Smoked salmon is a popular delicacy enjoyed around the world for its distinctive smoky, salty flavor and silky texture. But an important question many people have is – does smoked salmon have to be cured before smoking or can you smoke raw salmon?
The short answer is yes, curing is a crucial step in the smoked salmon process. Curing helps preserve the fish, enhance its flavor, and achieve the right texture. Skipping this step would result in unsafe, low-quality smoked salmon.
Why Curing is Essential
Curing refers to treating raw salmon with salt sugar spices, or other ingredients before smoking. It serves two key purposes
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Food Safety: Curing reduces bacteria on the raw fish that could lead to spoilage or food poisoning. The salt draws moisture out of the salmon, making it harder for microbes to thrive.
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Taste and Texture Curing infuses flavor into the salmon and firms up the flesh. It gives smoked salmon its characteristic bold seasoning and silky yet chewy texture. Without curing, the finished product would be bland and mushy.
So for these reasons, raw salmon must be cured properly to create delicious, safe smoked salmon. Simply hot or cold smoking fresh, untreated fish would be unwise and produce poor results.
Dry Curing vs Wet Brining
The two main techniques used to cure salmon prior to smoking are dry curing and wet brining:
Dry Curing
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Involves coating the salmon fillets directly with a dry mix of salt, brown sugar, and sometimes spices like dill.
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The salmon cures in the fridge for 5-12 hours as the dry ingredients draw moisture out.
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Results in a more concentrated, salty cured flavor.
Wet Brining
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Requires submerging salmon in a water-based brine of salt, sugar, and aromatics for 5-12 hours.
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Leads to a milder cured flavor, as moisture remains in the flesh.
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The brine can penetrate deeper into the meat.
Both techniques effectively cure the fish while imparting nuanced flavors. The method chosen depends on personal preference.
Benefits of Curing
Beyond just food safety, properly curing salmon before smoking offers several advantages:
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Enhances natural flavor of the salmon and allows smoky flavors to penetrate better
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Firms up the tender flesh to achieve ideal flaky yet dense texture
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Facilitates longer shelf life by reducing spoilage
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Allows flavor personalization based on cure ingredients used
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Draws out moisture to help smoke adhere during smoking process
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Provides the characteristic salty tang complementing any smoky flavors
So while an extra step, curing is invaluable for making smoked salmon that looks, tastes, and feels perfect.
The Smoking Process
Once cured, the salmon is briefly rinsed, patted dry, and left to form a sticky pellicle layer overnight in the fridge. This tacky outer layer helps the smoke cling to the fish.
Finally, the cured salmon is placed in a smoker or grill and exposed to fragrant wood smoke at low temperature (under 275°F) for about 1-2 hours. This gently cooks the fish while infusing it with that signature smoky essence.
And that’s how curing and smoking work hand in hand to create incredible smoked salmon!
What About Lox?
Lox is another popular cured salmon product but with a key difference – it’s not smoked! To make lox, salmon fillets are wet brined in a saltwater solution, typically just salt and water. It cures for a much longer time than salmon destined for smoking, usually 24 hours or more. This extended salt cure gives lox an intensely salty flavor and firmer texture. The cured salmon is then thinly sliced and typically served raw on bagels.
- Smoked salmon is both cured and smoked
- Lox is only cured, not smoked
But curing remains integral to both!
Tips for DIY Smoked Salmon
Want to try making your own smoked salmon at home? Here are some tips for success:
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Start with fresh, sushi-grade salmon for safety and quality
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Opt for a dry cure for easier salmon prep and concentrated flavor
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Use brown sugar in the cure for balanced sweetness and saltiness
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Cure salmon in the fridge for 6-12 hours to properly season and firm the flesh
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Rinse cured salmon before smoking to remove excess salt
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Allow salmon to air dry after curing to form tacky pellicle layer
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Smoke salmon for 1-2 hours at 225°F – 275°F to gently cook and add smoke flavor
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Use aromatic wood chips like apple, maple or alder for milder smoke
Follow these guidelines and you’ll be enjoying incredible homemade smoked salmon in no time! Just don’t skip that all-important curing step.
The Thermal Difference Between Hot and Cold Smoking
Cold-smoking is a method of preserving fish where the ambient cooking temperature stays in the range of 68–86°F (20–30°C) for 6–12 hours. The flesh loses some of its moisture and becomes denser without being cooked. The exterior of the meat remains soft, rather than hardening as it would when cooked at higher temperatures.
