A salmon fillet cured with salt, rinsed, and dried until it forms a pellicle, then gently hot-smoked to produce pearly, juicy, flaky flesh scented with wood.
Ingredients
- 900 g fresh skin-on salmon fillet, fishmonger quality
- 65 g coarse gray sea salt
- 35 g light brown cane sugar
- 1 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 80 g beechwood or alder smoking chips
- 200 g full-fat crème fraîche
- 2 pieces unwaxed lemon
- 0.5 bunches fresh chives
- 8 slices rye bread or dense country bread
Method
- Trim the salmon: remove the pin bones with tweezers, keep the skin, pat the flesh thoroughly dry, and make sure it is cold, firm, and free of any strong odor.
- Mix the coarse salt, light brown sugar, and coarsely cracked black pepper. Spread some of the mixture in a nonreactive dish, place the salmon skin-side down, then cover the flesh with the remaining mixture in an even layer.
- Cover and cure in the refrigerator for a short overnight period, until the flesh feels firmer to the touch and a little liquid has been drawn into the dish.
- Quickly rinse the salmon under cold running water to remove excess salt and sugar without soaking the flesh. Pat it very thoroughly dry with paper towels.
- Place the salmon on a rack, skin-side down, and let it dry uncovered in the refrigerator until the surface becomes satin-like, slightly tacky to the touch, and no longer wet. This pellicle is the sign that the smoke will adhere properly.
- Prepare the smoker with the soaked, then drained, wood chips. Stabilize a gentle heat: the air should be hot but never harsh, with steady, light blue smoke rather than thick, acrid smoke.
- Place the salmon on the smoker rack, skin-side down and away from direct heat. Close the smoker and smoke gently at a steady temperature until the flesh becomes opaque at the edges, small white protein droplets just begin to bead, and the center remains juicy.
- Check the doneness: the flesh should separate into large, moist flakes under slight pressure without becoming dry or chalky. If using a probe, aim for a barely cooked center, around sixty degrees.
- Remove the salmon from the smoker and let it rest on a rack briefly at room temperature, then chill it if it will not be served immediately. This rest sets the smoke and firms the slices.
- Prepare the classic accompaniment: loosen the crème fraîche with a little lemon juice, black pepper, and chopped chives. Keep the remaining lemon in wedges.
- Serve the salmon warm or cold, in thick pieces separated with a spoon or knife, with the lemon cream, lemon wedges, and lightly toasted rye bread or country bread.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 829.2 kcal
- Protein
- 52.87 g
- Carbohydrate
- 45.14 g
- Fat
- 45.46 g
- Fibre
- 6.66 g
- Calcium
- 77.77 mg
- Iron
- 1.18 mg
- Magnesium
- 40.03 mg
