Brine for Smoked Salmon

Very unique recipe! Takes a bit of time to prepare the brine but it was worth it. I'm glad I halved the recipe...it makes A LOT! I smoked two salmon filets and one halibut filet. Both came out juicy and flaky. Yum!

Most excellent! I have brined salmon and smoked it before but this recipe gives such a complex range of flavors that it is unbeatable. I loved it. I did half the recipe and there was still PLENTY. Also left out the sugars and the orannge. I dont really like a lot of sweet on my food. Just me. I highly recommend this one. Thanks for sharing it!

Incredible...does take some time and I halved the recipe and still had plenty (1 very large salmon)..comments were all VERY positive...I also used the leftover brine in the smoker water pan! I will definately use this one again-thanks.

Two Christmas's ago, I wanted to prepare some smoked salmon fillets, for picking at, during our family get-together. I prepared the recipe as per the instructions. I them smoked in my smoker using alder chips. Everyone commented on how there was no "fishy" flavor at all. Near the edges where the filets are the thinnest, the meat was a bit salty; however that is to be expected. I will be making this again, for sure!

I didn't like the way this brine washed out the color of the sockeye. The brine was beautiful - looked like we should be drinking it instead of putting our fresh salmon into it. We tasted salmon that had just been marinated in a simple salt and sugar brine and liked it much more than this.

This brine was awesome. I pretty much followed the original recipe, take or give an orange or two. I also had 4.5lbs of salmon and it was just the right amount, so I imagine you can cut it in half for about 2.5lbs and fewer. Some said they changed it so that it wouldn't be that sweet. I didn't find it that sweet at all even with all of the sugar. I imagine you could come some of the white out. I put the fish in the brine for about 11 hours, took out the fish, and let filets sit in the fridge over night. I soaked cedar planks for 30 minutes in the brine. I smoked the fish for about 3-4 hours at 175F using a mixture of apple and hickory. It was amazing. Thanks for this recipe.

This added a light citrus flavor to our smoked salmon. I used fresh grapefruit in place of the lemon and lime. I added fresh rosemary and fresh parsley from our garden. Due to time restraints, we left our salmon in the brine for 8 hours, this seemed to be plenty of time for added citrus flavor. I especially loved no fishy smell or taste.

I live in the Pacific Northwest, and I smoke a LOT of fresh caught fish. This is one of the best recipes ever. The ingredients exactly mirror my barbecue salmon recipe. I just never thought to brine that way. Thanks! I made two batches. For the second batch I cut down the salt by half, and added a half cup of Safeway's brand of Teriyaki Marinade, and added some Chinese chili paste. I smoked both filets using fresh cherry limbs, apple wood, and cedar. The best fish anyone has ever tasted! Both excellent. Both unique. You can taste the citrus flavors right off the grill, but the longer it sits in the refrigerator the better smoked salmon flavor it gets! (brine it for a full 36 hours if you can.)

Very good - mad half like the others did and it was plenty for a 10 pound salmon. Marinated for about 22 hours. The crab and shrimp seasoning (I used Old Bay) was an interesting twist and gives it a great unique flavor. Thanks!!

This was a great brine to which I also added soy sauce. The salmon was so full of flavor and was totally enjoyed at our gathering yesterday. I've noticed that smoked salmon gets even more flavorful after a couple of days in the fridge, so that's where the other piece is sitting waiting to be enjoyed. Thank you so much!

This is one of my favorite ways to smoke salmon the only thing I couldnt find was the dry crab and shrimp mix.I smoked it in a bullet smokerwith an apple wood,again a must have,you can use some of the left over brine in the water bowl of your smoker instead of water,not sure if it really makes a difference but it sure smells good.

This recipe for salmon was the BEST salmon I have EVER HAD! It had the right amount of spicey and sweet! You all should definately try this one!

Amazing. Really, really good.

I've tried many different brines over the years and some were good and some totally ruined my salmon. this recipe is truly one that I will be making over and over presuming that I have 4 days to make it. I did not use the crab and shrimp seasoning mix but otherwise followed the recipe to the letter then cold smoked it at 95 degrees for 16 hours it came out better than any other store bought smoked salmon I've ever bought including some that I had flown in from Europe. everyone including my fishmonger raved about it.

Doubled this recipe as I had lots of salmon to smoke. I used 1 gallon of apple juice. I also used a glaze that I used by melting equal parts of butter & brown sugar that I put on the fish the last 1 hour of smoking. It was delicious!

yum yum

I cut the salt in half and cut the recipe in half for a single Salmon filet. I left the Salmon in the brine mixture for 20 hours then left to dry for another 2 hours before smoking using Apple wood chips. The Salmon came out with a hint of citrus and a just a slight overtone of the Old Bay seasoning. If I do this again I think I will omit the Old Bay as it doesn't compliment the Salmon in my palate. YMMV.

