Once considered an exclusive delicacy for the wealthy, smoked salmon has become synonymous with Christmas, featuring in a huge number of recipes.
A Christmas breakfast essential, ideally with buttery scrambled eggs, it’s also no secret that smoked salmon is expensive. In addition to being both fun and relatively simple, making your own at home is also a cost effective way of producing large amounts of extremely delicious smoked salmon. Moreover, with just a few ingredients and some simple equipment, smoked salmon can also be prepared using either a charcoal or gas BBQ, in an hour (plus some inactive curing time).
Buying an entire salmon and preparing it at home is the best options, but sides of salmon can also be used. Just please buy salmon that’s caught responsibly. If using a whole salmon, scale the fish and fillet into large sides. If using just a side, make sure the skin has been scaled and the flesh has been pin boned. The large hunks of salmon are then ready to be dry-cured with a very simple mixture of brown sugar, coarse sea salt, and a generous amount of black pepper. The cure should ideally be left on for at least four hours, and up to overnight. After the curing time, rinse the cure from the fish and pat dry, the generously brush with a neutral cooking oil – such as rapeseed or vegetable oil. The oil will help the smoke to coat the salmon even better.
Before smoking, soak the wood chips (I like oak or apple, or even a mixture) for at least 30 minutes, before draining completely and placing in either a smoker box or a suitable, heat-proof pan or dish.
To smoke the salmon, prepare your charcoal or gas BBQ for indirect heat, with the hot side ideally reaching around 150C/300F. Fill another pan with around an inch of water and place under the rack of the cold side of the grill. If using a charcoal BBQ, push the hot coals to one side of the grill, place the wood chips over the hot part of the grill and the pan of water on the cool side, both under the rack. If using a gas BBQ, heat half of the burners and also set the pan of water under the rack on the cold side of the grill, while adding the wood chips to the hot side, over the gas burners.
On either heated BBQ, place the salmon on the rack of the cold side – over the pan of water – skin-side-down. Cover the BBQ and smoke slowly for around 40-60 minutes until flaky. Eat at room temperature or cool, and store in the fridge for up to a week.
Equipment
- Wood chips, such as oak, apple, or hickory (approx. 100g)
Ingredients
- 1 kg salmon sides/fillet skin on
- 100 g soft brown sugar
- 50 g coarse sea salt
- 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
- Neutral cooking oil such as rapeseed or vegetable oil
Instructions
- Before curing the salmon, make sure the fish is pin boned and scaled.Combine the sugar, salt, and pepper, then add a layer to the bottom of a baking pan large enough for the salmon.
- Place the salmon in the pan, skin-side-down, then top with the remaining sugar, salt, and pepper. Leave to cure in the fridge for 4-10 hours.
- Rinse off the dry cure ingredients and pat the salmon dry.
- Generously brush the salmon with a neutral cooking oil to help the smoke coat the salmon even better.
- Before smoking, soak the wood chips for at least 30 minutes, before draining completely and placing in either a smoker box or a suitable heat-proof pan or dish.
- To smoke the salmon, prepare your charcoal or gas BBQ for indirect heat, with the hot side ideally reaching around 150C/300F. Fill another pan with around an inch of water and place under the rack of the cold side of the grill.
- If using a charcoal BBQ, push the hot coals to one side of the grill, place the wood chips over the hot part of the grill and the pan of water on the cool side, both under the rack.
- If using a gas BBQ, heat half of the burners and also set the pan of water under the rack on the cold side of the grill, while adding the wood chips to the hot side, over the gas burners.
- On either heated BBQ, place the salmon on the rack of the cold side – over the pan of water – skin-side-down. Cover the BBQ and smoke slowly for around 40-60 minutes until flaky. (If using a cooking thermometer, the internal temperature of the salmon should reach 150F).
- Eat at room temperature or cool, and store in the fridge for up to a week.
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