Smoked Salmon Candy

[adriaticum]

I do declare this batch to be a complete success.

- 1.5 L of cold water
- 4 cups of demerara sugar
- 3/4 cups of pickling salt.
- 500 ml of maple syrup (2 cups)
- 500 ml of honey (2 cups)

This amount of brine will handle between 15-20 pounds of fish. I did 4 sockeye this batch.

Stir the brine well to dissolve all sugar and salt.
Fillet the fish, skin it and take out the pin bones. Cut the fillets into 1 inch strips.
Put the fish strips in and mix to coat well. Press the whole thing with something to keep all the fish submerged.

Soak 1 inch strips in brine for 24 hours in the fridge. Sockeye or Chum preferred.
Dry on racks with circulated air for 24 hours at room temperature. Drying is very important. If dried well you can eat the fish right there. Smoking it just imparts smokey flavor to it.
Smoke for 3-4 hours, 2 - 3 batches of smoke.
This recipe is perfect because it's not too sweet for those who don't like it too sweet and it's not too salty for those with high blood pressure concerns.



http://www.huntingbc.ca/photos/data/500/20140825_102123.jpg

[buck nash]

Sounds awesome. That stuff is like crack for my wife. I'll have to try it out.

[Philcott]

With any luck I'll be trying that out by next week.

[randymac]

Looks great. I'm gonna give your recipe a try. Did you skin it first? any tricks to that?

[adriaticum]

Looks great. I'm gonna give your recipe a try. Did you skin it first? any tricks to that?

Yes, debone first (take the pin bones out) and then skin.
Tricks to skinning is a sharp fillet knife and a glove. The rest just flows and the more you do it the better you become.

[Ride Red]

Nice job, now I'm hungry.

[RugDoctor]

Thanks for the recipe! Gonna (hopefully) give it a try after this weekend too! Thanks again for sharing!

[coach]

Looks awesome! A friend texted me that same recipe last week. Your picture and the pile of sockeye we caught on the weekend have me inspired to start brining!

[Seeker]

mmmmmmmmm......!!!

[coach]

This better be good, Adriaticum.. I just skinned, stripped and brined 16 tail sections from our weekend sockeye haul. I'll report in two days from now with a full report.

Question - did you cold smoke or use heat?

[adriaticum]

This better be good, Adriaticum.. I just skinned, stripped and brined 16 tail sections from our weekend sockeye haul. I'll report in two days from now with a full report.

Question - did you cold smoke or use heat?

I hot smoked it, I have a Chief but if you have a cold smoker it should work as well.
Dry it well. I had it under a ceiling fan in the dining room for 24 hrs before smoking.

[MRP]

After reading that last night, I dreamed I was eating a sack of of it. When I woke up half my pillow was gone. :)

[Spirit's Master]

In the past I've been able to get the flavour I'm looking for but not the texture and translucent appearance of your batch. I think it's the technique and you seem to have nailed it.

Looks like I have some fish to smoke.

cwf

[adriaticum]

In the past I've been able to get the flavour I'm looking for but not the texture and translucent appearance of your batch. I think it's the technique and you seem to have nailed it.

Looks like I have some fish to smoke.

cwf

Drying is the key.
You have to let it dry minimum 24 hours with good air circulation.
The more you dry it, the more translucent it gets and the better it absorbs smoke flavor.

[ElliotMoose]

Looks unreal. Will definitely give this a go

[Getbent]

Leaving it in the brine in thin strips and then letting it dry and form the pellicle is key to the translucent look as Adriaticum says. The smoke flavoring can then adhere to the skin coating on the fish.

Loks good!

[BimmerBob]

Adriaticum is on the money with the drying and it also works better with a cold smoke rather than the hot smokers like Little/Big Chief and Bradley. I have seen it done in a home made wood smokehouse with a smoke stove pushing the smoke through a long chimney into the smokehouse. My buddy in Bella Coola did it that way for decades and his was the best I have seen or eaten (beautiful translucent candy).

[fuzzybiscuit]

Mmmmm....Indian Candy.

We're still allowed to call it that aren't we?

[Brez]

Had to change my shirt after seeing the pic - all drooly.
Also may have to make another quick trip to lml for socks.
Thanks for the recipe (and an excuse to go back).

[hunter fisher]

where do you guys get your pickling salt? pickling salt is regular salt, except non-iodized, correct? i tried thriftys and save on and neither of them said they carried it

[Rock Doctor]

Is there a rinse after the fish comes out if the brine, or is it straight to the drying racks?

[lip_ripper00]

Awesome recipe Alex, did some this week and turned out great. Looks good and tastes great kids have all ready eaten the 2 test fish. I will do more this week,

[adriaticum]

Is there a rinse after the fish comes out if the brine, or is it straight to the drying racks?

Do not wash. There is not enough salt there to make it necessary

[adriaticum]

where do you guys get your pickling salt? pickling salt is regular salt, except non-iodized, correct? i tried thriftys and save on and neither of them said they carried it

Sifto coarse salt. Look at the ingredients list. If its salt only it's good

[hunter fisher]

thanks, will let you know whether i fk it up or not!

[Rock Doctor]

Do not wash. There is not enough salt there to make it necessary

Ah damn, I debated with myself for an hour trying to decide. I believe almost every recipe I've ever seen like this one had a rinse, so that's what I did. Very, very quick rinse, then onto the drying racks. Hope it works out, I'll let you know.......

