A bagel slathered with cream cheese and draped with luxurious slices of smoked salmon is up there on the short list of reasons I’d actually be happy to venture out of bed on the weekends. Also on this list is Easter brunch — or as I’d like to call it, “Spring Thanksgiving,” which presents an opportunity to choose from a veritable cornucopia of smoked salmon-friendly dishes. It’s fun to think beyond bagels and to consider new ways where smoked salmon can become the star at your next gathering.
There are two types of smoked salmon: cold-smoked and hot-smoked. Both versions start as fresh salmon, often the sockeye or King salmon varieties. While the fillets are typically cured with a blend of salt and sugar, sometimes other ingredients such as maple syrup, herbs and spices are used to imbue the fish with additional flavors.
Curing salmon, a preserving practice that dates to before the advent of refrigeration, works by drawing moisture out of the fish. After the fillets have been cured and rinsed of excess salt, they are then smoked. While cold-smoking occurs at temperatures well under 100 degrees, making, technically, a raw preparation; hot-smoking takes place at temperatures high enough to cook the fish. In either case, wood is used to impart a smoky flavor to the salmon. In commercial processing plants, the finished product is usually vacuum-sealed, which further extends its shelf life.
It’s easy to tell between the two when you spot them in the refrigerated cases in the seafood section of your grocery store, or at your local fish market where smoked salmon is prepared in-house. Hot-smoked salmon looks and tastes more like traditionally cooked salmon, save for the flavor of smoke. Sold as whole fillets or in chunks, the fish’s exterior is often a dark reddish-brown, depending on the type of cure.