The Best Smoked Salmon Recipe - The Smoked Kings (2024)

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Get ready to make the best smoked salmon you’ve ever tasted! This recipe is how smoked salmon is done right.

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Smoked Salmon

Smoking food takes time and patience but the results speak for themselves. Smoking fish has always been intimidating so we took the process of creating this recipe slow to make sure we did it right for you. We perfected the technique to get an amazing smoky salmon flavor that satisfies your cravings.

Our recipe can be used to make smoked salmon appetizers or to eat just as is (trust me, it’s amazing either way!) Since the process does involve a bit of prep work, I highly suggest making enough smoked salmon for dinner and enough for leftovers so you can try our smoked salmon dip. It combines the delicious smoky flavors from the salmon with just the right amount of everything else.

Brining the salmon takes the longest amount of time for the recipe but it’s completely worth it. When you brine your salmon you are preventing it from drying out while it’s cooking by dissolving some of the muscle fibers in the protein. The brine also seasons the meat. Technically, you could skip this step but the results just will not be comparable.

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How To Smoke Salmon

This recipe is really basic and as we stated above, you can switch out the seasonings to create the best experience for your taste buds.

First, you brine your salmon. Once the brine is applied, it needs time to do its work. The salmon will need to sit for up to 12 hours in the dry brine. Once you’re satisfied with the timing, remove from refrigerator and rinse. Let sit again for 4 hours in your fridge.

After brining is complete, you are ready to smoke your fish! Place the salmon in your smoker and be sure to brush with honey every hour that it’s smoking. Doing so will give you the beautiful colors shown in our photos.

When your salmon is finished, you can serve as is for dinner, make a delicious smoked salmon dip, serve on top of crackers or save for later! We have meal prepped this before but it doesn’t seem to last long. If you want to save some for meal prep, be sure to double your batch!

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Common Questions

There are tons and tons of questions about smoked salmon. To be honest, we had a list of our own before creating this recipe. We’re sharing answers to some of the most common questions below.

Is smoked salmon still raw?

Our smoked salmon recipe uses hot smoke to cook the fish so it is not raw. There are ways to cold smoke as well as brine in salt & sugar to create Lox but that is not what this recipe will do.

Is Smoked Salmon Healthy

Yes! Salmon offers a high amount of protein, omega-3 fatty acids and other vitamins your body needs.

How Do You Eat Smoked Salmon

The possibilities are endless. To start, you can enjoy your salmon as is with a side of roasted potatoes and asparagus for a full meal. You can also serve your salmon on top of crackers with mayo and a splash of lemon juice.

As mentioned earlier in this post, our smoked salmon dip is a must try with any leftovers. It combines unseasoned smoked cream cheese, mayo, sour cream and just the right amount of seasonings as to not overpower the smoked salmon flavors that everyone will be looking for.

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Be sure to check out some of our other recipes below!

Can’t get enough of that delicious smoky flavor? Try some of our other recipes linked below.

Smoked Queso Dip

Everything Bagel Smoked Cream Cheese

S’mores Smoked Cream Cheese

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Also, be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you don’t miss what’s next. We’re working on long over night recipes that are perfect for back yard get togethers and simpler recipes like our brand new Smoked S’mores Brownie recipe. If we can dream it, we’ll be sharing it with you!

You can find our link to sign up to the right of this post. We promise, we won’t spam you. Our goal is to start sending a monthly newsletter out in November of 2022 sharing all of our new creations with all the smoke lovers out there.

Best Smoked Salmon

The best smoked salmon. You'll never need another recipe after using ours.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Uncooked Salmon
  • 1/4 cup Honey (or Syrup)

BRINE INGREDIENTS

  • 1/4 tsp Salt
  • 1 tbsp Brown Sugar

Instructions

BRINE INSTRUCTIONS

  • Mix salt & brown sugar. Rub this mixture on salmon. Place in fridge for 6-12 hours to brine in airtight container.

  • Rinse salmon & pat dry with a paper towel. Let sit in fridge 4 hours.

SMOKING INSTRUCTIONS

  • Start your smoker and set to 180 degrees.

  • Place salmon on foil and into the smoker. Salmon will smoke for 3 hours. On hours 1, 2 and 3 brush salmon with honey.

  • Increase smoker temperature to 200 degrees and let smoke 1 additional hour. Remove and enjoy.

Pin This For Later

Our Pinterest account is home to all of our recipes at The Smoked Kings. From the very first to the absolute latest, you can find everything we make over there.

Pin the image below to your Pinterest board so that you can easily find the next time you are ready to start smoking. If you click on the image, it will open a new window to this pin so you can save for later.

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The Smoked Kings

Less about us and more about the food. We want to focus on what we all really care about - smoking delicious meals to enjoy with our family & friends. We perfect the recipes, you make the memories.

