Smoked Salmon is juicy and flaky with a simple salt, sugar and pepper cure. An easy step-by-step guide to make the best and most delicious hot Smoked Salmon at home. It starts with high quality salmon that is cured and then smoked for two hours. Eat it plain as an appetizer, on sandwich, with bowl of rice, in salad and lots more!
Rinse thawed fish under cold water. Paper towel pat dry to remove any excess water.
In a medium bowl, combine: 1/2 cup kosher salt, 1/2 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 brown sugar and 1 tablespoon crushed peppercorns. Give a good whisk.
Spread extra-wide aluminum foil a little longer than the length of the fish onto the baking sheet and top with an equally long layer of plastic wrap. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the rub onto the plastic. Lay the salmon skin down onto the rub. Use the remaining rub to cover the skin and sides of salmon. Gently pressing, rub it all over the fish. Use more rub on thicker parts of the fish and less on the thinner. If using 2 smaller salmon sides, use half of rub per fish.
Fold plastic or aluminum over to cover then close edges of foil together and crimp tightly. Some juice will leak out during the curing process, so make sure there is a place for the runoff to gather – you don’t want it leaking into your fridge. We don’t weigh the fish with anything heavy, but you can if you want to.
Refrigerate fish for 18-24 hours. (We do 18-20 hours).
Unwrap salmon and rinse off the cure with cold water. Pat salmon with paper towels to remove excess water. Using a sharp thin knife, pre-slice fish to about 3/4-inch thick slices, but do not slice the skin. This will make a lot easier to slice salmon once smoked without mushing it. It will make serving so much easier and delicate.
Preheat smoker to 120°F and smoke salmon for 2-2 1/2 hours, keeping the temperature inside the smoker between 100°F and 120°F, until the thickest part of salmon reaches internal temperature of 100-120°F. Since salmon fillets can vary in size, keep an eye on the salmon towards the end since a thinner fillet will cook faster and a thicker fillet such as wild King salmon fillet may take longer to smoke. Because each smoker works differently, the best way to know if fish is fully cooked is when the fat starts dripping from the fish, it's a sign that it's ready to take out (or about to).
Serve salmon once cooled to room temperature or refrigerate for 10-12 hours before serving. It tastes better and not as fatty after it had a chance to fully set in refrigerator. (Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears, cut the skin to separate the slices). Smoked salmon stays good for up to 7 days in the refrigerator.
Notes
*If using Costco salmon, use 2 fillets in this tutorial. The amount of rub can easily be decreased or increased for less or more salmon fillets.
Best Salmon: Purchase skin-on fillets. Any of these types will work: King Salmon, Chinook Salmon, Coho Salmon, Sockeye Salmon.
Freeze: Freezing salmon before smoking is not only better, but it’s safer because it eliminates the parasites during the freezing process. It is recommended for salmon to be frozen for at least 7 days before smoking, cooking, baking, grilling or eating raw.
Thawing: Plan ahead and thaw salmon in refrigerator, where it will remain at a safe, constant temperature (at 40° F or below). Defrost time depends on the size of fish, but it can take up to 24 hours to thaw. Thawing in refrigerator provides the best results when thawing salmon.
The Cure: A simple mix of kosher salt, granulated sugar, brown sugar and crushed peppercorns makes the salmon juicy and rich in flavor. Don’t worry about the intense salt amount, as some of it is rinsed off before the fish is smoked.
Do not Overcook: This is very important. Adding too much wood can add too much smoke flavor to the salmon. If you smoke for too long or the temperature gets too high, the salmon will dry out.
Foil: Do not use foil underneath the fish while smoking. Foil does make it easier to transfer and easier cleanup, but it prevents the fish from fully smoking. Once the fat from the salmon starts dripping, it’s a sign that the fish is ready to be taken out.
Storing: Smoked salmon lasts for about 1 week in the refrigerator. Keep it tightly closed with plastic food wrap in a baking dish to prevent it from drying out and to avoid your whole fridge and everything in it absorbing the smoked flavor from the fish.