How to Smoke Salmon – Make Succulent Smoked Salmon at Home

I hate to say it, but I’m about to ruin your favorite preparation of salmon forever. Set aside your go-to and make way for succulent Smoked Salmon!

My husband has been smoking meat and fish for 10+ years and out of everything he makes, Smoked Salmon is my #1 favorite. This easy smoker recipe is inherently simple and incredibly delicious.

Even die hard salmon haters (ahem, several of my children) devour this hot-smoked salmon. The tender flaky texture, and delicate smokey flavor are irresistible!

Why You’ll Love Smoked Salmon

Don’t get me wrong, I love a rack of meaty smoked ribs, or smokey pulled pork, but Smoked Salmon is in a league of its own. Sometimes smoked pork or beef can leave you feeling heavy, whereas smoked salmon is light and luscious. Here’s what else you’ll love about it:

• Family friendly. Both kids and adults LOVE this preparation of salmon. I’ve seen my nieces, nephews, and children literally cheer when they hear smoked salmon is on the menu.
• Easy. Smoking salmon is simple. Slap it onto the smoker then let it do it’s thing — no fussing nor flipping required. You can leave the skin on, too.
• Quick cooking: A pork butt can take 12+ hours to smoke, then another couple of hours to rest before shredding. A whole salmon fillet can smoke in as little as an hour, and you don’t have to wait hours afterwards to dig in.
• Succulent. Salmon is easy to overcook because it’s so delicate. Wet brining then air drying the salmon prior to smoking locks in moisture and creates a buttery, melt-in-your-mouth finish. SO GOOD.

Ingredients Needed

• Whole salmon fillet: I prefer to use a whole fillet vs individual-sized filets for this easy smoked salmon recipe, and have two favorite salmon varieties I’ll share below.
• Lemon pepper seasoning: is the perfect flavoring pairing with salmon. Simple really is best!
• Brine: wet brining the salmon in a mixture of water, kosher salt, and sugar helps seal in fat and moisture, and provide a silky flaked smoked salmon texture.
• Lemon wedges: fresh lemon juice drizzled on top of the smoked salmon compliments the sizzling smokey flavor so well.

Best Types of Salmon to Smoke

• Best: Atlantic Salmon or King Salmon (aka Chinook Salmon). These salmon species are generally large, meaty, and deliciously fatty — the size and flavor hold up and pair well with smoke.
• Worst: Wild Caught Sockeye Salmon. I hate using the word “worst” to describe sockeye salmon but in general we don’t find this species to be a good candidate for smoking. Sockeye salmon is typically small and compact, with less fat than Atlantic and King Salmon, and tends to dry out and become chalky on the smoker. I prefer to pan-sear wild-caught Sockeye salmon.
• Ok: Coho Salmon. This salmon species is on the smaller side but has more fat than Sockeye and so it doesn’t dry out as easily.

How Long Does it Take to Smoke Salmon?

My #1 tip for making smoked salmon is to go by the internal temperature of the fillet to determine doneness, vs a set amount of time. In general though, when smoking between 180 – 200 degrees, you can assume:

• 2 — 3lb salmon fillet: 1-1/2 — 3 hours on the smoker.
• 1 — 2lb salmon fillet: 45 minutes — 1-1/2 hours on the smoker.

Salmon fillets can vary widely in size, weight, and thickness — even salmon of the same species can differ from one another depending on when and where they were caught. That said, a two-prong digital meat thermometer to measure both the internal temperature of the smoker, and the internal temperature of the salmon, is crucial for achieving perfect smoked salmon.

Internal Temperature for Doneness

Salmon is considered fully cooked at 145 degrees though, imo, that is wayyyyy too high and your salmon — especially if it’s a variety without a lot of fat — will eat like sawdust.

Personally, I like to pull the salmon off the smoker when the internal temperature reaches between 130 and 135 which results in a more moist and tender texture.

Here is an internal temperature guide for doneness — please do remember that the temperature will continue to rise slightly off the heat due to carryover cooking!

• Rare: 120 degrees or less.
• Medium-rare: 125-130 degrees.
• Medium: 135-140 degrees.
• Well done: 140-150 degrees.

