Perfect cold smoked salmon is a simple luxury that contradicts just how easy it is to make at home. It’s a few simple steps, 3 ingredients, and no technical cooking skills are required. There is very little active time and the hardest part is waiting for each step to complete.
The salmon gets a one-day dry brine to cure into lox, is then refrigerated to dry and form the pellicle, and then goes into a smoker kept at a low temperature for at least 6 hours to slowly infuse it with wood smoke flavor without actually cooking it.
While it takes some patience to wait for the salmon to smoke to perfection, the process itself is almost completely hands-off. The end result is so worth it – buttery, tender, and infused with an intoxicating smokiness. With just about 20 minutes of active prep, you’ll have a smoked delicacy that would cost a pretty penny from a gourmet shop. All that’s required is a little salmon, salt, sugar wood chips, and time.
Why You’ll Love It
- It’s incredibly affordable to make cold smoked salmon at home compared to what you’d pay at a gourmet shop or market.
- The homemade version tastes so much better than store-bought.
- You can’t get it any fresher than smoking the salmon yourself right before serving.
- While not a quick process, cold smoking salmon is almost entirely hands-off with very little active time required.
- No special technical skills are needed. If you can brine and light a smoker, you can easily master this simple technique.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Salmon – Go for a high-quality wild salmon with bright, firm flesh. Either fresh or frozen will work. Sockeye or coho are my go-to options.
- Kosher salt and sugar – These are for the dry brine to cure the salmon. You can use either white or brown sugar (or a combination).
- Pellets, wood chips or sawdust for smoke – Alder, apple or maple are great options.
Jump to the recipe card for full info on ingredients and quantities.
How to Cold Smoke Salmon
Step-by-step instructions for how to prep, cure and cold smoke salmon to perfection. Check out the hot smoked salmon recipe for a quicker variation.
- Prep the Salmon: Using a sharp knife, trim off any thin edges from the belly of the salmon filet (these can dry out during the process and become tough). With fish bone tweezers, carefully remove any pin bones from the salmon flesh.
Tip: Save these trimmings and dehydrate them for dog treats.
- Cure: Combine the salt and sugar in a bowl. Lay plastic wrap on a baking dish. Spread half the brine mixture evenly.
- Place the prepared salmon, skin-side down, on the brine.
- Cover the filet with the remaining brine.
- Wrap tightly in the plastic wrap.
Tip: Optionally poke a few holes in the skin side of the plastic wrap to release excess liquid as it cures. Place the wrapped salmon on a wire rack set over another baking dish to allow drainage.
- Weigh down the salmon with a heavy pan (like a sheet pan with a large tomato can or two on top).
- Refrigerate for 24 hours.
- Rinse the salmon under cold water to remove excess brine, then thoroughly pat it dry with paper towels.
Optional: Soak the salmon in a large bowl of cold water for 15 minutes to remove excess salt from the fish to keep it from becoming too salty.
- Form the pellicle: Place the salmon, skin-side down, on a wire rack set over a baking dish.
Refrigerate uncovered to air dry for at least 2 hours, or up to 8 hours. This will form a pellicle (a dry, sticky surface that will absorb the smoke).
Tip: Lightly spray the rack with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- Set up your smoker for cold smoking, aiming to keep the temperature right around 80°F and below 86°F.
Tip: use an ice pan to help keep it cool in the smoker.
Use a smoke tube with wood pellets and/or chips for smoke.
Cold smoke the salmon for 6-12 hours, depending on desired smokiness. Check and refill ice and pellets as needed.
Note: Do not use the heating element of your smoker or grill.
Tip: You can place the salmon on the same wire rack used for drying, or directly onto the grill grates.
- Remove the salmon from the smoker and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate for at least 3 hours, or preferably overnight, to it chill completely.
- Slice, serve and enjoy!
A Few Extra Tips for Success
- Mind the Thickness – The thicker the salmon fillet, the longer it should be smoked to ensure enough smoke penetration.
- Pick the Right Conditions – Cold smoke at night or on a cool day when possible. Hot temperatures make it harder to keep the temperature down.
- Control the Temperature – The cold smoking temperature must stay below 86° F.
- Use a Pan of Ice – Place a pan filled with ice below the salmon in the smoker to help keep the temperature down. Refill with more ice as needed.
- Use a Cold Smoking Tube/Maze – Utilize a cold pellet smoking tube, sawdust maze or pellet tray to generate a consistent supply of cool smoke.
- Check Your Fuel Supply – Whether using wood chips or pellets, ensure you have enough smoking fuel for the intended smoke time. Refill as needed.
- Use the Right Salt – The type of salt used matters. See a salt conversion chart for adjusting amounts if not using Diamond brand kosher salt.
Slicing the Smoked Salmon
The salmon is delicate and requires careful attention when it comes to slicing. Use a long, thin, very sharp slicing knife.
Place the salmon skin-side down on a cutting board. Hold the salmon gently but firmly with your non-cutting hand. Beginning at the tail end, angle the knife at about 30-45 degrees and slice using long slicing motions to avoid cut marks. With some practice, you can decrease the angle until it is almost parallel with the cutting board to get even larger and thinner slices.
The goal is to slice pieces less than 1/4 inch thick, cutting against the grain of the fish.
You can either leave the skin on or remove it before slicing the fish. I like to leave it on through the smoking step, but it can make it easier to slice if you remove the skin first. You can easily do this by sliding a long sharp knife under the skin and carefully running it along the whole filet. It will often just peel right off. You can then cut out the bloodline (the grey strip) if desired.
How Long Should You Cold Smoke Salmon?
