How to Smoke Salmon

These instructions are for smoking salmon in a smokehouse.

My dad's sister in Alaska is the queen of smoked salmon. They grew up on a Southeast Alaska beach, fishing and eating salmon, so they know what good salmon tastes like, and everybody in town goes to her for salmon smoking.

This is her recipe, which we use for smoking salmon in the smokehouse we built down here in Washington.

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Step 1: You Need

A smokehouse and firewood
Racks
Good, fresh, oily fish- king (Chinook) and sockeye (red) salmon are good for smoking.
Bucket
Water
Salt
Brown sugar
Nail
Russet potato
Oil or cooking spray
Really sharp knives

mastermakoko says: Dec 27, 2012. 6:59 PM

wont eating the scraps taste fishy and slimy?

tukmol in reply to mastermakokoMay 9, 2013. 2:23 AM

try adding slabs of ginger before the water boils. will eliminate the strong fishy smell.

theawesomeninja in reply to mastermakokoJan 2, 2013. 10:53 PM

...it's boiled so I wouldn't think so

jongscx in reply to mastermakokoJan 2, 2013. 2:38 PM

Being from the Philippines where this is how they do 70% of all their fish dishes... yes, it is rather fishy and slimy. If you're not used to the smell and texture, it can get overwhelming.

WriterChick says: Dec 20, 2012. 3:47 PM

And here I thought the hard part was keeping the salmon lit ....

Questor in reply to WriterChickDec 23, 2012. 4:43 PM

NAH . . . . to me the hard part is keeping the papers from getting soggy

jongscx in reply to QuestorJan 2, 2013. 2:37 PM

I've always used a pipe, much more classy.

druidrat in reply to WriterChickDec 23, 2012. 10:32 AM

What size nail? 8p? 16p? Sized to the potato? Ruset?
I would stay away from galvanized or VC (vinyl coated).
I've always tried to keep it a steady temperature, what is the reasoning for varing it?
Smoking food is always good.

oppie says: Dec 25, 2012. 6:25 AM

Neat trick with the potato and nail which is essentially a hydrometer to achieve a certain specific gravity in the brine. I work in a lab with lots of fancy instruments but still appreciate "folk methods" that just git 'er done.

KryptoTSD says: Dec 23, 2012. 7:35 AM

I bet that smoked Salmon Lox is just scrumptious with bagels and cream cheese!

RichardBronosky in reply to KryptoTSDDec 23, 2012. 3:14 PM

Lox is cold smoked. This is hot smoked. It won't have the raw texture of lox.

KryptoTSD in reply to RichardBronoskyDec 23, 2012. 4:18 PM

Okay. How do I make Lox? I would really like to know, because I like smoked Salmon...

vincent7520 says: Dec 23, 2012. 12:00 PM

Absolutely great !…
The sugar spoon is one of the tricks : glad you mentioned it !…
I'll keep the potato and nail trick in mind in my next "smoking" session.

I have only two remarks about the smokehouse :
1) you should definitely make an instructable !
2) also wouldn't it be better if you used plain wood when building it instead of the compressed chips planks (or whatever it's called in the US) as they contain a lot of highly toxic materials that may contaminate your food without you knowing it.

Greg Davies says: Dec 23, 2012. 11:12 AM

Thank you for the instructions. Planning on doing this soon.

cowboynwh says: Dec 23, 2012. 9:36 AM

You should write up an instructable on your smokehouse it looks awesome! I love smoked salmon I always had a freezer full when I lived in Oak Harbor but I moved back to Oklahoma. :( but we have crappie :) and there just as good. Enjoy some for me. ;)

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SelkeyMoonbeam (author) in reply to cowboynwhDec 23, 2012. 10:50 AM

:) For the smokehouse- see my reply to radarguy.

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caitlinsdad says: Dec 20, 2012. 3:01 PM

That's interesting to check for salinity of the brine with a potato and nail. Is there any electrolytic process going on with the nail, can it be a rusty nail or coated or it's just some tradition?

erwin in reply to caitlinsdadDec 23, 2012. 8:47 AM

I remember, we used a raw egg in Germany (in the shell!). When it floated, the brine was right...
Erwin

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SelkeyMoonbeam (author) in reply to erwinDec 23, 2012. 10:49 AM

cool! I'll have to try that.

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SelkeyMoonbeam (author) in reply to caitlinsdadDec 20, 2012. 3:16 PM

Heh, it's just to ensure proper density! Since we fill up the bucket with a hose, it's much easier to do this than to measure out water and salt cup by cup.
Plus the potato is good in the fish-scraps stew, and we probably get some good minerals from the nail.

radarguy says: Dec 23, 2012. 9:44 AM

We just have an electric smoker and the last time we tried salmon in it we weren't too successful. It was more for a hot entree. So can you tell us more about how to make your smokehouse?

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SelkeyMoonbeam (author) in reply to radarguyDec 23, 2012. 10:48 AM

Sure- we built the smokehouse a couple of years ago, but it's pretty simple. It's just a shack, something like 1 x 1 x 2.5 meters, slant-roofed so it can shed rain.
The front is on hinges, so it can be swung open and closed.
The sides have small 1x1" pieces of wood nailed into them to make slides for the fish racks.
We used one of those commercial firepit things, the giant bowl on a stand, to put the fire in (but without the stand).

The really important things:
-Put metal flashing around the base of the shed, where the fire is built, so that your shed doesn't light on fire.
-Stick a thermometer through the wall so you know how hot it is inside.
-Make sure your door can be closed tightly- we use bungee cords, hooked to some screw-in hooks.
-Leave a small gap somewhere near the top so that smoke can escape.

vanisaac says: Dec 23, 2012. 7:31 AM

As an alternative to brining, sprinkle rock salt on top. Just brush off the loose rock salt - you can save it outside (it can smell a bit) and use it for icy sidewalks or ice cream making - and rinse the rest off with water. You then brush a paste of water and brown sugar on top, which forms a more cohesive glaze (it helps hold the fish together), and depending on how thick you slather it on can give you a sweeter end product.