Hot-smoked salmon is flaky, moist and full of gentle smoke flavor. A quick dry brine seasons the fish and helps it hold onto moisture. It's great warm for dinner or cold the next day on crackers or a salad.
The recipe
Ingredients
- 2–3 lb salmon fillet, skin on, pin bones removed
- 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 1 tsp coarse black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp dried dill (optional)
- Zest of 1 lemon (optional)
- 2 tbsp maple syrup or honey, for brushing
Steps
- Mix the brown sugar, salt, pepper, garlic powder and any optional dill or lemon zest in a bowl.
- Place the salmon skin side down in a glass or plastic dish. Spread the brine mix evenly over the flesh side.
- Cover and refrigerate 4–8 hours. Use the shorter time for thin fillets and the longer time for thick ones.
- Rinse the brine off under cold water and pat the fish very dry with paper towels.
- Set the salmon on a rack, uncovered, in the fridge or in front of a fan for 1–2 hours, until the surface looks dry and a little tacky. This thin skin, called a pellicle, helps smoke stick.
- Heat your smoker to 180°F. Use alder, apple or cherry wood.
- Place the salmon skin side down on the grates. Smoke for 1 hour at 180°F.
- Raise the smoker to 200–225°F. Brush the fish with maple syrup or honey and keep smoking until the thickest part reaches 145°F on a thermometer, about 30 minutes to 2 hours more.
- Let the salmon rest 10 minutes. Serve warm, or cool it and chill it covered.
Hot-smoked vs. cold-smoked
This recipe is hot-smoked. The fish cooks all the way through and flakes with a fork. Cold-smoked salmon, like lox, is never cooked and needs special curing and control that home smokers can't easily provide. Stick with hot-smoking at home.
Food safety
The USDA says fish is safe at 145°F, or when the flesh is opaque and separates easily with a fork. Check the thickest part of the fillet with a meat thermometer. Keep the salmon cold while it brines and dries, and don't leave it out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Best wood
Alder is the classic choice for salmon. It's light and a little sweet and won't cover up the fish. Apple and cherry are good too. Skip mesquite, which can taste bitter on fish. If you use an electric smoker, see our guide to the best wood chips for electric smokers.
How to tell it's done
The salmon is done at 145°F. The flesh will turn from shiny to opaque and flake when you press it. White beads on the surface are albumin, a protein that pushes out as fish cooks. A little is normal. Lots of it means the heat was too high, so start low next time.
Make ahead / storage
Wrap cooled salmon tightly and keep it in the fridge at 38°F or below. It's best within the first week and keeps up to about 2 weeks. You can freeze it for 2–3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight. New to smoking fish? Read how to smoke fish and hot vs. cold smoking.
Variations
Cajun: add 1 tbsp Cajun seasoning to the brine and skip the dill.
Pepper crust: press extra cracked pepper onto the fish after rinsing.
Smoked salmon dip: flake cold leftovers into cream cheese with lemon, dill and capers.
Gear for this recipe
- A smoker that can hold low temps, like a beginner-friendly electric smoker
- A fish spatula or a sheet of foil to move the fillet
- An instant-read thermometer
Keep reading
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