Smoking salmon is a delicious way to prepare this tasty fish. The smoky flavor pairs perfectly with the rich, fatty salmon flesh. But when it comes to preparing salmon for smoking a common question is do you really need to brine the fish first?
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover whether brining is absolutely necessary for smoked salmon, the pros and cons of brining vs not brining, tips to ensure success, and some easy recipes to make mouthwatering smoked salmon without the brine.
What Does Brining Do?
Brining salmon involves soaking the raw fish in a saltwater or salt-sugar solution prior to smoking. Typically the salmon is submerged in the brine for 6-12 hours in the refrigerator.
There are a few purposes to brining salmon before hot or cold smoking
- Infuses the salmon flesh with extra flavor
- Makes the texture firmer and sliceable
- Retains moisture so the salmon doesn’t dry out
- Increases shelf life due to the salt content
The salt in the solution helps break down proteins, allowing the fish to absorb more liquid. This gives brined salmon a plump, juicy texture. The salt also seasons the fish and draws out moisture, which firms up the flesh.
Is Brining Absolutely Necessary?
While brining salmon is a very common practice, especially for cold smoking, it is not absolutely mandatory You can smoke delicious salmon without brining if you follow a few tips
Brining makes the process more forgiving and helps ensure the fish won’t dry out, but with some technique adjustments, it is possible to smoke great salmon without brining it first.
The short answer is no, brining is not required prior to smoking salmon. It comes down to personal preference whether you want to take the time to brine or skip that step.
Pros and Cons of Brining Salmon Before Smoking
Before deciding whether to brine or not, let’s look at some of the potential advantages and disadvantages of brining salmon prior to smoking.
Pros of Brining
- Salmon stays moist and tender during smoking
- Firm, sliceable texture makes it easy to serve
- Longer shelf life of 2-3 weeks
- Absorbs extra flavor from brine ingredients
- Provides insurance against oversmoking
Cons of Brining
- Adds significant time to the process (6-12 hours)
- Requires large container to submerge salmon
- Salmon absorbs a lot of salt, which some may find unhealthy
- Alters the natural salmon flavor
Pros of Not Brining
- Much faster process without lengthy brining time
- Allows natural salmon flavor to shine through
- Avoids excess salt absorption from brine
Cons of Not Brining
- Salmon can dry out more easily during smoking
- Texture is more delicate; fish tends to flake apart
- Shorter shelf life of around 1 week
- Less room for error in smoking time
Tips for Smoking Salmon Without Brining
While brining isn’t mandatory, smoking salmon without brining does require a few adjustments to ensure the fish gets perfectly cooked without drying out. Here are some tips:
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Cut the salmon into smaller, thinner portions – this exposes more surface area and expedites cooking time. Smoking a whole side of salmon is trickier without brining.
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Smoke for a shorter time period – aim for 1-2 hours max. Prolonged smoking dries out the fish.
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Apply a dry cure or wet marinade – coating the salmon helps add flavor and retain moisture.
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Smoke at a lower temperature between 180-225°F. The delicate unbrined salmon does best with low and slow smoking.
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Spray salmon with apple juice or broth periodically to prevent drying.
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Pull salmon off the smoker promptly upon reaching 145°F internal temperature to prevent overcooking.
Follow those guidelines, and you’ll get incredible smoked salmon texture and flavor without the lengthy brining step.
Easy No-Brine Smoked Salmon Recipes
To experience how delicious smoked salmon turns out without brining, give these fast and simple recipes a try:
Maple Glazed Smoked Salmon
- Brush salmon pieces liberally with a sticky maple syrup and soy sauce glaze
- Smoke for 60-90 minutes, reapplying glaze periodically
- Gently flake salmon and serve over salad or rice
Lemon-Dill Smoked Salmon
- Coat salmon portions with lemon zest, chopped dill, salt, and pepper
- Smoke for 60-90 minutes at 200°F
- Squeeze fresh lemon juice over salmon before serving
Bourbon Smoked Salmon
- Brush salmon pieces with a bourbon, brown sugar, salt and pepper mixture
- Smoke for 60-90 minutes, brushing with more glaze during smoking
- Slice and enjoy with crackers or on sandwiches
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does unbrined smoked salmon last?
Around 5-7 days is typical without brining versus 2-3 weeks for brined.
Should you remove the salmon skin before smoking?
Yes, remove the skin for faster, more even cooking and smoke absorption.
What wood is best for smoking salmon?
Fruit woods like apple, alder, and cherry give salmon a nice subtle sweetness.
Is cold smoking or hot smoking better without brining?
Hot smoking between 150-225°F helps fully cook the fish without drying it out.
What’s the minimum smoking time for salmon portions?
Aim for at least 60-90 minutes to reach the 145°F safe internal temperature.
Enjoy the Smoky Goodness
While brining salmon is a tasty technique for smoking fish, it’s not essential to get perfect results. With smaller cuts, lower temps, and shorter cook times, you can make incredible smoked salmon without the brining hassle.
