There’s something, about the subtle taste and smooth texture of cold smoked salmon. This culinary delight, often enjoyed on occasions or fancy brunches can actually be created in your kitchen. Making your cold smoked salmon allows you to savor this gourmet treat freshly prepared giving you the satisfaction of knowing you made it yourself. In this guide, we’ll take you through the process step, by step ensuring you achieve that blend of smokiness and tenderness. Get ready to amaze your friends and family with your cooking skills!

Cold and Hot Smoked Salmon

Cold smoked salmon and hot smoked salmon are both cherished for their tastes and textures yet they differ in how they are made and used in cooking. Cold smoked salmon is smoked at a temperature, typically around 70 90°F (20 32°C) resulting in a smooth texture and a subtle smoky flavor. This careful process maintains the fishs quality making it perfect for dishes, like bagels with cream cheese salads or canapés. In contrast hot smoked salmon is smoked at a higher temperature, usually between 120 180°F (49 82°C) which fully cooks the fish. This technique gives the salmon a texture and a strong smoky taste, ideal for dishes such as pasta, quiches or simply enjoyed on its own. Both types of smoked salmon provide a gourmet experience, with their flavors and culinary uses.

Cold Smoked Salmon Recipe

To smoke cold salmon is not as difficult as it seems. You can do this very well at home, it just takes some patience.

Ingredients for two sides of salmon about 2 ½  lb.

• 10 oz. coarse sea salt
• 10 oz. salt
• 1 lb. brown sugar
• add some juniper berries, cloves, and crushed peppercorns if you like.

– Mix ingredients in a bowl and rub it on to the sides of your salmon
– Put your salmon in a large bag or sealed container, preferably a little bit under pressure. You can do this by placing a thick cutting board or something heavy on top of it. Please note that a lot of moisture will  come out of your fish when using this way of brining.
– Leave it for 12 hours, preferably in a cool and dark place.
– Rinse the salmon under cold water. Pat your fish dry with cloth or paper towel.

After this, you have to dry your salmon in a cool, ventilated area on a rack or something. In the cold months, this could be in your smoker or in a barn. In the warmer months, I put it in the fridge. The sides will feel dry and a little sticky after 24 hours. The skin side will be a bit like leather.

Your salmon is now ready to smoke

Cold smoking your salmon

It is preferable to lie your salmon down to smoke. If all else fails , you can hang them too. Make sure you hang them firmly, because the sides are rather heavy. It’s quite a waste of all of your work if they fall. Multiple mounting points provide a solution. With roast rope you can try to  make a knot around the tail .

This way of smoking gives the most flavor to your fish, so make sure that your smoking wood is absolutely clean. For salmon I prefer  a mixture of beech and oak.

Make sure that at all times your smoker does not exceed 25 degrees. It will benefit the results if you keep your temperature even lower. I smoke preferably at temperatures around ten degrees, but in the summer this can be harder to do . Do your smoking later in the evening and make sure that your smoker is not in a particularly warm place .

I always smoke approx 4-5 hours at a stretch and the taste and quality is superb.

Tip: Try a egg flat for your smoking. Fill up the holes with wood dust and light the edges of the flat. This should smoke for about an hour.