This cold smoked salmon recipe is my dream come true. Our family loves cold smoked salmon, and Ive meant to start making it ourselves for many years. Everyone who has been asking me for a good cold-smoked salmon recipe can now have it! It’s great! You won’t be let down! I’m really excited about it because it makes the best smoked salmon I’ve ever had. Nothing else even comes close.
Cold smoked salmon is a delicacy loved by many for its rich, smoky flavor and smooth, velvety texture. While you can certainly enjoy cold smoked salmon straight out of the package, learning how to cook it opens up a world of possibilities to savor this luxurious fish.
In this comprehensive guide, you’ll discover various methods for cooking cold smoked salmon, along with serving ideas to make the most of this unique ingredient.
A Quick Overview of Cold Smoked Salmon
Before diving into the cooking methods, let’s quickly go over what exactly cold smoked salmon is.
Salmon that has been cold smoked is first cured in a dry or wet brine. It is then slowly smoked at low temperatures, less than 80°F (27°C). Smoking the salmon in this way gives it a great flavor without cooking it. The brining process gives the salmon a clear, raw center that smells smoky and has a slightly sweet taste from the smoke.
Due to the low-heat smoking method, cold smoked salmon has a smooth, almost jelly-like texture that is vastly different from hot smoked salmon. The flesh retains its moisture and fattiness, which contributes greatly to the silken mouthfeel.
Now that you know what sets cold smoked salmon apart, let’s explore some tasty ways to enjoy this smoked fish even more!
Gentle Warming Methods
One of the simplest ways to cook cold smoked salmon is by gently warming it just until heated through. This takes the chill off and enhances the inherent smoky flavors of the fish.
Pan Searing
With the heat on medium-low, add a little butter or olive oil to a skillet. When hot, add the cold smoked salmon fillet skin-side down first. Once it’s done, flip it over and cook the other side for one more minute. This will lightly caramelize the exterior while keeping the interior supple and moist.
Poaching
Place cold smoked salmon in a skillet or saucepan and add enough liquid (water, wine, broth, etc.) to come about 1⁄4-inch up the sides. Heat over medium-low until the poaching liquid reaches 160°F. Remove the salmon just as soon as it loses its raw color, after 1-3 minutes. The fish will gently cook without toughening up.
Grilling
If using a charcoal grill, bank the coals to one side. Cover the cold-smoked salmon and put it on the cooler side of the grill. Let it heat through for 5-8 minutes, checking frequently. On a gas grill, turn one burner to low heat. Put the fish on the side that isn’t lit, just like you did with charcoal.
Incorporating Into Recipes
Beyond just warming it up, cold smoked salmon can be folded into all sorts of recipes to impart its signature flavor. Here are some tasty ways to cook with cold smoked salmon:
- Add flaked salmon to omelets, frittatas, or scrambled eggs
- Toss with pasta, rice, or grain bowls
- Make salmon salad sandwiches or wraps
- Top flatbreads, bruschetta, or crostini
- Mix into dips like cream cheese, sour cream, or yogurt
- Use in place of bacon in dishes like potato salad or baked beans
- Bake into quiches, casseroles, or savory bread puddings
- Layer into smoked salmon potato skins or twice baked potatoes
- Sprinkle over pizza, flatbreads, or tarts before baking
As you can see, the possibilities are endless! Cold smoked salmon partners extremely well with so many ingredients like eggs, cheese, bacon, potatoes, and fresh herbs.
When adding to hot dishes, stir in the salmon just before serving or right at the end of cooking. This will gently warm it without overcooking.
Serving Suggestions
Beyond cooking methods, cold smoked salmon also shines when served in simple preparations that highlight its flavors:
- Sliced thin on crackers or flatbread points
- Served with lemon wedges and capers
- Rolled up with cream cheese and fresh dill
- Paired with sliced red onion, tomato, hardboiled egg
- Plated with toasted bagels, cream cheese, and fresh fruit
- Served atop blini pancakes or potato pancakes
- Accompanied by champagne, sparkling wine, or dry Riesling
On their own, homemade quick breads, muffins, and scones also pair nicely with cold smoked salmon for a light meal.
Storage and Handling
When storing leftover cold smoked salmon, pat dry with paper towels and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for up to 10 days. For longer storage, wrap the salmon in a layer of plastic wrap followed by a layer of aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator before using.
It’s also crucial to handle cold smoked salmon properly for food safety and quality. Be sure to keep it chilled at all times, below 40°F. Once thawed or opened, use within 3-4 days. Discard any salmon with an off smell, unpleasant sliminess, or discoloration.
Discover Endless Possibilities with Cold Smoked Salmon
With its sophisticated flavor and luscious texture, cold smoked salmon is a real treat. By exploring various cooking methods and recipe ideas, you can enjoy this gourmet fish in many tempting ways. Gentle warming and incorporating into recipes will allow the salmon’s attributes to shine.
So go ahead – experiment with searing, poaching, baking, and more to make the most of cold smoked salmon. Just be sure to handle it with care and serve it pride of place to appreciate its impressive qualities. Each bite will burst with subtle smokiness and velvety richness to please any seafood lover.
A few words about cold smoked fish food safety
Cold smoked fish presents a number of potential health risks due to various pathogens and parasites, as described in FDA publications here and here. To me, this doesnt mean that I should not be making one of the most delicious foods ever invented by humankind. It only means that one should carefully follow food safety guidelines when making it.
