Smoked salmon brine is the key to perfectly moist, tender smoked fish. This recipe and video explain how to make and use salmon brine!.
If you want to know how to smoke salmon, check out my post on the subject. This post explains how to make the brine for smoked salmon.
Nothing tastes better than smoked salmon at a party on New Year’s Eve or for Christmas brunch. The fish tastes great on a salad, with bagels and cream cheese, or as an appetizer with crackers, quick-pickled red onions, and pumpernickel bread.
The problem is, smoked salmon is expensive to buy. The solution is to make it yourself and it isn’t difficult at all. It’s a mystery to me why there are so many people smoking without brining salmon first. It takes a few hours to brine the fish, but if you skip this step, the fish will be dry and tasteless. That’s not fun, so let me show you how easy it is to make and smoke fish in brine.
Some people refer to the process as curing, and the solution as a cure. Whatever you call it, this one imparts a lot of good flavor and helps in the preserving process.
Smoking salmon is a delicious way to prepare this healthy and flavorful fish. A lot of people aren’t sure if they need to brine salmon before smoking it. Even though brining isn’t necessary, it can make smoked salmon taste and feel much better. We’ll talk about the pros and cons of brining salmon before smoking it in this article.
What is Brining?
Brining is the process of soaking meat or fish in a saltwater solution prior to cooking. The brine solution is typically made by combining salt, sugar, and aromatics like spices and herbs with water.
The salt in a brine serves multiple purposes
- It seasons the food, infusing it with flavors.
- It denatures proteins, causing the fibers to unwind and allow more moisture to be retained during cooking. This results in a juicier final product.
- It firms up the texture of the meat or fish.
The sugar balances out some of the harshness of the salt and also aids in browning through the Maillard reaction. Spices and herbs add extra layers of flavor
Benefits of Brining Salmon Before Smoking
If you brine salmon fillets before smoking them, you can expect the following benefits:
1. Improved Moisture Retention
One of the biggest issues when smoking salmon is it drying out and becoming overly chewy. The salt and sugar in a brine help the fish retain moisture, ensuring your smoked salmon stays tender and succulent. The brine seasons the fish all the way through.
2. Enhanced Flavor
A brine infuses the salmon with seasoned salt, providing a boost of flavor. Any aromatics like garlic, spices, or herbs also impart their flavors into the fish during brining. This can really take your smoked salmon to the next level.
3. Firmer Texture
The proteins in salmon are denatured by the salt in the brine solution. This makes the proteins unwind and straighten out, which lets them hold more water. It also firms up the flesh slightly. In the end, you have smoked salmon that is just the right texture—not too soft, but still moist and tender.
4. Curing Effect
A salt brine can help “cure” the fish and inhibit bacteria growth through the salt and low pH. This makes it safer to hot or cold smoke salmon without fully cooking it and still achieve a safe finished product. The salt also gives smoked salmon a longer shelf life.
5. Quicker Smoking Time
Brined salmon usually requires less time in the smoker to reach the ideal finished temperature and texture compared to unbrined salmon. The brining process partially cooks and firms up the fish in advance.
Downsides of Brining Salmon
Brining does come with a few potential downsides:
- It takes extra time, requiring several hours or overnight brining.
- Improperly measured brines can make the fish overly salty.
- Brined foods absorb more smoke flavor quickly, so brined salmon can become oversmoked if you’re not careful.
- Brining adds an extra step that can be skipped for simplicity’s sake.
So while brining has its advantages, it also requires a bit more forethought and effort. You can absolutely smoke great salmon without brining if you prefer to keep things simple.
How to Brine Salmon for Smoking
If you do decide to brine your salmon, here are some tips for effective brining:
- Use a ratio of 1 cup of salt to 4 cups of water as your basic brine solution. Adjust to taste if desired.
- Add sugar, aromatic spices, and herbs as desired. 1/2 to 1 cup of brown sugar is common.
- Submerge skinned salmon fillets in the brine and refrigerate for 4 to 12 hours. Longer is not better.
- Rinse the fish briefly after brining and pat dry. Allow to air dry until a pellicle forms.
- Hot smoke the brined salmon to 145°F internal temperature or cold smoke for 6-12 hours until evenly colored.
