Smoked Salmon Brine
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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.
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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.
My salmon has been brined for 8 hours and dried with a fan for 4 hours but doesn’t seem to have formed a pellicle. Why is that and what can I do about it.
Sometimes mine has a tacky, sticky feel to it and other times it is smooth, but I can see a slight sheen to it. If you followed the directions, you should be good Jim. Sorry for the late reply, how did it turn out?
Most other brining recipes say to rinse the fish after brining. Doesn’t look like you do that – is that right? Thank you
Correct Phillip. I simply remove the salmon from the brine and shake off any excess and dry on a rack to form the pellicle.
OK thanks
Wow! This salmon has fantastic flavor. I have tried to smoke salmon a couple of different ways and this is by far my favorite recipe.
Thank you Mike! I am so glad it turned out so well for you!
Can you save the brine for a week or two so you can do more?
I would make a new brine for each batch James.
Made this for my in laws on my Traeger Tailgate smoker and they couldn’t get enough! Recipe is easy to follow with ingredients that I had on hand and the salmon turns out amazing.
Thank you so much for sharing such a great recipe!
Thank you so much for sharing this! I am so glad everyone enjoyed it! Be sure to try some more recipes and let me know how they are! I love hearing!
Made this salmon. It was a little salty. I’m not sure I could not find lower sodium soy sauce if That was the reason for saltiness. Definitely a keeper recipe. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
I hope next time it’s not to salty! Thank you for sharing!
I’ve been experimenting with smoked salmon and this is hands down the best recipe I’ve tried. Pay attention to the information on pellicle and albumin and keep the glazing simple as therecipe advises. Great recipe, great advice.
I am so glad you enjoyed it! let me know what other recipes you try!
salmon brine recipe is magnificent
Thank you so much Tony!
This smoked salmon was absolutely fabulous. We have a compact electric Bradley 2 Rack smoker. We brined for eight hours then left it uncovered on a rack and cookie sheet in fridge overnight. Smoker would not go as low as 100F so we set it for the lowest setting which was around 175F- 180F for five hours. Absolutely divine, thank you!
Now you have me thinking of making a new batch this week end. Thanks Michele!
I’m going to make this recipe for smoked salmon starting tonight and smoke it tomorrow. My question. Is, Is 8 hours the max number of hours you can brine, I’m trying to figure out when I need to put the salmon in the brine for overnight so it is only in the brine for 8 hours. Will brining longer cause the salmon to be saltier? Also is it 4 exactly the amount of time to dry or can you dry it longer in the refrigerator if I don’t get home in time? Can hardly wait to see how it turns out. Thank you
Hi Susan,
I have brined my salmon for up to 24 hours in the past. How salty it gets depends on your brine mixture, but generally a longer brine means more salty flavor. In my experience, 24 hours wasn’t too salty. Other people prefer only brining for an hour or two.. It all comes down to personal preference.
Regarding drying the salmon to form a pellicle, it will form much faster in the open air than it will in the fridge. I have left mine in the fridge overnight to form a pellicle, for up to 8-9 hours. It turned out great! When I don’t have a lot of time, I will do my pellicle at room temp and it forms in as quickly as 1-2 hours, sometimes.
I guess what I’m trying to say is just go for it! Try different times, temps, brines, etc until you find the style you like! Don’t worry too much about exact numbers when it comes to smoking, there is usually plenty of wiggle-room.
Sorry for the late reply here as I just moved my home from San Diego up to the Portland area. Been a tad busy! How did it turn out? There’s always a little wiggle room here Susan. The longer the brine it may be a little more salty, longer dry is no problem. I’ve even left mine overnight.