Hey Guys,
As we discussed in a previous post, I am trying to "Master" Cold Smoked Salmon. We will be featuring Smoked Salmon on the menu at our Inn this summer, if I can get it consistant, and close to perfect. I did one batch last week with unsatisfactory results, even though it didnt last long. You can read the lead up to this point here http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=15034.0
Basically, the first lot was made with inferior salmon, and while the texture was good, it had a bitter after taste, and I would like the salmon flavor to be stronger.
I loosened the purse strings today and purchased some fresh Altlantic Salmon.
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af321/robbryenton/100_1118.jpg)
The fillet and pieces that I bought were quite large, being just over 2" thick at some points.
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af321/robbryenton/100_1119.jpg)
Ive heard differing opinions that freezing the fish prior to curing will help make the fish firmer. So I wrapped the large fillet and off to the freezer for a week. I wish I could get that bad boy in the Bradley in one piece! It's a Beauty! Here are the 3 pieces that I will cure this time around.
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af321/robbryenton/100_1121.jpg)
I mixed up my cure. 3 cups salt, 3 cups brown sugar, 1 cup white sugar. I laid the pieces of fish on a 1/2 inch of cure.
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af321/robbryenton/100_1122.jpg)
I gave each piece a light dusting of cayanne, and then layed on some fresh dill, and a few flakes of dehydrated onion.
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af321/robbryenton/100_1126.jpg)
Finally, I covered it all with a good layer of the cure mixture and packed it in nice and tight and into the fridge with some weight on top to compress it. I did not use all the cure, just enough to get it buried in nicely.
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af321/robbryenton/100_1127.jpg)
The last lot I did, I left in the dry cure for about 12 hours. These pieces are much thicker, so I will leave for 16 - 20 hours and see how much liquid they've released. I had the pieces very dry before I added the cure.
I will give an update tomorrow.
Newfie
Good pictorial!
The cayenne pepper is an interesting touch. Am looking forward to seeing how that turns out.
Hope it turns out as you imagine it will.
Good for you for bucking up, (for our American cousins, 3.2 K is 7 pounds. $8.00 per pound) .
I am SO glad I live on the West Coast because I'd never want to have to pay that much for Atlantic salmon! Hell, I'd never want to pay that much for Pacific salmon!! I prefer to go out and get my own. These shots are from last summer on Vancouver Island. The next stop over the horizon is Japan. Good cold waters so the fish were in excellent condition.
We ended up with a couple more each of roughly the same size - 24 pounds. Am going back up with my fishing bud this summer for a week.
(http://i1017.photobucket.com/albums/af295/slamdunk_bucket/Gold%20River/101_7991_1-1.jpg)
(http://i1017.photobucket.com/albums/af295/slamdunk_bucket/Gold%20River/101_8005_1.jpg)
Those are some great looking fish! Yes, 8 bucks a lb is pricey. It will get better as the summer season approaches, closer to 4 or 5 dollars per lb.
Here are some pics of the pieces after 10 hours in the dry cure. The cure pulled a lot more moisture out of the fish then I expected. The last batch I did, with a previously frozen fillet did not release much moisture at all. So, the cure is working! The flesh is starting to get firm, and the skin is almost crunchy....Interesting. Since there is so much going on in that dish, I am going to let dry cure until 5 this evening, a total of 17 hours in the dry cure.
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af321/robbryenton/100_1128.jpg)
Since it seemed like the bottom side was curing faster, I flipped the pieces and put about 1/2 cup more cure on top. Hopefully the dill flavor will soak out in some of the juices down undeneath.
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af321/robbryenton/100_1129.jpg)
Stay Tuned!
Looking forward to seeing how this turns out for ya.
Cold-smoked salmon is soooooo good.
I like to have it with a herbed mascarpone cheese, pickled red onions and garlic toast points.
So here are the fillet pieces after a 17 hour rest in the dry cure. Most of the dry cure had been liquified, and the fish had a very hard, almost "candy apple" feel. They had a very nice deep color.
Now for a 17 hour soak in the wet brine. Here's what I used.
9.5 cups water
1 cup kosher salt
1 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp black pepper
1/3 cup Dark molasses
2 garlic cloves
A handful of fresh dill
1 tsp Instacure # 1
As you can see, I'm following the recipe from the susan minor site, substituting certain items. I included a small amount of Instacure #1 to see what it does for the color. It is a small amount when mixed in water, but it may have some effect on the color of the salmon. Since this will be cold smoked, it certainly will help make the fish a little safer.
Newfie
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af321/robbryenton/100_1130.jpg)
Man that is lookin good Newfie, cant wait to see and hear about the finished product.