I scaled the recipe down to 6 from 24 in the servings area and still had plenty of Brine for the approx. 2 lbs of salmon I prepared. I went a bit heavy on the lime and lemon because I was not playing attention to the recipe, but it came out great. Also, for ease of cleanup I marinated the salmon using a large freezer bag instead of a large bowl or pot. I marinaded the salmon for about 16 hours then put it on the smoker using the marinade in the smoker's water dish like another member noted and used some Wine Aged Oak wood chips. I took the salmon to a birthday party and got rave reviews, even from the people who usually "know a better way"! I loved it myself and couldn't be happier.

Ooh -La -Lah! I was very pleased with this brine. The delicate citrus and fresh thyme (my addition) flavors were apparent even with the heavy smoky flavor. I halved the recipe and still had enough for 4 medium salmon fillets. I loved the suggestion of using the brine in the water pan of the smoker! Besides adding fresh thyme, I skipped the hot sauce and added a halved jalapeno. This is a real winner!!!

Came out excellent the brine did take a while to prep but was well worth it. Great flavor

This is a wonderful recipe! Tried it this weekend and I would not change a thing!!

This was the best smoked turkey I have ever had.

Everyone loved it!! Made exactly as instructed!!

Superb! I made as the recipe calls, I will try making with 1/2 the kosher salt next time though as I and my guests felt it was slightly too salty for our palates. Still worth 5 stars!

Great flavor!! Anyone who can't take a little extrat time to make this fantastic brine is truly missing out!! Thanks for the recipe!

i have used this now to smoke quite a few trout. and this is so nice and simple and the fish always turn out great. i added a little lemon juice and onion and garlick powder. also...anyone who shouldn't eat nitrates (which are in commercial brine mixes) this would work for chicken, turkey, venison etc...and you could add additional spices for different meats.

mild, light sweetness added to the meat. yum! tastes better than the smell of the brine would suggest.

Made this with fresh Great Lakes King salmon (caught on me rod). Has NO!!! flavor despite all of the ingredients, was very disappointed. Soaked for 12 hrs, maybe longer would have helped but doubt it. Maybe less water would have helped, but followed recipe for the first time. I was very disappointed.

Best I have tried. Not too salty!

Exellent! Not too salty or sweet like others. The citrus is a wonderful addition to the flavors.

reading all of the reviews and incorporating some of the suggestions helped a lot. It made the perfect brine! Probably could be modified to make an awesome marinade for grilling, too - I plan to try it with chicken for starters. Best-smoked-salmon-ever!!! Thank you for the recipe!

Just noticed I haven't rated this. Have been using this for years. I get nothing but compliments on this recipe and always get asked: "When are you making it again?"

Wow! First time smoking fresh salmon, and this was heaven on earth! Our smoker was cooking too quickly, but still came out great. The sugars caramelized, and the citrus added such great flavor. More salmon to come, but a new smoker first. I live near the Oregon coast, so am discovering lots of great local traditions. This is worth the time and fuss.

Excellent I added a little Teriyaki in place of some water. Then glazed it with a brown sugar, Syrup and garlic sauce.

This is a nice recipe, but allot of prep time, so be prepared to spend some time getting this ready.

I made this and followed the directions to a T. Then I pan seared the salmon and finished it off in the oven. Delicious!

i have made this three times so far. excellent with a fruitwood smoke. added a brushing of maple syrup and dijon mustard and a sprinle of grill-mates smokehouse maple seaoning 3 hours into the 4 hour drying time.

We used this recipe on a Coho Salmon and Lake Trout. My husband was skeptical at first but after we smoked the fish, he told me at least 3-4 times, "Save that recipe!" Its a very good recipe.

OMG...everyone loved it.....just a little less salt next time.

No I used the recipe as is, and have made it many times...the best I've ever had.

Brined for 48 hours. Patted dry. Smoked at 190 - 200 for 90 minutes. Internal temp of salmon at 150. Wonderful texture and flavor. Used on salad and as appetizers.

Fantastic! I stuck to the base recipe for the brine but changed the amount of citrus based on what I had in the fridge. Also I added about three tablespoons of Old Bay and some sprigs of fresh rosemary. When it came time to smoke, I stuffed the fish with some of the seasonings. This was so good, I did it again with chicken thighs. YUM!

I thought there were a ton of frills added with this recipe. I was actually happy with brown sugar and kosher salt 50/50 in a 13x9 pan as a brine. Crab boil seasonings added a clashing flavor. I also brush mine with honey after they are all smoked. That seemed better. Still good though.

One of the best brines I have very run in to. I have done a lot of smoked fish and this is one of the good ones.

The brine was fabulous. Been doing this for a while. This brine has soon much flavor.