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The Best Smoked Salmon Recipe - The Smoked Kings (2024)

FAQs

What is the best wood to smoke king salmon with? ›

Best Wood for Smoking Salmon

Alder offers a pure, clean flavor that perfectly complements the delicateness of flaky salmon. Apple, Cherry, Pecan or even Maple do the job if you're trying to add a bit of smoky sweetness to your fillet.

How do you make smoked salmon taste better? ›

Easy Pairings for Smoked Salmon
  1. With crackers, softened cream cheese and capers.
  2. Tossed into a green salad with a lemony dressing.
  3. Stirred into hot pasta with a light tomato sauce, green onions, fresh parsley and extra-virgin olive oil.

Is it OK to eat smoked salmon everyday? ›

Remember that smoked salmon is high in sodium, so if you have high blood pressure or are on a low-sodium diet, you should limit your intake of smoked salmon. For most people, however, smoked salmon can safely be eaten twice a week.

What is the best smoke salmon? ›

Smoked Sockeye Salmon – Sockeye is one of our favorite fish to smoke. With an extraordinarily high oil content, the meat absorbs wood smoke quickly, resulting in a complex combination of sweet, salt, and smoke. The flesh is also denser than other types of salmon, which allows it to stay firm during the smoking process.

What is the best temp to smoke salmon? ›

Pat the salmon very dry on both sides. Place the salmon on a parchment-lined baking sheet or similar surface to where you can carry it out to the smoker easily. Heat your smoker nice and low—150 to 170°F is ideal, but can be difficult to maintain; 200°F is attainable, what we use, and will give you delicious results.

What brings out the flavor of salmon? ›

Spices: Dried spices, such as onion powder, garlic powder, and cumin, can add depth of flavor to salmon. Smoked paprika or sweet paprika can add smokiness to the salmon. To add heat, try chili powder, cayenne pepper, jerk seasoning, Cajun seasoning, or Chinese five-spice powder.

What do you put on top of smoked salmon? ›

Drape thinly sliced smoked salmon onto small chunks of warm crusty bread and top with a dab of sour cream and a twist of black pepper.

What kills the fishy taste in salmon? ›

How to Control Salmon's Fishiness with a Milk Bath. You can also lessen salmon's strong flavor by soaking it in a milk bath for 20 minutes and then draining it and patting it dry before cooking. The casein in milk binds to the TMA, and when drained away, it takes the culprit that causes fishy odor with it.

Who should not eat smoked salmon? ›

If you have a weak immune system or a sensitive stomach, you might want to avoid eating too much smoked salmon. Cold-smoked salmon in particular may have the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, which can lead to listeriosis.

Is smoked salmon good for high blood pressure? ›

Rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which help to reduce blood pressure, smoked salmon – fresh salmon in particular – can boost levels of 'good' HDL cholesterol. Whilst it doesn't lower 'bad' LDL cholesterol, increasing your intake of HDL cholesterol helps to remove cholesterol from your artery walls.

What does smoked salmon do to your body? ›

Smoked salmon is also a great source of protein. Per the USDA, there are 16 grams of protein in a 3-ounce serving. Salmon also serves up B vitamins, known as the energy vitamins, because of their role in metabolism. They help turn the food we eat into energy our bodies can use.

Who makes the best smoked salmon in the world? ›

THE FINEST SMOKED SALMON. in the world

Forman & Son, home of the world famous London Cure smoked Scottish salmon a true gourmet food with protected status. The Forman family has been curing and smoking fish in the East End of London since 1905.

Why smoked salmon is so expensive? ›

Smoked salmon requires an additional process, which includes both ingredients and time. Adding the smoking process increases our costs to produce the fish, which means our smoked salmon price will be slightly higher. However, and perhaps more importantly, salmon loses mass during the smoking process.

Which country makes the best smoked salmon? ›

The Scotish and Norwegian traditions of smoking their salmon have been in place for centuries, and each has something to offer. If you like a smokier flavor, go for the Norwegian smoked salmon. If what you want is the more buttery, subtly-flavored smoked salmon, you'll never go wrong with the Scottish variety.

Is King Salmon good for smoking? ›

There's nothing like smoked king salmon. Its high oil content makes for a perfect smoke and a pleasant texture.

What wood to smoke kingfish? ›

Cedar wood is one of the most popular choices for smoking fish. Its natural aroma and taste profile pair perfectly with the delicate taste of fish, resulting in a perfectly balanced flavour.

What kind of wood do you cook salmon on? ›

Cedar lends the most intense, aromatic flavor to salmon, but other woods are excellent for plank-grilling, too. You might consider substituting grilling salmon on a cedar plank for: Alder planks: Adds a mild, mellow flavor. Cherry planks: Brings a rich, bright flavor.

What is the best wood for smoking kingfish? ›

Alder wood is the best choice for smoking seafood. It works well with a variety of fish, shrimp, and even oysters. Other alternatives exist based on preference, but the general rule is Alder is the best.

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