RD

[BlacktailStalker]

That looks goooood. Makes mine look like, pooh lol

[Rock Doctor]

Well, here is my attempt. 10hrs in the smoker at 110 deg, with cherry smoke for the first 4 hrs.

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o281/RockDocPhoto/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsb64f8f7c.jpg (http://s123.photobucket.com/user/RockDocPhoto/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsb64f8f7c.jpg.html)

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o281/RockDocPhoto/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsbc40a92a.jpg (http://s123.photobucket.com/user/RockDocPhoto/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zpsbc40a92a.jpg.html)

http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o281/RockDocPhoto/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps8c588e6c.jpg (http://s123.photobucket.com/user/RockDocPhoto/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps8c588e6c.jpg.html)

RD

[adriaticum]

Looks good Rock Doctor.

[Spirit's Master]

So far, so good.

http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/tt333/SpiritsMaster/20140901_143840_2.jpg (http://s625.photobucket.com/user/SpiritsMaster/media/20140901_143840_2.jpg.html)

cwf

Fail! Turned the heat up a bit and it ended up hot smoked and lost that rubbery tranluscence I was hoping for. We WILL try again. It is fabulous smoked salmon though.:)

[Philcott]

I tried this recipe too. I used about 2/3rds of a 22 lb chinook caught up in Port McNeill. Just to deal with my limitations on timing I had mine in the brine for about 36 hours and then laid it out on racks for another 36 hours. It got nicely translucent and I put two pans of smoke to it in my little chief. It's not quite as sweet as I'd like but it's still really good candy.

Will post a few pics this evening.

Thanks for the recipe.

[adriaticum]

So far, so good.

http://i625.photobucket.com/albums/tt333/SpiritsMaster/20140901_143840_2.jpg (http://s625.photobucket.com/user/SpiritsMaster/media/20140901_143840_2.jpg.html)

cwf

Fail! Turned the heat up a bit and it ended up hot smoked and lost that rubbery tranluscence I was hoping for. We WILL try again. It is fabulous smoked salmon though.:)


Looks like a good job to me.

[srupp]

Hmmm Ed Wilson in Bella Coola made this type of candy....sheesh was like $$$$$ but people bought it like it was crack..the stuff here lookes wicked awesome..
Srupp

[antileno]

I have been trying to figure out a good recipe all year I have tried dozens. This one is the winner! I made a small batch to try it out and had some buddies over to sample, didn't last 15 minutes. I did modify the drying/cooking times, I put it on rack and hit it with an oscillating fan on high for two hours then put in the smoker at 100 for 1 hour 130 for two hours then 150 for three hours and it turned out just right.

Thanks for sharing the recipe, this one is going in the book!

[Ambush]

I often dry the fish before putting it in the smoker by having a large fan blowing across for an hour. Removes the surface moisture. Sometimes I spritz the strips with a slurry of Worcestershire, soy and brown sugar. This time I just brushed on maple syrup after brining and little drying time. The most important thing is to never over heat the fish. That cooks it and spoils it IMO. You never get that slightly chewy texture if you over heat.

I have a batch of sockeye in now. This time I used some Kosher salt that I had. I did't check, but I hope that all the males were circumcised.

[adriaticum]

I often dry the fish before putting it in the smoker by having a large fan blowing across for an hour. Removes the surface moisture. Sometimes I spritz the strips with a slurry of Worcestershire, soy and brown sugar. This time I just brushed on maple syrup after brining and little drying time. The most important thing is to never over heat the fish. That cooks it and spoils it IMO. You never get that slightly chewy texture if you over heat.

I have a batch of sockeye in now. This time I used some Kosher salt that I had. I did't check, but I hope that all the males were circumcised.

Fully agree, drying is most important and not over cooking.

[North Arm Knives]

Looks awesome! Will definitely be trying this soon. I've never done the drying trick, sounds like the key!

[GoatGuy]

Tried it last week. Recipe worked out great. Dried it for 24 hrs with the fan on full bore. Fish is completely translucent. Good stuff. For candy it could be a bit sweeter. Coach said brushing with honey while smoking might help that.

[russm]

I've got a batch to go in tomorrow afternoon, I kind of combined this recipe and the one in the bradley recipe book, well see how she goes, anything will be better than the last batch I fell asleep and ruined though.

[mikethemilkman]

followed the recipe to a tee it was awesome!!! thx so much btw I agree with drying for 24hrs!!

[Steelie64]

I'll be using previously frozen fish, can I re-freeze after? I'd like to save some(if I can stop eating it!) for xmas/winter.

[adriaticum]

Yes you can. I have done it.

[Wentrot]

I'll be using previously frozen fish, can I re-freeze after? I'd like to save some(if I can stop eating it!) for xmas/winter.

Many men have tried, all fail.

[eaglesnester]

Thanks mucho grande for the recipe. Have been looking for this one for some time. Just bought a Louisiana Smoker, grill, with the cold smoker addition. Runs on hardwood pellets and is the cats meow for hot or cold smoke as well as barbeque.

[Poguebilt]

Just bringing this tread back to life.... just got all the supplies and hope to try it out soon ;)

[Lucky 7]

I'm going to have to try this on my days off

[t-rexer]

Just put a batch in the brine. I cant wait, we tried this last year and we just had to do it again.
Thanks for the recipe its a keeper

[lip_ripper00]

Awesome recipe Alex, did some this week and turned out great. Looks good and tastes great kids have all ready eaten the 2 test fish. I will do more this week,

hopefully l will get some fish this week, this recipe is awesome done right!