Here in Nebraska $8/lb is the norm and when its on sale your lucky to see $6
The last time I did the cold smoke, the salmon had a slight bitter taste, but not quite smokey enough. I kept the damper almost closed for 2 hours and 40 mins of smoke.
I attribute the bitter taste to having the damper closed, and this time I will open it up. Should I have it completely open, or half, or what?
This time I am going to use only apple pucks and go for 3 hours.
What do you think?
Newfie
Great work so far Newfie! Can't wait to see the finished product.
Hope it turns out more to your liking this time. If not you can send it to me ;)
I always leave my vent at least half open, maybe evan 3/4, never had any problems with smoke flavor.
But I'm no expert.
Well, Here are the pieces after a 17 hours soak in the wet brine. I freshened for 22 minutes under cold running water and sampled. The texture was excellent. Quite firm and silky. The salt level was tolerable. I could have left it, but I decided to freshen for another 5 minutes or so. I had a visitor, so I ended up leaving it for 11 extra minutes....33 minutes total. I think it will be perfect.
I dried the salmon well, and onto the bradley rack. I brushed the center piece down with some real maple syrup to see how that turns out. Now, into the fridge, uncovered, to let it age for 24 hours and get a nice pellicle.
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af321/robbryenton/100_1131.jpg)
OK, I made a mistake....I tasted it! :o :o ;D I cant wait the 24 hours I planned for the fridge. It's been 9 hours and its got a perfect pelicle. So I let it rest at room temp for 2 hours and now in the smoker over ice. I put in 8 pucks of apple and we will see how it goes! Threw in a block of el cheap o cheddar too. I dont want any of that smoke floatin around doin nothin!
Three Hours To Go!!!!!
I really need to get my "Winter project" outta the garage so I can get the bradley out permanently and "polished up." Foolish priorities!
Newfie
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af321/robbryenton/100_1133.jpg)
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af321/robbryenton/100_1135.jpg)
Quote from: NewfieSmoker on March 31, 2010, 03:00:42 PM
I dont want any of that smoke floatin around doin nothin!
Now, that is a quote for my archive!...............
Oh, and if it tastes as good as it looks already - you are in for a treat.
Oh, and don't you just hate the guys that have to post a picture and rub our nose in it that they have salmon in their back yard ;D ;D ;D ;D NaWWWwwwwwww - just jealous!!!
Looks great, Newf! I'm down to my last piece of spring in the freezer--time to go fishing--and your helping me get inspired!
T2
Caney, I could have been really obnoxious and shown some other pics of fish we got, but I didn't ...Like I could have done this...red snapper and ling cod...
(http://i1017.photobucket.com/albums/af295/slamdunk_bucket/Gold%20River/101_8003_1.jpg)
And I could have shown pics of fresh prawns - around 60 or so - that we also got EVERY day and sauted with some plum sauce and garlic butter, with a beer chaser or two thrown in...
I tell ya, it was damn hard work ;D ;D
The red snapper looks interesting, and the prawns almost put it over the top, but if you had shown me some picks of gooeyducks (geoducks - see I know how to spell it), razor clams, butter clams, or some of those great Pacific Oysters then I would have had to do something!
Well, Sorry about the delay with the results, but here goes. This lot of salmon is 100% better then last time! I cant imagine improving on it! The texture was excellent, firm enough to slice thin, but melt in your mouth tender.
It was velvety on the palate, and just perfect for flavor and saltiness. This was a large salmon, with very distint lines of fat. That was nice, compared to the hot smoked version, because this way the fat is very much intact. The salmon was very oily, but I consider this a good thing.
This time there was no bitter aftertaste. The smoke evened out after 24 hours in the fridge, and was slightly better then straight out of the smoker.
The only problem I can see is the taste is still not as strong as I would like. As mentioned, we want to use this salmon as an ingredient or topping on our menu. Straight up, it is dare I say perfect! Put it on a cracker or bagel with cream cheese, and the flavor disappears. We all agreed that to be used as an ingredient it needed stronger salt and smoke flavors.
I plan to try one more batch before we settle on a recipe for the summer. I am going to do the exact same thing, only freshen it for 10 minutes only, and smoke for 4 hours, maybe using Alder. And I will add the InstaCure to the dry cure where I think it may be more effective.
Newfie
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af321/robbryenton/100_1139.jpg)
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af321/robbryenton/100_1138.jpg)
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af321/robbryenton/100_1140.jpg)
(http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af321/robbryenton/100_1142.jpg)
Newf, please don't get me wrong, you have done more with Lox than I've ever tried, but I'm married to a Dane and Danish lox is an aphrodisiac , at least to me!!!
So, my constructive criticism....take it for what it's worth, I'm trying to be brutally honest here, but you're opening up your place so I'm trying to help.