Extremely good. Half the recipe unless you are smoking a whale. . The salmon ended up a bit salty. You might consider cutting the salt in half as well. Loved it. So did my buddy. I’ll make this again and again (with the modifications ). I smoked it with Cherry. Delightful!

I skipped the dry crab/shrimp and halved the recipe. I used steelhead instead of salmon. I smoked at 150 for an hour and 180 two more hours. My guests loved it. Amazing color, texture and flavors.

For those saying it washed out the color, make sure your salt is NOT ionized, I used canning salt and did not experience this problem. Was adequate for 4.5 pounds. We canned after smoking. Smoked with alder. Would not change a thing!

This is the best brine I have tried! My largest complaint of brines is that the salmon is too salty. I use large King Fillets, pretty fatty, brined for 20 hours, and smoked for 4.5 hours, 2 hours at 150 and then 2.5 hours at 180 with cherry wood ships. It is fantastic!

I've been using this recipe for years for Christmas. It always turns out great with any kind of smoke. It taste great in a salmon dip as well

I did salmon for 6 hours in this took out and did a basic brine with brown sugar over night . I smoked for 4 to 5 hours at 100 to 120 with apple juice in pan below using cherry wood. I cant tell you how many people are coming to me with their salmon

This is a perfect recipe. I have used it for about 2 years now. I figured it's about time I rate it. I have used this on boneless skinless chicken breasts also. Matches a smoke flavor from a local smoke shop near me. People can't taste the difference. Thanks for the recipe!

Spectacular. Quite a tasty twist on traditional smoked salmon. I quartered and juiced the fruits, throwing in the entire quarter once juiced. Aside from that, I followed the recipe exactly and have no regrets. Brined for 18 hrs, smoked for 5 hours but kept thicker pieces in the smoker another hour. Just a wonderful, unique flavor.

I have made this several times and it has always worked out perfectly. I don't always have the exact ingredients on hand but you can definitely play around with this and it will still come out very nice.

It's yummy!

This recipe exceeded my expectations! I used Old Bay Seasoning instead of the dry crab and shrimp seasoning mix. And Sriracha instead of hot pepper sauce. The flavor of the brine was delicious. I have made this recipe 3 times to share our Alaska salmon with our friends.

Great 24 hr soaking brine for my wild Alaska coho salmon, which I smoked with hickory!

Great citrus flavor that really comes thru. I add cracked pepper and red pepper flakes prior to smoking at 160* until the fillets hit 140* internal. A big hit!

I have used this brine twice now and it is excellent. Both times I brined the salmon for about 20 hours. The last time I made it I actually strained the brine and used it in the smoker water pan with a little water added. With the internal temp of the smoker not exceeding 175, I smoked the salmon with hickory chips until it reached an internal temp of 160. (total time of about 2.5hrs) Salmon was very moist and flavorful. I will use the recipe again.

Made the recipe as listed except for crab seasoning. Followed all the instructions. I agree with 1 reviewer who said it washed out the color of the fish. After smoking for a few hours I was looking forward to a great taste but it was the most saltiest smoked salmon I had ever tasted.

I have made this recipe 4 times now. Things to consider when making this brine. Fridge space. I use a low profile, 3 gallon rubbermade container that fits on the bottom shelf. Unless you have an actors fridge, you may need to rethink the 5 gallon bucket. When you go to dry your fish after the brine, grab a couple of cheap desk fans and use them to help the process along. I love the flavors in the recipe! I do anywhere from 4 to 10 pounds at time with it.

I didn't use the fish spice but it is great

Made as per recepie...after smoking it had a weird taste hot out of the smoker but after it cooled in the fridge it was soo amazing! I would make it again and again!!!

This brine makes smoked salmon taste amazing!!!

I am getting rave reviews for my smoked salmon, after doing this recipe for the first time. Also my first attempt at smoking salmon. Even my wife who is not fussy about salmon loves this smoked version. A+

Came out great! My wife and I loved it!

First time smoking fish and I will definitely do this one again. I used 4-5 lb rainbows, filleted.

I’ve used this Brine before on Salmon and it was fantastic! I caught some nice size Bass and though why not. It was absolutely amazing!! Put a little lemon and butter on top and you have a delicacy.

I was a little skeptical that this brine would be better than a simple salt rub which I feel is often best for fresh fish. But this was pretty amazing. I made about half the recipe and brined a three pound wild caught sockeye salmon for 36 hours in it, then smoked for three hours over apple chips to about 140 degree internal temperature. It was amazing, and will be for days to come. The fish wasn’t overpowered with the marinade but definitely added interesting flavor and the fish was super moist. Highly recommend. With the recipe halved and with the whole fish, it just barely fit in a standard Rubbermaid casserole dish.