Smoked Salmon

[Sans Souci Chef]

I have a request from a client to provide smoked salmon (among other items) for 300 guests
It's been along time since I've made smoked salmon and I fear I need a refresher
Do I brine the filets or just coat with salt( coarse, sea, or regular)overnight
If brine a good recipe please(keeping in mind I want to maintain the natural look and texture, so anything with soya would probably give a undesired coulor)
To smoke I was considering bringing the shavings to the smolder in a 500 degree oven then placing the pan under the racked fish in a cook and hold left off or a cambro.
How long should I leave it in the smoke.
Any assistance would be appreciated
Thank You
All The Best
Greg Sheridan
Chef/Owner
Sans Souci Special Occasion Catering
sanssoucichef@aol.com


[ April 20, 2001: Message edited by: Sans Souci Chef ]

[cape chef]

Hi Greg...

I always do a brine as opposed to dry curing my raw fillets of salmon.Most dry cured salmon or other high fat fish are not smoked.They are prepared in the style of gravlox. The methode you refer to in smoking your salmon will yield a hot smoke salmon and texture. Dryer and a soft flake.good for spreads etc.Cold smoking will give you a tender finished fillet with easyer slicability (is that a word lol)
And I believe more versitale. Cold smoking requires you to set your fillet in a seperate sealed vessel inwich the smoke from your smoker is sent through a cooling area so it is not hot when it becomes in contact with the fillet. You might find this funny,but this is the gizmo i use to smoke salmon. I have an old fridge that I bore a hole in the bottom that I connect a tube to that runs through a cooler filled with ice. I fire up a weber that is also fitted with a tube and the whole thing runs from the grill,cooled in the ice and then cold smoke the salmon. It looks stupid but it works
cc

[pompeyams]

Hi ive been smoking my own salmon for about a year and think ive got it just right
firstly cure as you would lax using
1 1/2 oz of sugar and 1 1/2 oz of salt per
1 pound of fish cure for 24 hrs then hang
for 24 hrs in the fridge to dry out a bit
to smoke is not an exact science but get your chippings smoking well place into a old air tight box I use an amunition box sit your salmon on a rack above the chippings then leave to smoke you might need to fire more chippings after 2 or 3 hrs and make sure the box does not get hot or the salmon will cook yopu can repeat the smoking as many times as possible until the fish takes on that lovely smell and deep pink colour I use 50 / 50 hickory and oak chippings let me know how you get on at wateryandy@aol.com

[Sans Souci Chef]

Thanks for the replies, I did figure it out, and the results were fantastic.
I covered the filets in combination of salt and garlic salt,with some white wine and lemon, for 24hrs
I then took applewood shavings (I actually found these in a hardware store ) place these on a old cookie sheet in a 500 degree oven to get the shavings smoking.
I lay the filets on cooling racks and placed these in a old cook and hold oven, high up in the cabinate,so as to be in the smoke but not the heat. ( I left the oven off, I only used the oven for its racking capabilities and the fact it was a closed cabinate)
I smoked the fish for a hour and a half, taking the chips out once to get them smoking again.
The results were fantastic, the client and all the guests (including some executive chefs from some pretty major hotels in Toronto) raved about the flavour and quality.
One point to note I did a test run of coures first, for a tasting with the client and to make sure I had it right, I found that you had to wash the salt off the salmon before you smoked to insure the penitration of the smoke flavour plus a nicer flavour after. (not too salty, that was the biggest comment received)
I enjoyed the process and the results this definately is on our menues

Regards
Greg Sheridan
Chef/Owner
Sans Souci Special Occasion Catering

[pompeyams]

glad it all worked out sounds lovely

[Linda Smith]

Greg:
Happy to hear that your smoking experience worked out. You have a smoking expert in the area by the name of Rob Alexander, chef and owner of Luke's Cafe on Princess Street Kingston. He is a smoking guru and his funky little place features all manner of things smoked - salmon, cheese, chicken, turkey, etc. etc. Drop by the next time you are in town.

Cape Chef- you are the second person I know who uses the old fridge method of smoking ( the first person is a crazy psychiatrist friend of mine who swore he smoked trout in an old fridge... I did not really believe him, just because well, he is a crazy psychiatrist... but if you say it works????