Smoked salmon
Smoked salmon is a preparation of salmon, typically a fillet that has been cured and hot or cold smoked.
Due to its moderately high price in some regions, smoked salmon is considered a delicacy. Although the term lox is sometimes applied to smoked salmon, they are different products.
Smoking is used to preserve salmon against microorganism spoilage. During the process of smoking salmon, the fish is cured and partially dehydrated, which impedes the activity of bacteria. The growth of bacteria, such as Clostridium botulinum, is inhibited by increased salt content from the curing process.
Smoked salmon was also a common dish in Greek and Roman culture throughout history, often being eaten at large gatherings and celebrations. During the Middle Ages, smoked salmon became part of people's diet and was consumed in soups and salads. The first smoking factory was from Poland in the 7th century A.D. The 19th century marked the rise of the American smoked salmon industry in the West Coast, processing Pacific salmon from Alaska and Oregon.
Nutrition
Salmon is a fish with high fat content and smoked salmon is a good source of omega-3 fatty acids including docosahexaenoic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid. Smoked salmon has a high sodium content due to the salt added during brining and curing. of smoked salmon contains approximately 660 mg of sodium, while an equivalent portion of fresh cooked salmon contains about 50 mg. Although high salt content prevents the growth of microorganisms in smoked salmon by limiting water activity, the American Heart Association recommends limiting sodium consumption.Smoked foods, including smoked salmon also contain nitrates and nitrites which are by-products of the smoking process. Nitrites and nitrates can be converted into nitrosamines, some of which are carcinogenic. Nitrosamine formation is temperature-dependent; nitrosamines are present at low levels in cold smoked salmon and higher levels in hot smoked salmon.
Salt replacement
Studies have been conducted in which some of the sodium chloride used in smoking salmon had been replaced by potassium chloride. The study found that up to one third of the sodium chloride can be replaced by potassium chloride without changing the sensory properties of the smoked salmon. Although potassium chloride has a bitter and metallic taste, the saltiness of the smoked salmon might have masked its undesirable flavor.| Nutrient | Quantity per portion | Percentage daily value |
| Energy | 120–140 kcals | |
| Energy from fat | 60 kcals | |
| Total fat | 6g | 9% |
| Saturated fat | 3g | 15% |
| Cholesterol | 40 mg | 13% |
| Sodium | 430 mg | 18% |
| Total Carbohydrates | 1g | 0% |
| Protein | 12g | 23% |
| Vitamin A | Trace | 2% |
| Vitamin C | Trace | 0% |
| Calcium | 11 mg | 0% |
| Iron | 0.85 mg | 3% |
| Sodium | 784 mg | |
| Potassium | 175 mg |
Production
In the Atlantic basin all smoked salmon comes from the Atlantic salmon, much of it farmed in Norway, Scotland, Ireland and the east coast of Canada. In the Pacific, a variety of salmon species may be used. Because fish farming is prohibited by state law, all of Alaska's salmon species are wild Pacific species. Pacific species of salmon include chinook, sockeye, coho, chum, and pink.Cold smoking
Most smoked salmon is cold smoked, typically at 37 °C. Cold smoking does not cook the fish, resulting in a delicate texture. Although some smoke houses go for a deliberately 'oaky' style with prolonged exposure to smoke from oak chips, industrial production favours less exposure to smoke and a blander style, using cheaper woods.Originally, prepared fish were upside hung in lines on racks, or tenters, within the kiln. Workers would climb up and straddle the racks while hanging the individual lines in ascending order. Small circular wood chip fires would be lit at floor level and allowed to smoke slowly throughout the night. The wood fire was damped with sawdust to create smoke; this was constantly tended as naked flames would cook the fish rather than smoke it. The required duration of smoking has always been gauged by a skilled or 'master smoker' who manually checks for optimum smoking conditions.
