Mom Wants Smoked Salmon

[daveomak]

RH, evening.... It takes lots of air for maybe 4-12 hours depending on humidity....  When the pellicle forms, the skin (pellicle) will be clear and almost feel like a rubbery texture.... Pellicles on salmon, don't like to form in a refer...   You are trying to dry the soluble proteins that have surfaced on the fish....   When the pellicle forms, and you see the translucent/clear skin, you will know you have arrived....   I had a friend that grew up on the Lummi Nation Res...  I grew up there also....   He drove around in his truck gathering parts for his business with fish in the bed of the truck...  Worked..... When I fished SE Alaska, we fillleted the salmon leaving the tail intact and hung the fish on the foredeck to dry.... at times for 36 hours....  Same with halibut....  maybe it's the air in Alaska but heck it worked well...  Now you know all I know about pellicles...  Feel any smarter... 

...

 

[rabbithutch]

Well, Mom got her smoked salmon.

13May2013iPhone 016.JPG

• rabbithutch
• May 13, 2013

She also got grilled Tuna in the Kikkoman glaze (couldn't find Yoshida's locally), and the smoked shrimp in butter, garlic and cilantro.

It didn't come out as well as I'd hoped but Mom and daughter and SIL politely praised it. The appetizers were good, at least. I made some ABTs, some guacamole and salsa fresca.

Something taken from Joanne Weir's cooking class program was a fresh pineapple peeled, sliced into bite-sized chunks, drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkled with Kosher salt. If you haven't tried this dish, I encourage you to do so. There is something about the oil, the acid in the pineapple and the salt that is magic. I served it as a palate cleanser after the seafood entree. I think it was perfect for that purpose.

Dessert was a tres leches cake bought at HEB. Not as good as many I've had but very good all the same.

For everyone here, please accept my gratitude for helping me with this meal. I learned a lot about pellicle on salmon. I also learned that I was overly ambitious in trying to do so many things. I just don't have the skills for that (...yet?). Next time I will single out the requested salmon and leave out the shrimp and tuna. Or maybe just have a shrimp cocktail as an appetizer.

Again, thank you very much for the information and encouragement!

 

[rabbithutch]

RH, evening.... It takes lots of air for maybe 4-12 hours depending on humidity....  When the pellicle forms, the skin (pellicle) will be clear and almost feel like a rubbery texture.... Pellicles on salmon, don't like to form in a refer...   You are trying to dry the soluble proteins that have surfaced on the fish....   When the pellicle forms, and you see the translucent/clear skin, you will know you have arrived....   I had a friend that grew up on the Lummi Nation Res...  I grew up there also....   He drove around in his truck gathering parts for his business with fish in the bed of the truck...  Worked..... When I fished SE Alaska, we fillleted the salmon leaving the tail intact and hung the fish on the foredeck to dry.... at times for 36 hours....  Same with halibut....  maybe it's the air in Alaska but heck it worked well...  Now you know all I know about pellicles...  Feel any smarter... 

...

Howdy Dave!

I learned a great deal about forming a pellicle, but I think I probably didn't allow enough time. It was under the fan for about 6 or 7 hours then uncovered in the fridge for 4 or 5 (to keep the cat away from it). I think I over-cooked it too. I used the 140° suggestion but my MES kept creeping into the 150s. Set the temp control down to 130 when that happened and I got about 135-140 for the rest of the cook.

You mention the skin becoming translucent. I didn't leave the skin on the salmon but pulled it off with pliers. I couldn't recall ever eating salmon in a restaurant with the skin on. Did I make a mistake with this?

Thank you again for all the information and encouragement.

 

[daveomak]

RH, evening.... It takes lots of air for maybe 4-12 hours depending on humidity....  When the pellicle forms, the skin (pellicle) will be clear and almost feel like a rubbery texture.... Pellicles on salmon, don't like to form in a refer...   You are trying to dry the soluble proteins that have surfaced on the fish....   When the pellicle forms, and you see the translucent/clear skin, you will know you have arrived....   I had a friend that grew up on the Lummi Nation Res...  I grew up there also....   He drove around in his truck gathering parts for his business with fish in the bed of the truck...  Worked..... When I fished SE Alaska, we fillleted the salmon leaving the tail intact and hung the fish on the foredeck to dry.... at times for 36 hours....  Same with halibut....  maybe it's the air in Alaska but heck it worked well...  Now you know all I know about pellicles...  Feel any smarter... 

...

Howdy Dave!

I learned a great deal about forming a pellicle, but I think I probably didn't allow enough time. It was under the fan for about 6 or 7 hours then uncovered in the fridge for 4 or 5 (to keep the cat away from it). I think I over-cooked it too. I used the 140° suggestion but my MES kept creeping into the 150s. Set the temp control down to 130 when that happened and I got about 135-140 for the rest of the cook.

You mention the skin becoming translucent. I didn't leave the skin on the salmon but pulled it off with pliers. I couldn't recall ever eating salmon in a restaurant with the skin on. Did I make a mistake with this?

