Smoked Salmon

Smoking is one of the oldest ways to preserve fish, meat and poultry and smoked salmon is one of the best known and best loved ways to eat Salmon. It was used before the advent of refrigeration to prolong the life of fresh foodstuffs.

Salmon can either be Hot smoked or Cold smoked.

Hot Smoking also known as BBQ or kippered actually cooks the fish and the end product can be used as you would with any other cooked fish. It’s best cut into chunks or flakes. It can then be used in receipes* such as pasta, salads and pies, to name but a few. (one of my favourites is smoked salmon & asparagus frittata)

Cold Smoking also known as Lox/Lax/Scottish/Nova Scotia/Scandinavian and of course the best known of all, Gravad Lax(Gravlax), (which is not actually smoked at all but left to marinate for anything up to 1 week) is a much longer process, often taking days to achieve the desired result. The Salmon is not really “cooked” but moisture is drawn out and flavour added during smoking using different types of wood and herbs. This results in the end productloved by people the world over. Best sliced as thinly as possible,it's fabulous with cream cheese and Bagels (as in the New York Lox & Bagel fame) and on blinis with sour cream and caviar.

The salmon of today is cured using a much lighter process than in the old days and although it will keep longer than fresh fish, do put it in the refrigerator and use it within 2 days of opening.

Smoke Houses sell their products in a variety of forms, from frozen to vacuum packed and in cans. There is also a relatively new way to store the smoked fish which is in a vacuum packed foil pouch. This pouch can be kept for up to 7 years without refrigeration - so it’s perfect if you fancy smoked salmon & champagne half way up a mountain!