Classic cold smoked salmon

By: Jim McDougall, Stefano de Pieri
From: Nuovo Mondo
Makes: 1
Photographer: Alan Benson

Store-brought smoked salmon is a hit-and-miss affair; it is sometimes hard to tell a good product from a bad one, because it is impossible to know the quality of the fish that was used for smoking or the quality of the other ingredients. When making your own, you have control over all these elements, and the result is always excellent. You can use ocean trout or other fish, but you need to make sure you alter the curing time to the size of the fillet. It is hard to specify an exact time frame, because the thickness of the fish dictates the time it takes. The rule of thumb is that, when it is ready, the fish should be quite firm in the fattest part.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
1kg	Basic cure
1.5kg	piece of salmon, pin-boned, skin on
2 tbsp	ground fennel seeds
1/2	bunch dill, chopped
200g	wood smoking chips

Method

Place half the basic cure in a baking tray of similar size to the fish. Place the fish, skin side down, on the cure.
Season the flesh on top with the fennel and dill and cover with the remaining cure mixture – the fish must be buried for effective results. Wrap with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Remove the salmon after 24 hours and rinse well to remove the cure mixture.
Put the smoking chips in a deep roasting tin and place over high heat until the chips are smoking furiously. You can use a stovetop but this may smoke out your house, so an outdoor barbecue is the best option. Meanwhile, place the salmon in a perforated baking tray that will fit inside the roasting tin with the chips. When the chips are smoking, remove from the heat and place the tray with the salmon in it on top. Cover with more foil if there is smoke escaping. Leave for 20–30 minutes for the smoke to infuse. If you prefer a strong smoke flavour, turn the salmon over and repeat this smoking step.
Wrap the fish in clean plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use. The fish keeps well for 2–3 weeks, but it rarely lasts that long because works well for breakfast, lunch and dinner!