Thank you again for all the information and encouragement.

Placing the fish back in the fridge, probably partially dissolved the pellicle...... And the skin becoming translucent was in reference to the skin/pellicle formed....  not the skin on the fish.....    When cooking fish, it is preferable to leave the skin/hide on to keep the natural fats against the meat....     Sorry for the confusion....  

 

[rabbithutch]

Thanks for the clarification on the 'skin' point.

I really did learn a lot during this meal prep. Mostly I learned not to over-reach and try to do too many things at once.

 

[swechef]

Nice looking meal there!

Next time you want to smoke salmon I can recommend the following really simple approach. Firstly, rinse the fish properly to get it nice and clean. Dry it with paper towel or an old newspaper. Then make a regular curing seasoning, just salt, some sugar, some black pepper and maybe dill. Salt/sugar ratio maybe 75/25. Don't worry about the amount, any excess that doesn't stick to the fish can be gently brushed off. Don't be shy on the dill - you cannot have too much. If you want to smoke the same day you should use fine salt, otherwise coarse works well. Season the fish on both sides. Do not remove skin. Now put in the fridge for a few hours, two is enough if you use fine salt.

Then on to smoking. Start off with 2 hours without smoke at 130 F. Then add smoke but keep temp the same. I usually use alder. Now let it gently smoke until it is done. For me it usually takes about 2-3 hours. The fish is done when it has inner temp above 125 F. You can also pull it when the fat has oozed out from the fish, it is about the same.

I have done this method many times and it always produces a soft, succulent smoked salmon that can be pulled off the fish with a spoon. If you want firmer fish, cook in higher temp to higher IT.

Cheers /Wes

 

[cmayna]

swechef,

75/25  salt/sugar?   Isn't that way too salty?   Did you mean the other way around, sugar/salt?

 

[swechef]

swechef,

75/25  salt/sugar?   Isn't that way too salty?   Did you mean the other way around, sugar/salt?

I usually don't put so much sugar when curing salmon. When curing it to have it sliced on sandwiches I take max 50/50. The less sugar the firmer the fish gets. The saltiness is simple to control by taking the fish off the salt sooner. With coarse salt it doesn't get too salty. My "standard curing time" is maybe 2-3 days depending on the thickness of the fillet. Leaving it on salt longer will produce very salty fish.

In this case when smoking the fish, it would probably be OK to skip the salt entirely.  I usually don't have the fish in salt more than 1 day before smoking it, so the salt is more for flavor. It is not very different from cooking the fish, and in that case I never add sugar. The reason I add the sugar is laziness (but the result is good). My wife is not keen on smoked salmon, but she likes it cured. So what I end up doing is that I cure all the fish, but then take half of it for smoking the same or the next day. 

Cheers /Wes

 

[fpnmf]

. You can also pull it when the fat has oozed out from the fish, it is about the same.
 

If the fat is oozing out it is overcooked...

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/139908/todays-smoke-scottish-salmon

This was perfect...

 Craig

 

[swechef]

Craig is correct. The white stuff that oozes out I always thought was fat. Had to google it. It turns out it is coagulated protein I was referring to. Seems that happens around 140F so it is on the overcooked side.

Thanks for pointing that out Craig. Safer to check IT with thermometer.

Cheers /Wes

 

[fpnmf]

Craig is correct. The white stuff that oozes out I always thought was fat. Had to google it. It turns out it is coagulated protein I was referring to. Seems that happens around 140F so it is on the overcooked side.

Thanks for pointing that out Craig. Safer to check IT with thermometer.

Cheers /Wes

I was never happy with how salmon turned out for me..

I bought into AKhaps version and followed it to the letter..it was perfect..for us..

Smoking salmon is like bacon and butts ..a million different ways..

This will be my go to recipe now...

http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/127170/hot-smoking-salmon-throwing-down-the-gauntlet

           Craig

 

[swechef]

Yes, I read about AKhaps method previously. Haven't tried it yet but it sure looks like a Good Method. Definitely going to give it a shot this summer.

Problem around here is that the wild salmon contains too much dioxins to be healthy and the farmed stuff from Norway is so fatty it's almost inedible... Fortunately there's other fish to smoke. :-)

Cheers /Wes

 

[scubadoo97]

Craig is correct. The white stuff that oozes out I always thought was fat. Had to google it. It turns out it is coagulated protein I was referring to. Seems that happens around 140F so it is on the overcooked side.

Thanks for pointing that out Craig. Safer to check IT with thermometer.

Cheers /Wes

Brining the salmon helps reduce the oozing of albumin from the flesh

 

[akhap]

Sorry I did not get a chance to respond here. I only returned from Kodiak Island today as I took my 19-year-old son to Uganik Island and Terror Bay where he had a Kodiak brown bear tag. He shot a bear within an hour of entering the unit and then abandoned me in Kodiak to work on our boat for a couple weeks... :icon_rolleyes: