Salmon Question

[molove]

Does anyone know how much waste there is on a whole salmon?

I have been thinking about cold smoking some, Makro last time I was in there was selling whole salmon at £6.99/kg and salmon sides at £12.99/kg.

Any idea which would be better value for money? Also I've never filleted a fish before, but do own an unused filleting knife!

Piers

 

[smokin monkey]

Wade should be able to help you with this one.

 

[molove]

That is what I was thinking too

 

[wade]

Hi Piers - sorry but I have been away for the weekend.

The yield after filleting will depend on the size of the fish and also your filleting skills. Also on how you fillet it. As a rule of thumb you should allow for a 1/3 loss when you fillet. This will be followed by a further 15-18% loss of the fillet weight during curing and smoking. If you ask them they may fillet them for you free of charge - ASDA and Tesco usually will. 

The main problem when people first start to fillet is that they don't make long clean cuts and end up with jagged surfaces to their fillets, also they can leave a lot of meat on the backbone. Don't forget though that the head, bones and trimmings will make good stock.

To get the best yield when filleting first remove the head by cutting above the gill collar, cutting below the gills themselves following the curve of the bone. The collar will stay with the meat and the gills will come off with the head. Then cut through the ribs each side of the backbone with a sharp knife from inside the cavity taking care not to cut too deeply into the meat. Hold open the cavity and cut from the back if the fish letting the knife feel the backbone all of the way down. Do this both sides and the clean backbone with tail still attached should remain. Then with a sharp knife (a round ended one is best for this) slice underneath the rib cage to cleanly remove the ribs. You can then cut round just under the collar to remove it. Don't forget to pin bone it.

If you are going to hang the fillets in the smoker then it is better to leave the collar on and the ribs in place during the smoking as they will add structure to the fish stopping it from pulling apart as it is hanging. They can be removed after smoking is complete, as can the pin bones..

The most important thing when buying the fish for making smoked salmon is to make sure that it is fresh. Check that it has bright shiny eyes and that the gills are pink. If the eyes are opaque and/or the gills are a grey colour then don't buy it.

 

[molove]

Hi Wade

Thanks for all the useful info. I think it's high time I learned to fillet fish. I'm sure there are lots of video tutorials on YouTube that will give me more of an idea about the techniques you describe.

 

[wade]

Here is one you may find useful. If you get a chance the Forman Masterclass is well worth going on...

Part 1 - filleting



The filleting starts at about 3 minutes in

Part 2 - slicing after smoking

 

[wade]

Here is a link to the Foreman tour - that is effectively the video http://www.formanandfield.com/smokehouse-tours-p-4035.html

Here is a link to the Masterclass - http://www.formanandfield.com/salmon-carving-masterclass-p-4078.html

 

[kc5tpy]

Hi Piers.  I have never filleted a salmon for smoking.  I have been filleting fish since I was about 14 yrs.old or so.  Bass, crappie, catfish and saltwater varieties.  We don't see much whole salmon in south Texas.  LOL.  Wade's technique differs slightly from mine but his way is sound.  I have seen it done that way often.  The thing is; it is a skill.  Don't lose heart and give up.  The more you practice the better you will get.  I find that when I go back home and go fishing I struggle with the first 5 or 6 but after that the memory comes back.  Back home when someone had a BIG catch I have often seen guys using electric knives.  THAT is a skill within a skill.  Never tried that; so still have all my fingers!  

  Good luck buddy.  Keep Smokin!

Danny

 

[molove]

Thanks for the vids. It's good to see how he does it, it seems less filleting than just splitting the fish and cutting the backbone out, and trimming it all after its been smoked.

A few questions:

Do you hang the salmon sides in you smoker, and if so do you hang them through the ribs?

How do you store the smoked salmon afterwards. Is it ok to vac pack and freeze?

 

[wade]

Yes I do hang the salmon but not through the ribs. I thread and tie a loop of butchers twine through the fish just under the collar. I then thread a skewer through the meat just under the collar but so it passes through the loops in the twine. This way the weight of the salmon fillet is spread along the whole length of the skewer. The ribs are left in place to stop the weight of the fillet from pulling the flakes of the salmon flesh apart as it is hanging. The photo below is showing the split BBQ skewers that I used to use in my smoker but now I just use standard stainless steel meat skewers.

Trout Smoking.jpg

• wade
• Jan 9, 2016

Smoking Salmon.jpg

• wade
• Dec 5, 2016

Once it is made it will store for up to about 10 days fresh in the fridge. It does freeze well too.