SMOKED SALMON RECIPE

Salmon is a great fish. Especially for those of us who are heart and healthy conscious.
After grilling for some time, you may want to try your hand at smoked salmon. Smoking salmon is not that hard, it just take a bit of time. And you get to smoke it the way you like it.

Smoked Salmon Recipe
courtesy Alton Brown
Recipe Summary
Prep Time: 24 hours 30 minutes
Cook Time: 5 hours
It may seem long, but it's so worth it
Yield: 20 to 30 portions, depending o


1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns
2 large salmon fillets or sides, pin bones removed


The cure:
1. In a bowl, mix together salt, sugar, brown sugar and peppercorns.
Normally I would not like using sugars of any kind in healthy cooking. But the reality is that you just can't get the smoking done without it. Thare are alternatives, but all come out tasting...funky. Funk and fish do not go well together. Stick to the brown sugar.

The prep:
2. Spread extra-wide aluminum foil a little longer than the length of the fish and top with an equally long layer of plastic wrap.

3. Sprinkle 1/3 of the rub onto the plastic.
4. Lay 1 side of the fish skin down onto the rub.
5. Sprinkle 1/3 of the rub onto the flesh of the salmon.
6. Place second side of salmon, flesh down onto the first side.
7. Use the remaining rub to cover the skin on the top piece.
8. Fold plastic over to cover then close edges of foil together and crimp tightly around the fish.

The curing:
9. 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.
A note about bricks, I use them quit a bit. Be sure to wrap your bricks in aluminum foil.
You can re-use the bricks in other recipes ( more to come on that later). Just toss the foil after it's used.

10. Flip the fish over and refrigerate another 12 hours. Some juice will leak out during the process so make sure there's a place for the runoff to gather.


11. Unwrap fish and rinse off the cure with cold water. Pat salmon with paper towels then place in a cool, dry place (not the refrigerator) until the surface of the fish is dry and matte-like, 1 to 3 hours depending on humidity. A clean fan may be used to speed the process. here in LA it takes about 1 hour.

The smoking
12. Smoke fish over smoldering hardwood chips or sawdust, keeping the temperature inside the smoker between 150 degrees F and 160 degrees F until the thickest part of the fish registers 150 degrees. You can Serve immediately or cool to room temperature, wrap tightly and refrigerate for up to 3 days.


This Smoked Salmon recipe is a healthy dish, no matter how you slice it. Salmon is a great fish with loads of omega 3's. Americans simply do not eat enough fish. In fact most people eat all the wrong foods and have no idea why they are over weight. If you want an easy diet plan and system for weight loss and healthy eating, I can't recommend this program enough.

Happy eating