What’s the White Stuff on Top of My Salmon?

If you’ve ever cooked fish, chances are you’ve seen a chalky, white substance called albumin appear on the surface. Albumin is a harmless and flavorless — yet unsightly looking — liquid protein that solidifies and escapes to the surface while cooking. Albumin can appear on any fish, though you see it more often on salmon because of the white and pink/orange color contrast.

Here’s how to guard against it!

1. Wet brine the salmon. Submerging the salmon fillet in a mixture of water, kosher salt, and brown sugar for up to 12 hours before smoking helps solidify the fats within the protein, making it harder for the albumin to escape.
2. Develop a pellicle. After wet brining the salmon, rinse it off then refrigerate uncovered for up to 24 hours. During this time a thin, tacky skin called a pellicle will form on top of the fillet. Among other things, a pellicle can act like a barrier, preventing albumin from escaping.
3. Cook low and slow. Albumin appears when you cook salmon at too high of a temperature and/or overcook it. Smoking the salmon at just 180 degrees (vs 225 degrees for smoking pork, for example) helps contain albumin within the salmon.
4. Don’t overcook. Albumin can appear on top of the salmon even if it’s not overcooked, though it WILL appear if your fish is overcooked.

If at the end of the day your smoked salmon is not overcooked and there’s still albumin on the surface, simply scrape it off!

3 Tips for Perfect Smoked Salmon

1. Use a digital meat thermometer. A two prong digital thermometer is the best way to ensure the smoked salmon is cooked to perfection.
2. Plan ahead. You don’t HAVE to wet brine then dry your salmon fillet prior to smoking, though I think it makes a world of difference both in taste and texture. And if you’re going to spend money on salmon, ya want the taste and texture to be top notch, right? That said, I usually wet brine the salmon fillet over an afternoon and evening, then let it sit uncovered in the fridge overnight before smoking it for lunch or dinner the following day.
3. High quality salmon. Be sure you are using high quality salmon purchased from a reputable source that does not have a “fishy” smell. Atlantic salmon, which is my favorite for smoking, is all farmed though fish farming practices have improved greatly over the past several years. King Salmon can be found both farmed and wild caught.

TL;DR Overview: How to Make Smoked Salmon

There are sooo many interesting things to learn about smoking salmon (nerd alert!) but again — it’s inherently simple. Here’s the TL;DR overview:

• Step 1: Prep the salmon. Trim off the belly, if present, then remove any pin bones.
• Step 2: Wet brine the salmon. Brine the salmon in a water/sugar/salt solution for up to 12 hours.
• Step 3: Develop the pellicle. Refrigerate the salmon uncovered for up to 24 hours to develop the tacky pellicle.
• Step 4: Season then smoke the salmon. Season the salmon then smoke between 180-200 degrees until the internal temperature of the salmon reaches between 130-140 degrees.

How to Smoke Salmon

Step 1: Trim the salmon fillet.

Start by trimming your fillet — the salmon in these photos is a trimmed Atlantic Salmon fillet. Sometimes the salmon will come pre-trimmed while other times it might come with a thin white strip called the belly that you’ll want to slice off. If your knife is having trouble slicing through the thick salmon skin, use kitchen shears to cut through it.

Next, run a small paring knife or your finger down the peak/highest part of the fillet to feel for any pin bones then use (kitchen-only) tweezers to pull them out.

• Tip: pin bones are easier to remove from a super cold salmon fillet, vs one that’s been sitting out for a bit.

Step 2: Make the salmon brine.

Next, add hot water from the tap to a large glass measuring cup or bowl then stir in brown sugar and kosher salt until dissolved to create a wet brine. Place the cup or bowl in the freezer or refrigerator until it’s completely chilled. You can do this several days ahead of time.

• Tip: kosher salt and table salt are NOT the same thing. Table salt crystals are smaller than kosher salt, so the same measurement contains more salt. If you only have table salt on hand, use half the amount as kosher salt.
• Tip: sea salt may be used in the same amount as kosher salt. Use slightly less if you have “finely ground” sea salt.

