sweet not too salty but just right. Thanks, Krista! So glad you enjoyed it. You can give it a squeeze of lemon juice to add some moisture while it heats. It's also quite good cold. Oh wow this is delicious! The only smoked salmon I've had before is the kind you buy at the store and enjoy on bagels You have opened my mind and world to a whole new place and I'm so happy about it.
0コメント