Before smoking, salmon must be salt-cured sufficiently long to prevent spoilage and pathogenic bacteria growth.
This recipe also uses Cure #1, a specialty-formulated mixture of Salt and Sodium Nitrite, to prevent botulism poisoning, as recommended by Stanley Marianski. Cure #1 also prevents growth spoilage and pathogenic bacteria when fish is in the danger zone – 40F – 140F. It is worth noting that, according to Marianki, up to 90% of botulinum spores are eliminated by removing the fish gills and guts and thoroughly washing the fish gut cavity with tap water.
Finally, its essential to realize that fish may be infected with parasites. Wild fish are known to be infected with a large variety of parasites. For this reason, raw fish should be frozen for at least seven days at -4F (-20C) to kill parasites. Its important to know that many home freezers do not reach this temperature. According to Marianski, freezing may be done before or after smoking. The good news is that all fish sold in stores must now be flash-frozen before being sold in many places for this very reason.
Selecting salmon for cold smoking
Fish for cold smoking must be of very good quality, plump, firm, and of a pleasant smell. While fresh fish is best for cold smoking, frozen fish is acceptable, too. Flash-frozen fish, done in commercial freezes, have minimal adverse effects on fish texture.
The second most important part is fat content. Fats carry the flavor and provide a pleasant mouthfeel. Fat absorbs smoke particles, making fish smokier and more flavorful. This is the reason why fatty fish taste better when smoked.
Different species of salmon have different fat content. To save money on cold-smoked salmon, you might be tempted to buy leaner salmon, but the final taste will be worse. You cant go wrong with King (Chinook) salmon; this is my top choice for cold smoking. King salmon is the fattiest salmon and is very flavorful. Its insanely delicious cold smoked.
The second most fatty salmon is Atlantic salmon. Its a good choice for smoking, but it has less flavor.
You could also use Coho or Sockeye salmon, but they are less fatty, especially Sockeye, so the final product will be drier and taste less good.
If you start with salmon fillets, you are in luck; not much prep work is required.
If you start with a whole fish, rinse it well, especially the gut cavity. I assume the fish has been gutted; if not, you must do that first. Remove the head, then fillet the fish by running a long, sharp knife as close to the backbone as possible. Next, using pin bone tweezers, trim the fillets and remove the pin bones. Thats all there is to it.
In case you are interested, the yield was precisely 70%. The 3,108-gram whole salmon yielded two fillets weighing a total of 2,163 grams.
Prior to smoking, salmon is either dry-salted or brined. It’s harder to get consistent results when you dry salt fish, but brine gets into the fish very evenly, even where it’s thicker or thinner. Also, brined fish acquires a glossy shine on the surface and looks much more appetizing. Having tested both methods, I think brining produces more consistent, predictable, and reliable results. This is my preferred method.
On the other hand, salt-cured salmon will lose some water, while brined salmon will not. So, to lose the same amount of weight, salt-cured salmon will need less smoking or drying than brined salmon.
In this recipe, I am using a slightly enhanced Marianskis basic brine:
1 gallon water 2. 25 lbs kosher salt 1 lb brown sugar 2 Tbsp Cure #1 1/3 cup lemon juice 1 Tbsp each garlic, onion, allspice, white pepper, and coriander powder.
One gallon of brine is enough for 4-5 lbs of fish.
A salinometer shows that this brine has the right amount of salt (80° strength) to cure salmon for cold smoking for the recommended amount of time. Please do not change the salt amount in this brine or the prescribed brining time.
To make this brine taste better, I start with whole allspice, coriander, and white pepper berries, toast them a little, and then use a spice grinder to grind them up.
Make sure that the brine is at 38F before adding salmon. This can be done in two ways. You either start with cold (38F) water or make the brine, then chill it to 38F. Place the brine ingredients in a large bowl and whisk until the salt and the sugar are dissolved.
Brining time for making cold smoked salmon depends on the fillet thickness. Assuming we are using an 80° brine, brining times will be as follows:
3/4″ thick fillets – 9 hours
1″ thick fillets – 12 hours
1 1/2″ thick fillets – 18 hours
2″ thick fillets – 24 hours
How to make COLD SMOKED SALMON (EASY!)
FAQ
Can you pan fry cold smoked salmon?
How do you heat ready to eat smoked salmon?
How to serve cold smoked salmon?
Do you cook smoked salmon from the store?
How do you make cold smoked salmon?
Cold smoked salmon is made by first curing the fish in flavored salt brine, then dried and smoked at 70F for 12-16 hours.
Is smoked salmon good for you?
Salmon is a source of high-quality protein, magnesium, and selenium. In addition, it provides healthy fatty acids for the body. It contains large amounts of omega 3, which prevents cardiovascular diseases, has anti-inflammatory properties, and prevents certain types of Cancer.
How long do you cold smoke salmon?
Cold smoke the salmon for 6-12 hours, depending on desired smokiness. Check and refill ice and pellets as needed. Note: Do not use the heating element of your smoker or grill. Tip: You can place the salmon on the same wire rack used for drying, or directly onto the grill grates.
Do I need a smoker for cold smoked salmon?
The Necessary Equipment: For cold smoking (salmon or any other fresh fish/meat) you need a smoker that can be set up for cold smoking. Cold smoking can’t be done with any grill or smoker. If you want a simple DIY cold smoker we have a great tutorial here Do I Need to Cook Cold Smoked Salmon?