Over the years, there has been an increased demand for meat snacks. At the same time, the majority of individuals are looking for healthier yet savory meal options. Thus, food experts came up with a wide range of alternatives for red meat recipes. One of them was smoked salmon jerky. This salmon recipe is healthier since it is gluten-free and much lighter than most meals. Besides, you don’t compromise on the flavor when it comes to making smoked salmon jerky.
Recipe for smoked salmon Jerky
Before we look at the process of making smoked salmon jerky, here are a few things you should know.
- Ensure that your salmon is fatty.
- The preparation time should take you about 20 minutes.
- You would spend approximately five hours cooking.
- The curing time should take approximately 12 hours.
Ingredients of making smoked salmon jerky
Here is a list of things you would need to prepare smoked salmon jerky
- Strips of salmon; the quantity should be approximately four pounds
- A cup of kosher salt
- A cup of sugar (brown sugar)
- Half a cup of birch or maple syrup
Preparation Instructions
Step 1: Layer salmon strips with a mixture of sugar and salt
The first step would be to take the salt and brown sugar and mix them in a small bowl. Use the mixture to coat a lidded container on its bottom surface. Note that you should not sprinkle excess sugar and salt on the lidded container. Afterward, place the salmon strips on the lidded container in one layer. In case you have to put two layers of salmon on the lidded container, sprinkle the mixture of sugar and salt on top of the first layer of salmon. From there, you can place the extra salmon strips on top.
Step 2: Curing
The next step would be to use a tight-fitting lid to close the container with the salmon. Once you do this, let the salmon cure for at least twelve hours in the fridge. It would help if you toss and turn the container, just so that the curing works more effectively. Alternatively, place the container upside down after six hours to ensure each strip of salmon gets cured.
Step 3: Prepare the salmon strips for smoking
Pour ice-cold water into a big kitchen bowl. Once 12 hours are over, take out the tightly fitted container from the fridge. Then, please take out the salmon strips and immediately place them in the ice-cold water bowl. Doing this helps you remove excessive cure. Remove the salmon strips from the ice water as you dry them gently using paper towels. Place then on a rack over a baking sheet. Then leave them in the refrigerator overnight. However, if you don’t have enough time, you can place them in a cool place or the fridge for about an hour. The main objective of doing this is to ensure that the salmon becomes sticky to boost effective smoking.
Step 4: Smoke the salmon strips
Turn on the smoker. Experts advise setting an internal temperature of approximately 200F. Once you do this, smoke the salmon for not less than three hours. The time for this varies depending on how you want your salmon to taste. But always ensure it dries completely and is edible before removing it from the smoker. Some chefs can smoke salmon for up to five hours. For more tastiness, keep layering the salmon using maple syrup on the outer surface. Do this repeatedly at one hour or 30-minute intervals until the salmon is ready. You’d get amazed at the extra taste this will give your smoked salmon.
Step 5: Serve smoked salmon jerky at room temperature
After the smoked salmon is ready, please leave it to cool to room temperature before you can serve it. If you are only consuming a small portion of salmon jerky, place it in the fridge in sealed plastic bags. Then, you can consume them anytime you want. Despite the preparation process taking longer, you can store salmon jerky in the fridge for months. So, it would be best to prepare them in bulk just so that you can save on energy, time, and effort. Note that the preparation process rarely interferes with the nutritional composition of salmon.
Nutritional composition of salmon jerky
- Level of Calories – 251kcal
- Calcium levels -33mg
- Potassium quantity – 771mg
- Cholesterol levels – 83mg
- Protein quantity – 30g
- Amount of Iron – 1mg
- Saturated Fat levels – 10g while normal fat is 1g
- Quantity of Carbohydrates – 9g
- Vitamin A – 60IU
- Sodium quantity – 68mg
- Sugar quantity – 8g
The process of making salmon smoked jerky is pretty straightforward. Even though it takes a lot of time to prepare and cook this salmon recipe, the result is worth it. Smoked salmon jerky is rich in nutrients and can last you for months if stored properly. Thus, if you are looking for a healthy yet tasty meal plan, this salmon recipe is the way to go. Ultimately, ensure you follow all the required steps religiously when making smoked salmon jerky. Otherwise, the result will be different.
