Recipe Overview
This smoked salmon preparation begins with a salt-and-sugar cure, followed by careful rinsing, drying, pellicle formation, a light oil marinade, brief intense cold smoke, and a full day of refrigeration before slicing. The result is silky, elegant salmon for antipasti, brunch plates, salads, canapés, seafood boards, and professional buffet service.
Chef Notes
Remove the pin bones before smoking for professional slicing and clean presentation. Keep the cure lighter at the tail end because the thinner portion absorbs salt faster. The dry pellicle is essential: it helps the smoke adhere evenly and gives the salmon its polished texture.
Connected Experience
Use this smoked salmon as a base preparation for antipasti, composed salads, crostini, brunch platters, blini service, seafood tasting menus, and future Menu Builder seafood station production.
Ingredients
- 1 whole salmon, 14–16 lb each
- 2 lb sea salt
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
Preparation
- Clean and fillet the salmon. Remove the head and trim the fillets neatly.
- With tweezers, pull out the pin bones running down the center of each fillet. This step is important for clean slicing and professional presentation.
- Mix the sea salt and granulated sugar together.
- Cut a large piece of aluminum foil and sprinkle part of the cure mixture over it.
- Place the salmon skin-side down on top of the cure.
- Spread the remaining cure over the salmon. Keep the cure lighter on the thin tail end so it does not absorb too much salt.
- Wrap the salmon fillet in the aluminum foil and refrigerate for 5 hours to start the curing process.
- After curing, rinse the salmon under cold running water and dry carefully with paper towels.
- Place the salmon on a wire rack and refrigerate until dry to the touch, about 6 hours or overnight. A thin pellicle should form on the surface.
- Rub the fillet generously with vegetable oil, place it back on a tray, and refrigerate another 2 to 3 hours.
- Set the smoker to about 90°F. Place the salmon inside and smoke with intense, constant smoke for 9 minutes.
- Turn off the smoker and leave the salmon inside the smoker box for about 3 hours.
- Remove the salmon from the smoker and refrigerate for 1 day before slicing thinly.
Service Suggestions
- Slice thinly for antipasti platters with lemon, capers, herbs, and crostini.
- Serve with blini, crème fraîche, dill, and pickled onions.
- Use in brunch service, composed salads, seafood boards, or elegant canapé programs.
Dietary / HACCP Notes
- Keep salmon fully refrigerated during curing, drying, resting, and storage.
- Use professional cold-smoking controls and verified food-safety procedures.
- Label production date and hold under proper seafood refrigeration standards.
| Calories | 150 kcal |
| Protein | 18 g |
| Carbohydrates | 1 g |
| Fat | 8 g |
| Fiber | 0 g |
| Cholesterol | 45 mg |
| Sodium | 650 mg |