how do you make smoked salmon alton brown

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Smoked salmon is somewhat of an acquired taste, but those whove acquired it tend to love the delicacy for its unique and intense flavor. Smoked salmon, not to be confused with lox, is a type of preparation that involves smoking the fish with wood to impart more flavor. The filet can either be dry cured, wet cured, or not cured at all, and can be eaten raw or cooked depending on whether its cold smoked or hot smoked.

Of course, food science aficionado Alton Brown has done this at home (and thinks you should, too). Brown likes to cure the fish first, before the smoking process even takes place. But, after he thoroughly rubs the salmon with seasoning and before he leaves it to cure in the refrigerator for 24 hours before cooking it, Brown adds one more important step: He weighs it down.

Why? Because adding weight and applying pressure to the fish will ultimately enhance its final taste and texture. As Brown explains in an episode of “Good Eats,” “compressing the meat will make it take the cure better,” and the salmon will “end up with a finer texture.”

how do you make smoked salmon alton brown

How to dry cure salmon at home

To be like Alton Brown and try this at home, youll want to start with a high-quality, large filet of salmon with the skin on and any bones or pins removed. Browns recipe for a dry rub includes just kosher salt, sugar, brown sugar, and peppercorns, but you can also add more flavor in the form of fresh herbs, garlic, citrus zest, or more of your favorite spices. As a general rule, stick to an equal ratio of salt to sugar — using around 1 cup of each for every pound of salmon — and about a teaspoon of any other added flavoring per pound of fish.

Then comes rubbing, wrapping, and weighing down the fish. First, you should spread out the dry cure gradually on a piece of plastic wrap and place the fish on top, skin side down. Spread more of the seasoning on top, rubbing it generously into the piece of fish. Then wrap up the salmon tightly in the plastic wrap (Brown likes to additionally wrap it in foil) and place the filet between two flat surfaces, like planks or baking sheets, and place it in the fridge. To weigh it down, you can use anything from a phone book to heavy cans or a Dutch oven.

Brown recommends leaving it to sit and cure in the fridge for 24 hours, flipping it halfway through. Once the time is up, then rinse the fish off, pat it dry, and let it completely dry in a cool place for one to three hours.

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You must be careful about your heat. Other than failing to dry your salmon long enough, the single biggest problem in smoking salmon is too high heat. If youve ever seen salmon “bleed” a white, creamy substance, thats a protein called albumin. If you see lots of it, youve screwed up; a little is normal.

Once your fish is smoked, let it rest on the cooling rack for an hour before you put it in the fridge. Once refrigerated and wrapped in plastic, smoked fish will keep for 10 days. If you vacuum-seal it, the fish will keep for up to 3 weeks. Or freeze your fish for up to a year.

Get detailed nutrition information, including item-by-item nutrition insights, so you can see where the calories, carbs, fat, sodium and more come from.

In a bowl, mix together salt, sugar, brown sugar and peppercorns. Spread extra-wide aluminum foil a little longer than the length of the fish and top with an equally long layer of plastic wrap. Sprinkle 1/3 of the rub onto the plastic. Lay 1 side of the fish skin down onto the rub. Sprinkle 1/3 of the rub onto the flesh of the salmon. Place second side of salmon, flesh down onto the first side. Use the remaining rub to cover the skin on the top piece. Fold plastic over to cover then close edges of foil together and crimp tightly around the fish. Place wrapped fish onto a plank or sheet pan and top with another plank or pan. Weigh with a heavy phone book or a brick or two and refrigerate for 12 hours. Flip the fish over and refrigerate another 12 hours. Some juice will leak out during the process so make sure theres a place for the runoff to gather. Unwrap fish and rinse off the cure with cold water. Pat salmon with paper towels then dry the fish.

Alton Brown Makes Smoked Salmon | Good Eats | Food Network

FAQ

How is traditional smoked salmon made?

Smoked salmon is made by curing raw salmon in a mixture of salt, sugar, and other seasonings, and then smoking the fish over wood chips. The curing process helps to preserve the fish and give it its distinctive flavor and texture. The smoking process can also add additional flavor to the fish.

How do you prepare smoked salmon to eat?

Some ways to cook smoked salmon are: Cut it into small pieces and put it in the pan to fry a little before adding beaten egg mixture, to make scrambled eggs with salmon. This also works with other dishes such as some pasta dishes – sauté the salmon pieces a little, then cook into the dish with the other ingredients.

What temperature is Alton Brown salmon done?

Turn the oven on to the high broiler setting for 2 minutes. After 2 minutes, place the salmon into the oven and broil for 6 to 8 minutes or until the thickest part of the fish reaches an internal temperature of 131 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer.

Do you have to prepare smoked salmon?

Portion size. Serving: As soon as the salmon arrives, place in the refrigerator (or freeze if for use at a later date). Smoked Salmon is already cooked, so it typically needs no further cooking. Preparing it as often as simple as pairing it with herbs, bread, wine or other foods and drinks.

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