The obvious issue with cold-smoking is the fact that the meat remains in the temperature danger zone (40–140°F [4–60°C]) for several hours. The antimicrobial properties of dry-curing and smoking are what make the salmon safe to eat, but this method may be best left to seafood processing experts with strict sanitation and safety measures in place to monitor pH and water activity to ensure the end result is pathogen-free. We recommend a hot-smoking method that is safer and yields a moist, flaky result that doesn’t disappoint.
Hot-smoking takes place with an ambient temperature in the range of 150–170°F (66–77°C), well above the danger zone. The fish is smoked until the internal temperature of the meat reaches your desired degree of doneness. The higher cooking temperature will kill any existing microbes so you’re guaranteed that the salmon is safe to eat. To keep the smoker’s cook temp in this range, an accurate thermometer with an air probe and a low alarm (like ThermaQ®) is critical.
Curing Salmon for Smoking
The first step in preparing smoked salmon is the salt cure. It’s obvious that a little salt and sugar will add flavor to the fish, but what’s going on under the surface is worthy of some scientific exploration. Salt-curing (packing fish in a dry mixture of salt and sugar) and smoking are means of preservation for a reason.
The salt draws moisture out of the fish—including out of any microbial cells. As the unwanted bacteria die, beneficial bacteria move to the forefront, consuming the sugar in the cure. The lactobacillus bacteria that grow (good bacteria) create a more acidic environment that is even more inhospitable to the harmful bacteria.
Smoking meat and fish is another tried-and-true way to preserve food, not just a way to add complex smoky flavors. Wood smoke contains chemicals that slow the growth of microbes, and these antimicrobial compounds act as a disinfectant to help prevent spoilage and slow the development of rancid flavors.
During the salt cure, water-soluble proteins—mainly myosin—are brought to the surface of the fish. When the salmon’s surface moisture dries after curing, this dissolved layer of myosin develops a sticky, shiny gel on the surface called a pellicle. The pellicle helps the fish to retain its moisture and aids in smoke penetration during the cook. A fully-developed pellicle is very important to the quality of the final product. Without this tacky skin, the salmon would become very dry. In the recipe instructions below, we have a great tip from Steven Raichlen that gives this process a boost.
How Smoked Salmon Is Made
FAQ
Can you smoke salmon without curing it?
Is smoked salmon safe to eat raw?
Does salmon have to be cured before smoking?
If the salmon is not cured properly before cold-smoking, it can be an ideal breeding ground for bacteria. Plus monitoring and maintaining a low smoking temperature for 12 or more hours is a lot of work.
Is smoked salmon cooked or cured?
Smoked salmon is a preparation of salmon, typically a fillet that has been cured and hot or cold smoked. Smoked salmon, egg salad, sliced radish, and flat parsley on a toasted baguette. Due to its moderately high price in some regions, smoked salmon is considered a delicacy.
How is smoked salmon different from cured salmon?
Smoked salmon is a slow cooking method that results in a similar preservation technique but with a distinctive flavor. Both are delicious in different ways. I like to put a slight spin on smoked salmon by combining the two methods. After cold curing, the salmon can be smoked using a charcoal, propane, or electric smoker.
Can smoked salmon be cooked?
Yes, smoked salmon can be cooked, although many people enjoy it raw or cold in various dishes. Cooking the salmon can enhance its flavors and pair well with a variety of ingredients. The heat modifies the texture and further intensifies the smoky taste, adding a new dimension to your dishes.
Is cold smoked salmon safe?
Cold smoked salmon is also safe, as it is cured with a sufficient amount of salt. However, it’s crucial to purchase smoked salmon from reputable sources and to ensure that it has been stored correctly to prevent any foodborne illnesses.
What is smoked salmon?
Smoked salmon is a slow cooking method that results in a distinctive flavor. It is similar to regular salmon but with a unique taste. I like to put a slight spin on smoked salmon by combining it with cold curing and then smoking it using a charcoal, propane, or electric smoker.
Is smoked salmon good for You?
Smoked salmon is a nutrient-dense food that offers several health benefits. It is an excellent source of high-quality protein, providing essential amino acids that contribute to muscle repair and overall health. Additionally, it is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which are known to support heart health, reduce inflammation, and promote brain function.
Why do you need a salt & water solution before smoking salmon?
Because of the intense heat and temperature the salmon is exposed to, preparing raw salmon with a light salt and water solution (brine) prior to smoking enhances the flavors, adding some saltiness and preventing the salmon from losing its moisture during the smoking process.