Place the salmon skin side up in a dish with high sides that’s just slightly larger than the fillet. Pour in the brine until the fillet is completely submerged — you may not need to use all of it. Cover the salmon then refrigerate for at least 1 hour per pound of fish, or up to 12 hours.

• Tip: I generally brine thinner fillets for 4-8 hours, and thicker fillets for up to 12 hours.

Step 3: Develop the pellicle.

Remove the salmon from the wet brine then rinse it under cold water and place it on top of a wire cooling rack set atop a sheet pan. Refrigerate the salmon uncovered for up to 24 hours — during this time, a sticky / tacky pellicle will develop on the outside of the fish which will help the flavor of the smoke adhere to the salmon, and lock in moisture.

Press on the salmon with your finger — you should be able to feel the tackiness!

• Tip: frozen >> thawed salmon may not develop as sticky of a pellicle, and that’s ok.

Step 4: Season the salmon.

Just like my Air Fryer Chicken Wings, I find Lemon Pepper Seasoning to be the perfect pairing with smoked salmon. I like Lawry’s, which includes other flavorings like garlic and onion.

• Tip: since the wet brine will impart saltiness to the salmon, I add Lemon Pepper Seasoning with a light hand if my salmon fillet is on the thinner side, OR I’ll season with just coarsely ground black pepper and dried lemon peel to avoid overly-salty smoked salmon.

Step 5: Prepare your smoker.

Whether you have a charcoal smoker like a Big Green Egg, or a gas smoker, electric smoker, or a different type, prepare it to smoke at 180 degrees over indirect heat. We like to add a hunk of cherry wood after the natural lump charcoal gets going — if you have an electric smoker you can use wood pellets.

• Tip: Cherry, maple, apple, and alder woods pieces or wood chips generally pair well with salmon. Skip mesquite wood which will overpower the flavor of the salmon.

Again, we rely on digital thermometers, vs the thermometer on the outside of the smoker, to measure both the air temperature inside the smoker and the internal temperature of whatever it is we’re smoking.

The ThermoWorks Smoke Remote BBQ Alarm Thermometer does a fantastic fob at this!

Step 6: Smoke the salmon.

Once the internal temperature of the smoker has reached 180 degrees, place the smoked salmon on the grill grate inside.

If the thermometer you’re using has an internal probe, insert that so its sits in the thickest part of the salmon fillet. Next, close the lid and let the salmon smoke. No need to flip or move it — just let it be!

The time it takes to cook the salmon to your preferred level of doneness depends on how consistent the temperature inside the smoker stays, how large and/or thick your salmon is, how much fat it contains, so again, the best way to tell if the salmon is done is to go by internal temp of the fillet, NOT how long it’s been on the smoker.

The ~2lb fillet shown in these photos took 1 hour and 15 minutes to reach an internal temperature of 130 degrees.

• Tip: keep the lid down while the salmon is smoking to keep the internal temperature of the smoker between 180-200 degrees.

Voila — smoked salmon! Easy, right?

Transfer the smoked salmon to a platter then cover it loosely with foil and let the fillet rest for 15-20 minutes. Prepare to have the internal temperature raise slightly after pulling the salmon off the smoker, due to carryover cooking.

How to Serve Smoked Salmon

We prefer to eat smoked salmon warm, close to room temperature, or even cold vs piping hot, which makes this an ideal dish to serve at a dinner party or cook out, or if your family’s eating times need to be staggered for whatever reason.

Here are some of the ways we enjoy it:

• Cut into sections then served with fresh lemon wedges, cooked wild rice, and Air Fryer Asparagus.
• Flaked over scrambled eggs with capers.
• Flaked over a salad.
• Smoked salmon dip: mix flaked smoked salmon with cream cheese, sour cream, capers, minced red onion, fresh herbs like dill and parsley, salt, pepper, and fresh lemon juice.
• Smoked salmon salad: mix flaked salmon with mayo, capers, minced red onion, chopped fresh dill, chopped roasted red peppers, and fresh lemon juice then eat with toast or crackers.

I hope I’ve shown you that while there’s a ton to learn about smoked salmon if you’re curious, it’s inherently simple to make, and quick cooking too. Give this best smoked salmon recipe a try and report back! Enjoy!

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Photos by Ashley McLaughlin