How to Smoke Salmon

Smoked salmon is one of the most amazing seafood preparations on the planet, but, if you’ve never tackled this project, it can be intimidating. Relax, you’ve got this… after soaking up the sound advice in this guide to smoking the super delicious, Omega-3 rich fish.

Cooking on a plank is one method of smoking salmon. | Photo by Meredith Publishing

What Kind of Salmon Should You Smoke?

Hundreds of years ago, salmon was smoked by native Americans as a way of preserving the fish. Some tribes in the Pacific Northwest carry on that tradition by arranging seasoned fish fillets on wooden stakes and smoking them over white hot coals in a pit. Most backyard grills can achieve similar results, and fish can even be smoked on the stove top or in the oven. But before turning on the heat, it’s important to consider the key ingredient. Here’s a quick rundown of the basic salmon species available in supermarket seafood departments or in the frozen food section:

1. Sockeye is also known as red salmon because of its brilliantly colored flesh. It’s rich in Omega 3 fatty acids, and a whole fish typically weighs around 5 pounds when it’s caught, though it can get as large as 15 pounds. It’s considered a very good fish to smoke.
2. King salmon has a high fat content, and is also a prime candidate for smoking, though many prefer to grill, poach, or bake it, serving it barely seasoned to enjoy its delicate flavor.
3. Keta was once considered a bottom-of-the-barrel species, destined for pet food. It’s even sometimes called dog salmon. But in recent years, the tide has turned and keta is now prized as a good value, typically priced at under $10 a pound. It is the leanest salmon, so when it’s smoked, the cooking time is shorter. (During the cooking process, the fat is rendered and overcooking can result in dry fish, something you want to avoid.) If you do end up with dry smoked salmon, you can consider using it in chowder, tossing pieces of it in a little olive oil, or rebranding it “salmon jerky.”

Seasoning the Salmon

Your options for seasoning include a wet brine,  a dry rub, or some combination of both. A brine infuses a salty flavor while also drawing out any impurities from the fish. Many dry rubs contain a smidge of sugar, which caramelizes on the surface of the fish during the smoking process, giving it a bronzed glow.

Prepping the Gas or Charcoal Grill

The preferred method of smoking salmon is confusingly referred to as “hot smoking,” though it involves cooking it at 200 degrees or above, a comparatively low temperature for grilling meat. Build a fire or light one side of the grill, leaving the other as the “cool” side of the grill — which is where the fish will be smoked. The gas or charcoal fire needs to be hot enough to fire up wood chips, which impart the flavor.

Soak Your Chips

Wood chips for smoking are easy to find at hardware stores, some grocery stores, and online. Many people prefer alder or applewood chips when smoking salmon, as they don’t overwhelm the fish’s delicate flavor.

Barbecue Bible author Steven Raichlen recommends soaking chips, or/and cedar planks in water for at least 30 minutes before placing them directly on the coals of a charcoal grill, or on a piece of foil on top of a gas flame or in a smoker.  Some people swear by soaking chips in bourbon or vinegar, though those ingredients might be difficult for most palates to detect. (Better to save the bourbon for your Manhattan!)

Place the salmon on the cool side, where it will cook very slowly while smoking. It typically takes between 30 and 45 minutes for fillets to fully cook. The internal temperature of the thickest part of the fish should be 140 degrees.

Pro tips:

• Chef John suggests smoking salmon on top of sliced fennel to prevent the fish from sticking to the grate.
• Cookbook author Meathead Goldwyn advises places each fillet, skin side down, on a piece of paper cut to roughly the same size of the fish. When it cools, the skin peels off when the paper is removed. Neat trick!

Storage and Ways to Eat Smoked Salmon

Once salmon has been smoked, it can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days. It likely won’t last that long because it’s impossible to resist, especially when used in pasta preparations, as the key player in a winning Eggs Benedict, or in an amazing spread guests can’t stop eating at your next dinner party.

Photo by Allrecipes Magazine

Experiment with your fish by trying one of these Smoked Salmon Recipes.

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