Reducing sodium in smoked Salmon

[JustChillin]

Tried my hand at smoking some Salmon yesterday. While it turned out pretty good I would like to  know if anyone has recommendations for reducing the sodium. I brined in overnight using 1part salt to 4 parts brown sugar. Rinsed it well before letting it rest to form the pellicle. Thinking of reducing the ratio to 1:8 (salt to sugar) and maybe cutting back on the curing time. Again any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

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[LarryD]

Tried my hand at smoking some Salmon yesterday. While it turned out pretty good I would like to  know if anyone has recommendations for reducing the sodium. I brined in overnight using 1part salt to 4 parts brown sugar. Rinsed it well before letting it rest to form the pellicle. Thinking of reducing the ratio to 1:8 (salt to sugar) and maybe cutting back on the curing time. Again any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I just did some salmon for new years and didn't brine it at all.  I rinsed it, lightly seasoned it, let it sit for a little bit, and smoked it.  It was yummy...

[JustChillin]

Thanks Larry! Maybe I will give that a try.

[prudentsmoker]

If you are doing it for health reasons you might find this article from Scientific American interesting
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/its-time-to-end-the-war-on-salt/

[SconnieQ]

I have also smoked salmon without brining/curing at all. Just a little seasoning and into the smoker. The texture and flavor are different that way, but still tasty. So I don't see any reason you couldn't try reducing the salt in the cure/brine and see how it turns out. You could also try soaking in plain water for an hour or so to pull out some salt. It would probably have an effect on pellicle formation though.

Great article by the way. Many people are not aware of all of the bad studies from the 1970s that have been debunked. Cholesterol levels in food being dangerous is another one. Vitamin C preventing or curing colds. The list goes on...Everything in moderation as Julia used to say. Genetics will most likely determine your health more than anything.

[JustChillin]

Thanks guys. Good article and good suggestions. I primarily wanted to reduce the sodium for flavor. I think I will try less salt in the brine the next time. Will report the results.

[Rich B]

I found leaving the salmon brining overnight caused a way too salty fish.  try teh same 4-1 mix but 6 hours max, then rinsing well and drying to form the pellicle.  I have done that method a dozen times last year and comes out perfect.

[JustChillin]

Thanks Rich. That sounds good.

[SconnieQ]

I found leaving the salmon brining overnight caused a way too salty fish.  try teh same 4-1 mix but 6 hours max, then rinsing well and drying to form the pellicle.  I have done that method a dozen times last year and comes out perfect.

That's good advice.

[SuperDave]

Very important that you are using kosher salt and not good old table salt.  Fish brined with table salt is darn near inedible. 

[JustChillin]

Absolutely Dave! The only salt in our house is kosher.

[LarryD]

Very important that you are using kosher salt and not good old table salt.  Fish brined with table salt is darn near inedible.

I've been meaning to ask about that...  the only difference between kosher and regular salt is the chunk size and the iodine, as far as I can tell.  What about it actually makes a difference for the brining process?  Does the iodine make that big of a difference?

[SconnieQ]

Very important that you are using kosher salt and not good old table salt.  Fish brined with table salt is darn near inedible.

I've been meaning to ask about that...  the only difference between kosher and regular salt is the chunk size and the iodine, as far as I can tell.  What about it actually makes a difference for the brining process?  Does the iodine make that big of a difference?

From everything I've read, the iodine does not make a difference in the brine. Some people have said there is a difference in taste, but from studies that have been done, any taste difference is insignificant, and is more based on perception than reality. The main difference when it comes to salt is crystal size. Most brine recipes are based on Kosher salt, but you can use table salt if you want. It doesn't matter for a wet brine, but for dry brining, you should follow the recipe if it calls for Kosher salt. Kosher salt crystals will melt more slowly than table salt. The common equivalents for salt measurement are:
1 part fine sea or table salt = roughly 1 1/4 parts Morton’s kosher salt = roughly 1 3/4 parts Diamond Crystal kosher salt

[prudentsmoker]

From America's Test Kitchen "...as for the salt, the test kitchen prefers table salt. Kosher salt works fine, but the size of the grains varies between the two major brands, which can make recipe testing (and writing) more difficult".

[Tman]

I had the same issue... way too salty after brining overnight. I will try and cut back as suggested as well. Oh think I used regular salt instead of Kosher also..