Smoked Salmon Brine
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Smoked salmon brine is the key to perfectly moist, tender smoked fish. This recipe and video explain how to make and use salmon brine!
Looking for instructions on how to smoke salmon? You’ll find them in my post on how to smoke salmon. This post explains how to make the brine for smoked salmon.
On occasions like Christmas brunch or a New Year’s Eve party, nothing is quite as delicious as smoked salmon. The fish is fantastic with bagels and cream cheese, on a salad, or served as an appetizer with pumpernickel bread, quick pickled red onions, and crackers.
The problem is, smoked salmon is expensive to buy. The solution is to make it yourself and it isn’t difficult at all. It’s a mystery to me why there are so many people smoking without brining salmon first.
Sure, the brining process takes several hours, but skipping this step leads to the fish being dry and lacking flavor. Nobody enjoys that, so let me show you how simple it is to make and use a brine for smoking fish.
Some people refer to the process as curing, and the solution as a cure. Whatever you call it, this one imparts a lot of good flavor and helps in the preserving process.
Smoked salmon brine FAQ
If you want flavorful and moist smoked salmon, then brining is a necessity. Without it, the fish will be dry and lack flavor.
Allow at least 3 hours and up to 8 hours for the brining solution to soak into the fish. Keep in mind that whole salmon filets can be very thick, and you want the brine to work all the way through the flesh.
Unfortunately, yes. Smoked salmon brine has a hefty amount of salt in it; leaving the fish in the solution for longer than 8 hours will lead to an unbearably salty flavor. Also, the firm salmon flesh will begin to break down, which can lead to a mushy texture and mouthfeel.
Ingredient notes and substitutions
The typical fish brine has three elements – sugar, salt and water, and most recipes call for equal parts of sugar and salt.
I use a slightly different ratio; a quarter cup salt to one third cup sugar and four cups of liquid. The liquid can be just water, but for flavor, I include some soy sauce and dry white wine. Feel free to use low sodium soy sauce or adjust to less per your taste.
Video: making and using salmon brine
The brine is simple to make, and the actual process of brining the fish is really more about hands-off time than anything else.
To see the process from start to finish, watch the video in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Instructions
For this recipe, mix together the sugar, salt, soy sauce, water, wine, onion and garlic powders, pepper and Tabasco sauce in a bowl with a whisk to incorporate and thoroughly dissolve the sugar and salt.
After making the brine, it will be ready to use immediately. Otherwise, transfer it to a covered container and store it in a refrigerator for up to 5 days.
How to use smoked salmon brine
- Pour some of the brine in the bottom of 13×9-inch pan.
- Place the salmon filets in the pan and pour the remaining brine over the salmon to cover. Ensure that the fish is fully submerged in the brine.
- All that’s left at that point is to brine the fish for 8 hours and it will be ready to put on the smoker. After brining, you may refrigerate the brined salmon for up to two days before smoking, or you can immediately begin the process of making smoked salmon. The first step is drying it to create a pellicle.
What is a pellicle?
A pellicle seals moisture inside of the fish and creates a sticky surface for the smoke to adhere to.
To create a pellicle, place the brined salmon in front of a fan to dry and develop a shiny skin. This process takes about 4 hours, and it is vital to do so. Another option is to leave the fish uncovered on a baking sheet in the refrigerator. The cold, circulating air works great.
For instructions on smoking the fish, click here to see my recipe for smoked salmon.
This post, first published on Kevin Is Cooking Jan 5, 2014, was last updated with new content on Oct. 12, 2021.
Subscribe to my Newsletter, follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and YouTube for all my latest recipes and videos.
Smoked Salmon Brine + How-To Video
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup sugar or brown sugar
- 1/4 cup kosher salt
- 2 cups soy sauce
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes or freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp Tabasco sauce or hot sauce of choice
Instructions
- To a large bowl, add sugar, kosher salt, soy sauce, water, wine, onion and garlic powders, pepper and tabasco sauce. Use a whisk to incorporate and thoroughly dissolve the sugar and salt.
- Pour a little of the brine in the bottom of a 13×9-inch pan. Transfer salmon to the pan and pour remaining brine over the salmon to cover. Refrigerate for 8 hours.
- This brine is for 3 pounds of salmon as in my Smoked Salmon recipe.
Video
Notes
- Nutritional information shown is for a full batch of salmon brine. Only a small portion of the brine is actually absorbed into the fish and consumed. To see nutritional information for smoked salmon including the brine, see my post, how to smoke salmon.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Hi Kevin,
I haven’t made this yet because I have a question. A friend recently gave me her “baby” Traeger and it only has three settings: smoke, medium and high. Medium is about 275° and high is screaming hot. Can I leave the salmon on the smoke setting the entire time or should I switch between smoke and medium? Any recommendations would be great!
