About Smoked Seafood

About Salmon
There are five species of Western Salmon native to the Pacific: Silverbright, Humpback, Sockeye, King and Coho. King salmon is the preferred smoking fish due to its higher fat content and beautiful rich red color. On the Atlantic, there is only one salmon: Atlantic—and its fat content and peachy color make it the most sought after fish of all for smoking.

Brining
Prior to smoking, all salmon are brined with a cure of salt and sometimes sugar and spices. There are two common brining methods: dry brining, a mixture of salt and maybe sugar, spice and other flavorings which is applied directly onto the meat of the fish. Once the fish has been dry brined for awhile (depending on the species and size of the fish), the brine is rinsed off and the fish is ready to be smoked. When wet brined, the fish is placed into a solution of water, salt, and perhaps sugars and spices prior to smoking.

Lox
A Yiddish translation of the German word "lachs" ("salmon"), this term refers to the method of curing. Traditionally, lox has a much higher salt level and is not smoked; it's either dry or wet brined. The term Nova, once referring to Atlantic salmon from Nova Scotia, is now used to describe a salmon that is cured in a milder brine than lox. Gravad Lox, or Gravlox, isn't smoked at all but instead coated in a mixture including dill, sugar and juniper berries, then weighted down to press the moisture from the fish.

Hot Smoked
Hot smoking, or "kippering", refers to the smoking process during which the internal core temperature of the seafood reaches 145 degrees of more for a specific period of time. Hot smoked seafood is generally flaky and doesn't slice well (fine with us , as we like big chucks of smoked fish!). It's got a burnished, golden exterior and is always a beautiful hors d'oeuvre.

Cold Smoked
When the air in a smoker doesn't exceed 90 degrees, you've got cold smoked fish, which has a texture and appearance that resembles raw fish. Smoke is used to enhance the flavor rather than cook the seafood. Silky and delicate, cold smoked seafood slices thinly and is quite elegant.

Hard Smoked
Rather like jerky, hard smoked fish is heavily salted and smoked until there's very little moisture left. Oftentimes, the result won't require refrigeration.

Serving
Smoked seafood is at its best served at room temperature—an icebox chill really robs it of some subtlety. And it's not just for brunch! Try smoked fish scrambled into eggs for breakfast, as a light lunch with crackers and salad, or for dinner (smoked trout in a pasta sauce is delightful). It goes well on a cheese plate, particularly with fresh fruit, such as grapes, apples and pears. You can dress it up by garnishing with thinly sliced Meyer lemons, some capers, and very thin sliced red onions. Serve with crackers or slices of our Bakehouse Hearth Breads.