Next time a salmon craving strikes, give one of the easy no-brine recipes a try. In about an hour, you’ll have tender, flaky, full-flavored smoked salmon ready to enjoy in salads, pasta, sandwiches, and more.
So go ahead – skip the lengthy brining step and savor delicious smoky salmon any night of the week thanks to these handy tips and recipes. Enjoy this versatile ingredient without all the added time and salt from brining.
Why You Need to Let a Dry, Tacky Surface Form on the Fish Before Smoking
Once the fish is properly seasoned and firmed up from dry-brining, we then need to rinse the excess salt and sugar off of the entire fillet to make the fish palatable (it would be way too salty and sweet without this rinsing step). But then we have a wet piece of fish, and if you just chuck it in the smoker while still wet, the smoke will cling to the water and slide off the surface of the fish, which means our fish won’t get that delectable smoky flavor. We need to create a dry, clingy surface that the smoke can adhere to from the start of cooking. One of the most important steps to smoking salmon, whether it’s hot- or cold-smoked, is to dry the salmon to form what is called a pellicle on the skin after dry-brining and rinsing and before smoking.
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The salt and sugar in the dry brine dissolve some of the proteins in the salmon and draw them to the surface, and as water evaporates while the salmon is sitting and drying in the fridge, the proteins bond together to form the sticky film that is the pellicle. The pellicle coating helps smoke adhere to the salmon during cooking. When the fish goes on the grill or smoker, you want it moist enough to capture the flavorful vapors in the smoke but not wet, which would cause the smoke to slide off. I found that a drying time anywhere from five to 24 hours dried out the surface of the salmon just enough to ensure a robust smoke flavor.
The Best Salmon for Hot Smoking
I prefer to smoke a big skin-on side of salmon. It’s a great showpiece for entertaining, and if you’re not serving a large crowd, it can be cut up and refrigerated or frozen for later use. The larger cut also cooks more slowly, allowing time to develop more smoke flavor while cooking. The most obvious advice I’ll give for selecting salmon for smoking at home is to use the best quality salmon available and the variety that fits within your budget. But here’s the kicker: best quality doesn’t always mean fresh. What’s most important is to look for fish that is still pristine, whether it was previously frozen or is truly fresh (as in never frozen). Lots of good fish gets frozen right on the boat, including almost all of the wild salmon sold from the Pacific Northwest and Alaska.
If buying fresh or previously frozen salmon at the fish counter, look for salmon with firm flesh that is glistening and doesnt show impressions from fingerprints or any tearing. The flesh should appear firm and should not smell overtly “fishy”—it should smell briny at most. You can also buy frozen salmon and thaw it yourself in the fridge just before curing. When choosing frozen salmon, use a purveyor you trust, and once it’s thawed, look for the same markers of quality as you would for fresh. (Serious Eats’ associate editorial director, Megan O. Steintrager, swears by the fish from her wild salmon CSA, which she found through the Local Catch Seafood Finder.)
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Beyond the apparent recommendation of using high quality fish, salmon with a higher fat content is ideal for smoking. The flavor of smoke pairs well with the rich flavor of fatty fish (just like with fatty meats) and fat also insulates the meat during its extended dry-heat cooking time to guarantee the fish doesn’t dry out and develop an unpleasant tacky texture when cooked. And the good news is that you have two great options: farm-raised salmon for a delicious smoked salmon that’s relatively affordable and wild king salmon for a deluxe smoked salmon that’s well worth the price if you can swing it.
Farm-raised Atlantic salmon—the only type of Atlantic salmon you’ll find—has the highest fat content of all salmon types and is a great option in this recipe. I’ll admit, I don’t often sing the praises of farm-raised salmon. It generally has a noticeably duller flavor than its wild counterpart, but its unctuousness makes it great for smoking. Plus farm-raised salmon is readily available throughout the country and it is much more affordable than wild salmon. Seek out high-quality farm-raised salmon from a brick-and-mortar or online purveyor you trust—several of us have had good luck with Wulf’s Fish, just to list one option.
An even better choice is wild king salmon, also known as Chinook salmon. King salmon has a high-fat content, deep red coloring, and extra flaky texture that is ideal for smoking, but it has a limited season when it’s available fresh, especially for those of us who live outside of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, though you can find excellent wild salmon, including king salmon, online from sources that ship throughout the US. Wild sockeye salmon is another popular variety that is less fatty than king salmon, but its balance of leanness and firmer texture holds up well to the smoking process without falling apart. It also tends to be less expensive than king salmon. While I prefer the fattiness and rich flavor of king salmon, sockeye is an excellent choice if you prefer a slightly leaner fish. Truly you can smoke any variety of wild salmon, but some varieties will be less fatty and more prone to drying out while smoking. Ultimately, it comes down to availability and personal preference.
If you do smoke wild salmon, I recommend cooking the salmon to a slightly lower temperature than farmed to lower the risk of the leaner wild fish drying out and losing its more intense flavor—the recipe below reflects this recommendation.