Your salmon is very fatty (- is it wild or farm grown? Wild salmon doesn't have as much fat.), far more than sockeye - the favorite lox salmon. Omega 3 oils (concentrated in the fat) are very healthy, but with the fat like that, it doesn't look that appealing compared to sockeye.
However, if you are set on Atlantic salmon let's see if we can't alter the appearance and taste a bit.
You mention not enough smoke and not enough saltiness after adding the cream cheese. If I'm reading that comment right, I interpret it to mean that it is kinda of bland.
How about getting rid of the bland looking lemons? Out here, it is normally served with sliced, raw, sweet red onions and capers. The onions give it the "Bam" and the capers add a salty taste. To improve the appearance, fresh sprigs of parsley is normally arranged on the plate.
If you want to use the cream cheese, how about blending some of the lox in the cream cheese?
As I mentioned, I'm married to a Dane, and Danes love fine Rye bread (not course Rye bread) with their lox. Spread the blended cream cheese on the Rye bread, place the lox on top, add the onions and capers. And for a visual stimulate, add the parsley to the plate. i often will eat the parsley between tastings of the lox. Parsley is a pallet cleanser, so you get a fresh new taste on the next bite of the lox.
I've really enjoyed your pics and will definitely be trying some this summer after I come back from my fishing trip.
Good luck in your endeavors!! Hope your Inn is a great success!!
PS, I happen to know a commercial seafood broker out here, so if you're interested in getting some West Coast fish, PM me and I'll give you contact numbers etc.
I also would like to add my 2 cents for what it's worth. You say you freshen it up by soaking it in water, I am wondering what this does for it. When I do my smoked salmon I do rinse my fish but just to quickly rinse of the excess brine mix. I do not soak it for any period of time. Maybe on your next test do one piece without soaking it, just rinse it and and the let it pellicle before smoking.
Also you said you were going to let it pellicle for 24 hrs in the fridge. Now I am no expert on this matter but I think I read that you can over pellicle it to the point of it actually sealing it's self so as not to absorb any smoke. My understanding is you want to pellicle just till the surface is tack to the touch. So take this as you will and experiment as you wish cause I am just trying to help you produce a great product for your customers and I hope you get this nailed down. Sounds like you are getting close.
Good luck.
Thank you soo much for sharing!
Man am I inspired to go and try to make some "lox" now
I grew up with bagles, cream cheese and lox - lemon, red onions & capers were options
That was a easter breakfast staple (along with ... eggs).
Okay I've got a few days - maybe there's still time to make some for Easter breakfast ;D
Thanks for the positive feedback! I definetely appreaciate it. Slamdunk, I agree with your thoughts on the fish being overly fatty. I'm nut sure if this will be a problem as the fishing season opens, however, I suspect that we will still be getting farmed salmon. I believe this fish was farmed, not wild. Being in Newfoundland, a fishing province, you would suspect that it would be easy to get fish. It is, but most of the salmon is farmed. I would really like to try a wild salmon for comparison.
This fish was also very large, the fillet being 2-2.5 inches thick in certain areas. A smaller fish may not be so fatty. I will definetly cut the belly's off next time and hot smoke. It really was to oily raw.
I followed the lox recipe on the susanminor site, therefore the recommended freshing period. I agree Quarlow, it may not need the freshening at all. Maybe next time, i will dry cure, wet cure, rinse and dry, let the pellicle form for a shorter period of time.
As far as serving at our Inn, It will be very close to what you described Slamdunk. Served with bagels, capers, dill or parsley, and a cream cheese blend. I did blend some lox with cream cheese, grated red onion, squeeze of lemon, dash of cayanne, and a bit of paprika for color. Much better. I have the idea to hotsmoke some of the smaller peices, and blend them well into the cream cheese mixture, then stir in some finely diced pieces of lox to give it a slightly chunkier look. Then, with the lox in the spread and in the topping, it should be a success.
THis really shows the usefulness of this forum. Its great to get feedback and thank you all for the help. I will keeop posting, as my quest for the perfect lox continues!!!
Newfie
I've tried Pacific salmon and Atlantic salmon and I personally like the Atlantic more. I like that it's a it oily and fatty...but it's all personal preference.
I agree with the others that you might have washed away some of the flavor but keeping it in water too long. I did it myself the last time I made lox. I didn't smoke it but it was salty and I tried to soak some of the salt out. It worked but the texture of the fish was a bit softer afterwards. So mext time I make lox, I will do 2:1 sugar to salt ratio since I like mine sweeter. This will hopefully solve the soaking problem I encountered.
Even if it's not perfect, I bet it still tastes good. :)
Newf, I like your idea of putting some chunkier pieces in the cream cheese, in fact, my mouth is watering ....
and you're right, larger fish will have more fat - sorta like humans (or so my Doctor has tried pointing out to me during the annual check-ups).
Good luck with the lox!