Home-smoked wild salmon

Turn a fresh piece of fish into a sweet, salty glossy slab fit for the best bagel

This story was originally published in the Forward. Click here to get the Forward’s free email newsletters delivered to your inbox.

This is hot-smoked salmon, not lox, which is cold-smoked at a much lower temperature. Hot-smoking, which is much easier for the home cook, results in a bright orange slab that can be used in a salad or pasta, eaten on its own, added to cream cheese for a smoky spread, or sliced on top of a bagel. I own a Traeger,l which allows me to smoke this fish at a low temperature. If you don’t have a home smoker, you can easily fashion one using a wok or heavy pan. This recipe uses a side of salmon, but you can reduce it to make a single filet.

Ingredients

Brine

• 1 whole side wild salmon, 3-4 pounds
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/3 cup kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon smoked paprika

Rub

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Curing

1. Using a sharp knife, cut three slashes in the skin side of the salmon to allow the salt mixture to penetrate. Combine water, salt, sugar and paprika in a Ziploc or glass bowl. Add salmon. Cover with plastic wrap if using a bowl and refrigerate 8-12 hours.Remove the salmon from the brine. Rinse quickly. Place on a wire rack, skin side down, and let dry at room temperature for 2 hours, or place in the refrigerator for 6 hours.

Smoking

1. Set smoker to 165 F. Mix rub ingredients together and rub into both sides of the salmon. Smoke for 3 hours. Remove and let cool.

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This article was originally published on the Forward.