Cold smoke the salmon for a minimum of 6 hours and up to 12 hours for to small to medium-thickness filets. Some people will go as much as 24 hours for a thick 2″ filet. I have always found around 6 hours to be perfect with the right amount of smoke and not being too smoky. You might need to do some experimenting to find out what you like best.
Cold vs Hot-Smoked Salmon vs Lox
While hot-smoked salmon is cooked through with heat from the smoker, cold smoked salmon (like the one in this recipe) utilizes a completely different technique. Instead of cooking with hot smoke, cold-smoked salmon is cured with salt and sugar over an extended period before being exposed to cold smoke.
The smoking happens at temperatures below 83°F, which allows the fish to absorb the smoky flavor without actually cooking through. This results in a velvety, almost raw texture similar to lox or the salmon used for sushi. In contrast, hot-smoked salmon has a flaky, cooked texture from the heat source.
Lox is technically not smoked at all. Lox is salt-cured salmon and no smoke or cooking is involved in the process. Gravlax is salt, sugar and usually herb-cured and is also not cooked. Cold-smoked salmon gets both a salty cure and real wood smoke flavor.
Storage Instructions
Properly cured and cold smoked salmon will keep for up to 2 weeks when vacuum sealed or wrapped tightly and refrigerated. When not vacuum sealed, it will start to dry out after a few days in the refrigerator. For longer storage, the vacuum-sealed smoked salmon can be frozen for 2-3 months.
Serving Suggestions
The uses are virtually endless, but here are some of my favorite ways to serve it:
- On a bagel with cream cheese, sliced or diced red onion, tomato and capers
- Served with blini or potato cakes, a dollop of sour cream and chives
- Make smoked salmon scrambled eggs – Add the salmon either on top or folded into an omelet with cream cheese
- As a flavorful addition to pasta dishes – check out my smoked salmon pasta recipe
- Whipped into a creamy smoked salmon spread or dip
Make some fancy appetizers by rolling the salmon up around asparagus instead of prosciutto, nestling it into sushi rolls, or topping avocado toast or pizza with crème fraîche. Smoked salmon also pairs beautifully with latkes at Hanukkah time.
For brunch, make eggs Benedict by cradling poached eggs and hollandaise sauce in a bed of cold smoked salmon. Or for a quick snack, simply drape the smoked fish over sliced cucumbers.
More Tasty Recipes
Be sure to check out these other related recipes or browse all the salmon recipes.
Cold Smoked Salmon
Ingredients
- 2-3 pounds salmon fillet (whole side)
- 3/4 cup kosher salt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- Wood chips for smoke alder, apple, or similar
Instructions
Prepare the Salmon (15 minutes):
- Trim the Salmon: Using a sharp knife, trim off any thin edges from the bottom or tail of the filet.
- Remove Pin Bones: With fish bone tweezers, carefully remove any pin bones from the salmon flesh.
Cure the Salmon (24 hours):
- Make the cure by combining the salt and sugar in a bowl. Lay a large piece of plastic wrap down in a baking dish or sheet pan. Spread about 1/3 of the brine mixture evenly on the plastic wrap.
- Place the salmon skin-side down on the brine. Cover with the remaining brine, being sure to go over the edges. Tightly wrap in the plastic wrap.
- Place another pan on top of the filet with a weight like a large tomato can to weigh down the fish as it cures.
- Refrigerate for 24 hours.
Rinse & Dry:
- Remove the salmon from the plastic wrap and rinse under cold water. Then pat the salmon dry with paper towels.
Air Dry & Form Pellicle (2-8 hours):
- Place the salmon skin-side down on a wire rack set over a baking dish and refrigerate uncovered for at least 2 hours, or up to 8 hours, to form a pellicle (a dry, sticky surface).Tip: Spray the wire rack lightly with cooking spray to prevent sticking
Cold Smoke the Salmon (6-12 hours):
- Set up your smoker for cold smoking. Use a smoke tube with wood pellets or chips for smoke. Aim for a temperature of around 80°F, and below 86°F. Use a pan filled with ice to help regulate the temperature.
- Cold smoke the salmon for 6-12 hours, depending on the desired smokiness and thickness of the fish. Place the salmon in the smoker on the same wire rack used for drying, or directly on the grill grates. Check and refill ice and pellets as needed.
Chill & Serve:
- Remove the salmon from the smoker and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate for at least 3-4 hours, or preferably overnight, to chill completely.
- Slice thinly and enjoy!
Notes
- Optional during the cure: Poke a few holes on the skin side of the plastic wrap to release excess liquid and place the salmon on a wire rack set over another baking dish to allow drainage as it cures.
- To remove extra salt after the cure: Soak the cured salmon in a large bowl of cold water for 15 minutes to remove more salt.
- The thicker the salmon, the longer the smoking time. For a very large 2″ thick filet, you can cold smoke it for 16 to 24 hours.
- Smoke salmon on a cool day or at night for better temperature control.
- Do not use the heating element of your smoker or grill.
Is it necessary to freeze salmon prior to using with this recipe, to destroy any parasites? (e.g. several days at or below -4°C/-20°F). Or does the curing step take care of the problem?
Hey Paul! Flash freezing is always the safest option, but curing for the entire time with the fish surrounded by salt should take of any problems. But if it’s at all a concern, then freezing at the low temps (vacuum sealed first) like you mention is a great idea. Also, freezing won’t negatively affect the outcome of the smoked salmon. Freezing will actually break down the fatty connective tissue between the protein that will make it more tender with lox or the cold smoked salmon like in this recipe. Let me know if you have any other questions.