I wrote in the Recipe Notes I also used a Traeger and kept it at the lowest temperature (165°F) for 5 hours total. It came out fantastic Judy. Maybe keep it on the Smoke setting? Tha tis what I would try. Let me know. Also, if you can find the correct name for the Traeger, look it up online on their site.
Hi Kevin. I am very excited to try this recipe. Is there a particular type of salmon you recommend? I opted to go with sockeye salmon vs. farm raised atlantic salmon. The cut of the sockeye seems to be a bit thinner which makes me concerned about drying it out. Any advice?
Hi Greg. I go for full meaty, no fishy smell with a deep color. It really is up to you. I love Copper River Salmon and the season is now and a quick one (currently at @Costco too), but it’s up to you. I don’t pick up any that are thinner than a half an inch. Ask your butcher or fish monger for a thick cut.
I’ve been smoking salmon for two years and this is the best smoked salmon recipe I’ve made! I will be making it this way for now on.
Excellent! So glad you enjoyed this one Susan. Appreciate the kind words. 🙂
could one substitute brown sugar for the sugar ingredient?
Most definitely. I’ve done just that. I’ll update the recipe to reflect Gig. Thanks!
After catching a giant 9 pound trout on Saturday I decided to try this recipe using brown trout.
I smoked the fish on a wood smoker @ 225* for 4 hours using almond wood for the fire and it was wonderful.
The only adjustment that I made to the brine was adding a tablespoon of Worcester sauce. Other than that I followed the recipe to the letter and was sure to allow the dry time to create the pellicle.
My son who hates trout said that it was the best fish he has ever had and ate 4 servings!
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I will be back to try some of your other recipes as this one made me want to try more!
Excellent! Love to read comments like this one Ryan. And a big congrats on that 9 pound trout! 🙂
I love this video so much, I cannot wait to meet up with you this Spring! You have a knack for the camera my friend, and this recipe is incredible with great tips (love when we get to come in for a closer look) and I love seeing Olie’s tail wagging throughout the entire production. 😀 P.S. You make me want to seriously buy a smoker!
It will be great to finally meet Sally! You cab either bake or grill these and I have notes and links for making a makeshift smoke box for the grill, and if baking, another technique, too.
I’ve never smoked my own salmon, but now I have to (obviously!). This looks superb, Kevin. I’m already imagining it piled on a bagel with cream cheese!
So much easier than one would think. I hope I demystified it Marissa. 🙂
Great instructions, Kevin! Love smoked salmon! So yummy on everything!
Thanks Dawn! LOVE, love, love this one and besides the time involved, this is beyond easy to make. Cheers! 🙂
Hi, Kevin, I have an allergy to red pepper so can’t use the flakes or tabasco. In other recipes, I’m able to substitute other things such as jalapenos or white pepper. What do you think I should do with this recipe? Thank you very much for your time.
It’s added for flavor and heat, but feel free to omit or add whatever amount of white pepper or maybe diced jalapeños you like Tarre. Thanks for stopping by and giving this one a try!
I tried the Smoked Salmon brine recipe and smoked a 4Lb sockeye in pieces. I was disappointed, due to amount of SALT required? Even using the recommended low sodium soy sauce, salmon turned out very salty! One quarter cup of salt, for 3Lbs of salmon was way too much, in my opinion! I’m not sure if cutting down on the salt is an option, since the salt may be the curing agent? But I will try to find another brine recipe as this one was not to my liking!
Dave, most brines are equal parts sugar, and salt and in this, I have the salt HALF of what the sugar is. Typically the salt to liquid (water, or like in this one, low-sodium soy sauce and wine) ratio is 4 tbsp salt to 4 cups of liquid, and it is indeed that here. I make this often, and others as well, without the overly salty taste response. Sorry that was your experience. I do not rinse the salmon after brining, but maybe that’s something you might want to do next try?
Maybe I’m just too hip, but as far as I know the word brine suggests a high impact of salt. Maybe it’s just not your taste, or you’re just not clear on the concept, but internet rants are so 1990s. I’ve used this recipe several times and only received raves of compliments from my guests. Thanks to this site for making it seem like I actually know what I’m doing in the kitchen!
brine
/brīn/
noun
noun: brine
1.
water saturated or strongly impregnated with salt.
seawater.
“dolphins and whales can’t help taking in the odd gulp of brine as they swallow a fish”
a solution of salt and water in which food is preserved.
“the classic dirty martini includes a few drops of olive brine”
TECHNICAL
a strong solution of a salt or salts.
plural noun: brines
“these brines percolated downward”
verb
verb: brine; 3rd person present: brines; past tense: brined; past participle: brined; gerund or present participle: brining
1.
soak in or saturate with salty water.
“brined anchovies”