Cold Smoked Salmon - Scottish Style

I remember growing up as a child (a few moons ago) my parents would take my sister and I to the Sheraton Hotel in San Francisco for Sunday brunch. The one item that stuck in my mind was cold smoked salmon or Lox. I recall taking a few slices, topping it with cream cheese and capers -- yum! I was in heaven with the delicate flavor of salmon, a slight hint of smoky flavor, and a bit of saltiness. Since then I have always enjoyed cold smoked salmon. I find that hot smoked salmon can be dry and the texture less desirable for my palate.

I never made cold smoked salmon until recent. I decided to try the dry-brining method also known as the Scottish-style smoked salmon since I remember having it in New York. It is a little more salty than the Nova Scotia salmon that you normally find in a grocery store. Nova Scotia salmon is not actually smoked but rather cured similar to Gravlox. 

I normally purchase Atlantic farm raised salmon from Costco because I know it is fresh and boneless. The problem is that I prefer the skin and the ones from Costco is skinless. It affects how much salt penetrates the salmon. 

The first thing I do is take a pan and place plastic wrap on the bottom. I then layer kosher salt on the bottom of the pan about 1/4 inch. I lay the salmon on top and add another 1/4 inch of salt on top of that. I was doing two filet of salmons so I then added another layer of salmon and salt.

The photo shows the salmon after curing for about 10 hours. The last batch that I cured for 12 hours was too salty so I reduced it to 10 hours. If the salmon had the skin intact 12 hours would have been perfect. The salt will draw the moisture out of the salmon and penetrate into the flesh.

The next thing to do is rinse off the salmon and soak it in ice water for exactly 1 hour. After the 1 hour slice off a couple pieces and taste. If it is too salty soak in fresh ice water for another 20-30 minutes. If it is not salty enough then salt cure for another 1-2 hours. At this point you have Nova Scotia style salmon. If I added dill to the curing if would be considered Gravlox. 

Once you are satisfied with the saltiness pat dry the fillet with a paper towel and place it on a rack overnight in the refrigerator uncovered before smoking. The color and texture is just amazing!

There are many ways to cold smoked salmon and many devices that will cost over $200. I decided to Google Bing a cheaper device for smoking. The best device that I found was using a soldering iron and a tin can. I modified the Internet design a bit to fit my needs. I took a 1/2" drill bit and drill a hole near the bottom of a large tin can. I used a larger tin can so I don't have to keep refilling with smoking chips. I used a multi-wattage soldering and place the iron itself in the hole. I then add smoking chip almost 3/4 to the top of the can. 

Let's briefly talked about smoking chips. Hardwood like maple, oak, hickory and mesquite is preferred. So far I personally like mesquite the best. I hear oak is also very nice but I have not tried it yet. Mesquite has a nice sweet but not overpowering smoke flavor. I find hickory to be a bit harsh. 

I find the best way to smoke is on a cold day (10 months out of the year in the Pacific Northwest) inside a BBQ. You never ever want the temperature to be above eighty degrees or else you will cook the salmon! Place the salmon on a rack in the BBQ and the soldering iron/tin can contraption as far away from the salmon to keep the heat away. For my soldering iron I set the iron at the highest temperature until I actually see smoke coming out of the can. Once a good smoke is flowing I switch the iron to the lowest setting and close the lid of the BBQ.  I find the optimal duration for smoking is between 90 minutes to 2 hours.

After the smoking is complete wrap it up in plastic wrap and let it set for a couple of hours in the refrigerator before slicing. Letting it set in the refrigerator allows the salmon to mellow out a bit and for the smoke to penetrate deeper in the flesh. 

Here are Milo and Tessa giving me the saddest look, "Give me some salmon!"

I would recommend that you eat the cold smoked salmon within 1-2 weeks. Store it in a vacuum pack in the refrigerator if you are not going to eat it right away. It can also be frozen for up to 6 months in a vacuum pack. Most store bought smoked salmon (lox) are previously frozen and will not lose its texture or taste. 

Enjoy!