Smoked salmon how is it made

Rinsing the salmon to get all of the salt off is a very important because it halts the curing process and ensures that the flavor is not overly salty. After the salmon is rinsed, it is dried on wire racks. At this point, the salmon is already largely preserved from the curing. After a quick drying process, the salmon fillets are loaded into the smoker. Cold smoking, which yields a smooth, silky texture, requires a temperature of less than 90 degrees fahrenheit.

Hot smoking, on the other hand, is done at over degrees. Different woods offer different flavors. When fruit wood is used during smoking, for example, the end product is very subtly fragrant. While we sometimes incorporate natural ingredients for high-quality flavor add-ins, our core focus is on preserving and flavoring salmon with salt and woodsmoke only.

This allows the quality of the salmon to truly take center stage. After the salmon comes out from the smoker, the black meat and skin is removed. Once the black meat and skin is removed, the salmon is either packed up whole or it is sliced.

Some of our customers prefer to purchase the salmon side whole and slice it themselves. Chefs want to cut it according to their signature recipes, while delis want to slice it for their customers in the amounts and widths desired.

On the other hand, some customers and partners prefer it already sliced and ready to go! Since the salmon is fully preserved, whether it is sliced or not does not affect its flavor or shelf life.

Whether whole or sliced, the smoked salmon is then vacuum-packaged air tight and stored in the refrigerator. 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. It's not all bad, though. The lack of heat gives the salmon a vibrant color.

It also retains more moisture , giving it a textural leg-up on flaky hot-smoked salmon, and it kind of melts in your mouth as you eat it. Because you took the time to cure the fish, it is usually safe to eat, although extreme care should be taken when handling this unpasteurized fish.

So long as you've practiced good sanitation, bought it from a source that you trust, and don't have a compromised immune system , eating it shouldn't be a problem. The hard part is done: Now that the fish is smoked, you can eat both cold- and hot-smoked salmon right away, if you prefer. Slice it thinly for the traditional bagel with cream cheese and capers, add it to your favorite pasta for dinner, or pulse it in a food processor and serve the dip as an appetizer.

Any fish you're not planning to eat straight away should be cooled and stored. The difference in temperature between the refrigerator and the fish can cause condensation in the packaging, so Food Safety News recommends cooling hot-smoked salmon to at least degrees Fahrenheit or colder before placing it in plastic bags, air-tight containers, or vacuum-sealed packages. This isn't a problem for cold-smoked salmon. Since it was only cooked to 80 degrees, you should be able to package it straight away.

Although it's fully preserved, home-smoked salmon it won't last too much longer than raw salmon. Store it in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. If you want to hold onto it longer than that, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or place it in a freezer bag. It will keep frozen for about a year. Salmon prices vary widely depending on quality and availability. You might expect the smoked varieties to be a little more pricey consider how much work it took to salt, dry, and smoke the fish.

But is it reasonable to charge that much more? It is when you consider how much less the fish weighs after all this. There's a lot of waste involved in processing fish. The European non-profit media agency, Youris. Attached to the kiln is a smoker that burns wood chips or sawdust — typically from oak, maple, or hickory trees — to produce smoke.

Salmon can be either hot- or cold-smoked. The major difference is the temperature of the smoking chamber. This temperature range is not hot enough to cook the salmon, so extra care should be taken during preparation and curing to reduce the risk of foodborne illnesses Most smoked salmon on the market is cold-smoked.

Cold-smoked salmon tends to be smoother and mild while hot-smoked salmon is flaky and smokier in taste. Food scientists generally advise against using cold-smoking methods at home because of the food safety risks involved.

Yet, hot smoking can be safely performed at home with the proper equipment and techniques Check the product label for recommendations for storage. Once opened, smoked salmon can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks or frozen for 3 months You should avoid smoked salmon that has lots of dark bits. Smoked salmon is made by curing fillets with salt, then placing them in a smoking kiln.

The omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which fatty fish like salmon provide, have been linked to a reduced risk of heart disease, certain cancers, and age-related mental decline 17 , 18 , 19 , These fats may work by lowering triglycerides, reducing inflammation , and maintaining brain structure and function. Nonetheless, other nutrients in fatty fish may be partly responsible for these effects, as several studies on omega-3 supplements have failed to find the same benefits 21 , 22 , Smoked salmon also boasts a number of vitamins and minerals that are vital to your health.

Thus, if you watch your salt consumption, you may want to moderate your intake of smoked salmon or eat fresh salmon instead. Furthermore, observational studies tie smoked and processed meats to an increased risk of certain cancers, especially colorectal cancer Smoked salmon may also increase your risk of listeriosis, a foodborne illness caused by the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes 25 , 26 , Listeriosis is more likely to infect older adults, people with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns.

Therefore, these groups should avoid cold-smoked salmon — although canned and shelf-stable varieties are considered safe 28 , Cold-smoked varieties may increase your risk of listeriosis. Start by curing fillets in salt for at least 4 hours. You can monitor their temperature using a meat thermometer.