Gravlax, Lox, and Maple Smoked Salmon Recipe—No Cane Sugar

This year’s big adventure took me dip netting the Kenai river with friends. With kind instruction and camaraderie at Uncle Tom’s Cabin, seven of us caught, cleaned, filleted and freezer packed 41 beautiful reds. Sockeye. The best fish ever.

For my non-Alaskan friends, or any Alaskan who wants to see the funny scene, watch the video. Some stand with nets held out on long poles… hoping… some walk the “conga line”… some swim… Both beaches are crowded when the fishies are swimming—especially on weekends.

It sure is fun.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=64&v=Ajfkmabc0uw&fbclid=IwAR07hl0ttj9y-IHUKCoHdF7apgOgQmKtLlBB4jWflZOOd9v8lrnU4dDBxhk

Everyone has their own smoked salmon method and recipe. Share your favorite below! I smoked mine in two steps.

Step One: Brine cure your fish. This is important! Most fish carry unwanted critters; even sushi grade fish is frozen at least 10 days to kill those critters. Some people include sugar in their brine; I don’t: 1. Because cane sugar is inflammatory (even organic turbinado or brown sugar); 2. Because I’m already sweet enough 😊; and 3. Because the maple syrup baste during the smoking step adds just the right amount of sweetness and has many health benefits—ask any Vermonter.

At the end of the brine cure, you have gravlax (or lox if you are from New York). I always thought making gravlax was a Swedish secret. Not any longer; and sooooo simple.

Step Two: If you haven’t consumed it all as lox… fire up your smoker. My Traeger has a “smoke” setting which I noticed hovered around 140^o F. Smoking is an art, not a science. About the only “rule” is keep your heat low and slow and baste your fish often; at least every hour and every 30 minutes is better.

Makes 2-4 filets, I left the skin on.

Brine Ingredients

3-4 cups filtered water
⅓ cup sea salt or kosher salt (not iodized—leaves a funny flavor)
½ teaspoon ground peppercorns
1 teaspoon dry dill
1 tablespoon dried orange peel or orange zest

Maple Glaze Ingredients

½ cup maple syrup
1 Tablespoon dried orange peel or orange zest
½ teaspoon ground peppercorns

Optional if you don’t have a smoker

10 drops liquid smoke

Preparation

1. Mix the brine ingredients together in a storage bowl.
2. Place the salmon filets in the bowl making sure they are covered with brine.
3. Cover the bowl and place in the refrigerator for 12-36 hours—longer is better, especially for very thick pieces, to make sure your gravlax is fully cured. I’ve been warned not to go longer than 48 hours to avoid making the filets too salty. I usually leave them for a day.
4. Turn the filets every 12 hours so they brine evenly.
5. After their brining time, remove from the refrigerator and dispose of the brine. Pat the fish dry; do not rinse them. They are now cured.
6. Super-secret step, from my friends well versed in smoking: Set the fillets on a rack to cool, skin side down, 2 to 4 hours. Set them outside in a cool, breezy place (60°F or cooler) or use your fridge (up to overnight). You want the surface of the fish to develop a shiny skin called a pellicle. My “pro smoker” friends say drying your cured, brined fish in a cool, breezy place is vital to properly smoking it. The pellicle, which is a thin, lacquer-like layer on top of the fish, seals it and offers a sticky surface for the smoke to adhere to. Don’t worry, the salt in the brine will protect your fish from spoilage. OK—I did this.
7. Ready for smoking? Rub some olive oil on the skin side so it won’t stick, then glaze the non-skin side of the filets using a basting brush.
8. Preheat your smoker to about 140^oF. I’m not actually certain it needs to preheat, but that’s what I did.
9. Place the glazed filets skin-side down on your smoker grill. Glaze them again.
10. Let them smoke slow and low for 3-4 hours depending on filet thickness. You can insert a meat thermometer to check; should reach an internal temperature of 135-140^oF. The key to amazing and moist smoked fish is to make sure the heat stays low and glaze them every 30-60 minutes.
11. How to know if the heat is too high? You’ll see a white extrusion on the surface of the fish. All is not lost as you can still use the fish in salads and etc., it will be a tad dry to eat as smoked fish.
12. Let your fish cool, then place them in ziplocks or vacuum seal for longer storage. They keep well for 3 weeks in the fridge or up to a year in the freezer.

Don’t own a smoker? Try this:

1. Follow all steps up to preheating your smoker.
2. Add liquid smoke to your glaze.
3. Place the glazed filets skin-side down on a baking dish.
4. Preheat your oven to 140^oF (or as close as you can).
5. Glaze every 30-60 minutes.
6. Bake slow and low for 3-4 hours depending on filet thickness. You can insert a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature is 135-140^oF

Smoking fish is very simple and produces an extraordinary delicacy for the cost of the fillets. Store bought lox, gravlax, and the ultimate in smoked salmon is expensive, too salty in my opinion, and all the added sugar spoils salmon’s health benefits. Try my maple syrup glaze instead. Very tasty. Amazing on cucumbers with mustard sauce and capers, or in a salad, or take for a snack on a hike.

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