In Britain the smoking process has changed over the years and many contemporary smokehouses have left behind the traditional methods using brick kilns, in favour of commercial methods. Only a handful of traditional smokehouses remain such as John Ross Jr Ltd and the Stornoway Smokehouse in the Outer Hebrides. The oldest smokehouse in Scotland is the Old Salmon Fish House built on the banks of the River Ugie in 1585, although not at first for smoking. The oldest smokehouse in England is the 1760 Old Smokehouse in Raglan Street, Lowestoft. Smoked salmon was also brought into London's East End by Jewish immigrants from Russia and Poland in the late 19th century. They smoked salmon as a way to preserve it as refrigeration was very basic. In the early years, they were not aware that there was a salmon native to the UK so they imported Baltic salmon in barrels of salt water. However, having discovered the wild Scottish salmon coming down to the fish market at Billingsgate each summer, they started smoking these fish instead. The oldest salmon smoker in the world, H.Forman & Son, is based in East London and dates back to 1905 remaining within the same family. Their "London Cure Smoked Salmon" became the first ever London-based food to be awarded "Protected Geographical Indication" status
Indigenous peoples in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska have a cold smoking style that is unique, resulting in a dried, "jerky-style" smoked salmon. In the Pacific Northwest this style of salmon has been used for centuries as a primary source of food for numerous indigenous people. Traditionally smoked salmon has been a staple of north-western American tribes and Canadian First Nations people. To preserve it indefinitely, the fish is now typically pressure-cooked.
Hot smoking
Commonly used for both salmon and trout, hot smoking 'cooks' the salmon making it less moist, and firmer, with a less delicate taste. It may be eaten like cold smoked salmon, or mixed with salads or pasta. It is essential to brine the salmon sufficiently and dry the skin enough to form a pellicle prior to smoking. Without a sufficient pellicle, albumin will ooze out of the fish as it cooks, resulting in an unsightly presentation.Brining salmon
There are three main curing methods that are typically used to cure salmon prior to smoking.- Wet brining: Brining in a solution containing water, salt, sugar, spices, with sodium nitrite for a number of hours or days.
- Dry curing: This method is a method often used in Europe, in which salmon fillets are covered with a mix of salt, sugar, and sometimes other spices. Dry curing tends to be faster than wet brining, as the salt tends to draw out moisture from the fish during the curing process and less drying time is needed in the smokehouse.
- Injection: This is the least typical method as it damages the delicate flesh of salmon. This is the fastest method of all as it injects the curing solution — hence allowing a faster cure throughout the flesh.
Curing
Indian hard smoked salmon is first kippered with salt, sugar and spices and then smoked until hard and jerky-like. See cured salmon. The Scandinavian dish gravlax is cured, but is not smoked.Packaging
Canning
In British Columbia, canning salmon can be traced back to Alexander Loggie in 1870 who established the first recorded commercial cannery on the Fraser River. Canning soon became the preferred method of preserving salmon in BC growing from three canneries in 1876 to more than ninety by the turn of the century. Sockeye and Pink Salmon make up the majority of canned salmon, with the traditional product containing skin and bones – important sources of calcium and nutrients.The enzymes of fish operate at an optimum temperature of about 5 °C, the temperature of the water from which they came. Bacteriologically sterile, fish still have a large number of bacteria in their slimy surface and digestive tracts. These bacteria multiply rapidly once the fish dies and start to attack the tissues. The growth of microorganism can greatly affect the quality of the salmon.
The salmon is first dressed and washed, then cut into pieces and filled in cans in saline. The cans must then undergo a double steaming process in a vacuum-sealed environment. The steam is pressurized at 121.1 °C for 90 minutes to kill any bacteria. After heating, the cans are cooled under running water, dried and stored in a controlled environment between 10 and 15.5 °C. Before leaving the canneries, they are examined to ensure both the can integrity and safety of the fish.
The Canadian Food and Inspection Agency is responsible for policies, labeling requirements, permitted additives, and inspections for all fish products. All establishments which process fish for export or inter-provincial trade must be registered federally and implement a Quality Management Program plan.