Sample Brines for Smoked Salmon
- Basic: 1 cup salt, 4 cups water, 1/2 cup brown sugar
- Maple Whiskey: 1 cup salt, 4 cups water, 1/2 cup maple syrup, 1/4 cup whiskey
- Herbed: 1 cup salt, 4 cups water, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tbsp each chopped dill, parsley, garlic
Mix up your own signature brine to make your smoked salmon unique. Play around with different sugars, spices, and herbs to find your favorite.
Do You Have to Brine Salmon Before Smoking?
While brining does provide some advantages, it is not strictly necessary to brine salmon prior to smoking it. Plenty of people smoke salmon without brining and achieve delicious results through proper handling and smoking methods.
Here are some tips for great smoked salmon without brining:
- Start with high-quality, very fresh salmon. Opt for wild-caught if possible.
- Clean and skin the fillets thoroughly. Remove pinbones for the best texture.
- Sprinkle the fish lightly with salt and sugar just before smoking.
- Ensure proper salmon storage at 38°F before smoking.
- Dry the salmon well and allow a pellicle to form before smoking.
- Use lower temperature smoking around 150-170°F to gently cook the fish without drying it out.
- Monitor internal temp and doneness closely; salmon can go from perfect to dry quickly.
- Glaze with oil, honey, or maple syrup toward the end of smoking for extra moisture and flavor.
With care and some practice, you can absolutely smoke delicious salmon without brining first. But brining does provide some insurance against overdrying and bland flavor. Overall, the choice comes down to your preferences and smoking style.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does brining make smoked salmon too salty?
It can if you over-brine. A proper 4 to 12 hour brine using 1 cup salt per 4 cups water should not make the salmon overly salty. Always rinse and pat dry after brining. Taste the fish before smoking and adjust or rinse again if needed.
Can you smoke salmon without brine?
Yes. While brining provides some benefits, it is not mandatory. With care to prevent drying out and properly seasoning the fish, you can smoke delicious salmon without brining first.
Is wet or dry brining better for smoking salmon?
Wet brining in a saltwater solution tends to provide the best moisture retention and well-seasoned texture. Dry brining with just a salt/sugar rub draws out more moisture. Wet brining is recommended in most cases.
How long does salmon need to brine before smoking?
4 to 12 hours is ideal. Less than 4 hours may not impart full flavor and moisture benefits. Over 12 hours risks making the salmon too salty and mushy. For most brines, 6-8 hours is a good target.
Should you rinse salmon after brining?
Yes. A quick rinse and pat dry after brining helps remove excess surface salt and creates the dry surface needed for proper pellicle formation before smoking. This prevents a overly salty final product.
Conclusion
While brining salmon before smoking is not strictly necessary, it does provide some real advantages in terms of moisture, flavor, and texture enhancement. Use a properly measured brine solution and limited brining time to prevent over-salting. Rinse after brining.
If opting to skip the brining step, take care to handle, store, prep, and smoke the salmon properly. With some practice, you can absolutely smoke fantastic salmon without brining first. Let your preferences and smoking style guide you.
No matter which method you choose, smoked salmon cooked with care over aromatic wood smoke is a real treat. Enjoy this delicacy on its own, in dips and spreads, on salads, and in many other ways. With its rich flavor and silken texture, smoked salmon is a delicious way to enjoy this incredible fish.
Video: making and using salmon brine
The brine is easy to make, and brining the fish is mostly just a matter of letting your hands do other things. Watch the video in the recipe card at the bottom of this post to see the whole process.
For this recipe, use a whisk to mix the sugar, salt, soy sauce, water, wine, onion and garlic powders, pepper, and Tabasco sauce in a bowl. This will make sure that the sugar and salt are completely dissolved.
After making the brine, it will be ready to use immediately. Otherwise, transfer it to a covered container and store it in a refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Smoked salmon brine FAQ
If you want flavorful and moist smoked salmon, then brining is a necessity. Without it, the fish will be dry and lack flavor.
Let the brine soak into the fish for at least three hours and up to eight hours. Do not forget that whole salmon filets can be very thick. You want the brine to go all the way through the meat.
Unfortunately, yes. There is a lot of salt in smoked salmon brine. If you leave the fish in it for more than 8 hours, it will taste too salty to eat. It will also start to break down the firm salmon flesh, which can make it feel and look mushy.
