The Best Smoked Salmon ever! Brace yourself for the easiest, freshest, tender-est, and most flavorful smoked salmon fillet. And I’m not talking about lox, we’re talking fresh salmon, cooked on a smoker, and slowly smoked to perfection.
We’ve got our secrets to great tender salmon, along with a full smoked salmon recipe and video.
Salmon is one of my favorite things to cook on the smoker or grill. But too often salmon gets a bad rap for being too dry when cooked outdoors. Granted this can be so true! I’ve had my fair share of overcooked salmon. Eek! This, my friend, is not that!
And there’s no secret dry rub or sauce to this salmon.
Nope.
Just some Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper.
There’s a good reason that this is one of the top requests we get for Ember & Vine catering events. And, like clockwork, we always get guests asking what the secret is to our salmon.
The answer? Using good quality salmon, and not overcooking it.
That’s it! And you’ll experience the juiciest salmon you’ve ever had.
Types of Salmon
With salmon there are several styles to choose from:
- Farm Raised – This is salmon raised in a farm or open water pen, often you’ll find that the fat content is much higher and they will be bigger. It’s because they arguably don’t need to work as hard. So they slowly hang out in these large water pens. These are great for smoking as the fat content is very forgiving and makes for very tender and juicy salmon. Look for Columbia River King or Atlantic salmon most commonly.
- Wild/Line Caught – From the wild, this is salmon that has been swimming in natural habitat. When you watch the videos of salmon swimming up stream you can see quickly why these are much leaner than their farmed cousins. These are great for grilling hot and fast, but can also be smoked. If you smoke a wild caught, just know it won’t have as much fat and will cook much faster. We prefer wild salmon for a number of reasons, the biggest is the flavor. Look for Columbia River King (otherwise known as Chinook), Coho, Copper River, Sockeye, and others.
- Either way it should be fresh — Smell it and check the eyes if buying a whole fish. It should not smell fishy, and the eyes should be relatively clear. An overly fishy smell or eyes that are glazed and frosted are indications of a not so fresh piece of fish.
How to Prepare Smoked Salmon
- When buying your salmon fillet, ask the fish monger to take the pin bones out. These run along the upper portion of the fillet and off the spine. These can be removed using tweezers yourself if the butcher or fish monger is unable to do it for you, but trust me, ask them to do it for you.
- Trim off the belly, we find a natural line that contours the fish. This allows us to cook that separately as a snack. The belly has some cartilage and membrane that is easier to remove and then cook with the salmon.
- On the skin side, be sure to use a knife against the scales, scraping it (not cutting it) to de-scale it. A lot of times this too is already done.
- Rinse under cold water briefly and pat dry. Then you can season and smoke it. For this recipe we’re keeping it simple with just salt and pepper. You can also season it with our seafood seasoning if you want a bolder flavor profile.
How to Smoke Salmon
- Start by prepping your smoker to 225 degrees (F) using a fruit wood (we like cherry or apple for salmon).
- Place your salmon on the smoker until it hits your desired internal temperature. For tender salmon we cook it to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. You’ll see the salmon sweating out the fat, and you’ll see a nice red color start to form on the crust of the salmon. Check temperature at thickest part with a probe and you can also poke and pull apart the flaky salmon and make sure that the interior is pink and not translucent.
- This should take roughly one hour, depending on the exact size and thickness of your salmon.
Pro Tip: Start checking temperature early. The smaller the fillet, or if using wild caught, start checking the internal temperature as early as 30 minutes.
The key to tender juicy salmon is cooking it at a low heat and paying close attention to the internal temperature using a good quality digital thermometer.
What temperature should salmon be cooked to?
- Salmon should be cooked to 140 degrees (F), and not a degree more (except if you’re the person taking the temp of this salmon, we’re just making sure you’re paying attention!). 😉
- Carry over cooking will take the internal temperature of the salmon to 145 degrees.
And that is our secret to our salmon. Take great care to avoid overcooking the salmon.
Also consider using an entire fillet. Good salmon will go quickly with a crowd and frankly having a multiple pound salmon fillet on your smoker is an awesome conversation piece. Even if you’re cooking for a small family, there are excellent uses for any leftovers (see the end of this post for a few ideas!).
How long to Smoke Salmon?
This will vary depending on exact size of salmon and exact temperature of the smoker. For a 1 – 1 ½ pound salmon we plan on roughly one hour. Always cook to temperature, not exact time.
Catering trick: Prior to smoking if you want to portion out the filet, run a sharp knife lengthwise along the salmon filet taking care to not cut through the skin. Then make small cuts horizontally. Then season and cook. When it is done, you can have your servings pulled right off.
It’s so easy a kid can do it 😉
Or at least our kids do (see video).
Do I need to Brine Smoked Salmon?
Absolutely not. If you start with fresh good quality salmon and don’t overcook it, you will have incredibly flavorful and tender results. No need to brine for flavor or added moisture. If you want to brine, keep it simple with kosher salt, water, and brown sugar. But it is not necessary.
Wine Pairing
Hands down Pinot Noir is the most popular pairing for Salmon. Pinot Noir, especially from Oregon, has a lovely silky texture, with bright red fruit characteristics (cherry, strawberry and raspberry), often displaying earthy and spiced notes, with mild tannins. These characteristics are a fantastic match for the uniquely sweet flavors of Salmon and its silky textures. Pinot is not an over the top wine, nor is salmon an over the top protein (so long it’s prepared simply).
Plus they also say what grows together goes together. Pacific NW Salmon + Oregon Pinot Noir. You betcha!
Of course, there are dozens and dozens of wines that pair well with salmon but Pinot is a classic for a reason.
What to do with leftover Smoked Salmon
Recipe for Easy Smoked Salmon
Easy and Tender Smoked Salmon Fillet
Ingredients
- 1 -1.5 lbs salmon fillet, pin bones removed we used Copper River Salmon
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Preheat smoker to 225 degrees using fruit wood (like cherry or apple).
- Prep and clean salmon, and pat dry.
- Season flesh side of salmon with the Dijon mustard, salt and pepper.
- Place on smoker and cook until the internal temperature of the salmon reaches 140 degrees (F). If you don’t have a thermometer you can pull back the flesh and make sure the inner portion is pink and not translucent.
- Remove from smoker and let sit for 10 minutes. Slice up and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
*This post contains affiliate links, which means should you click and purchase some of the items mentioned, we receive a small commission. This allows us to keep putting awesome content out there and we only partner with brands we love and use.
**This post was originally published in July, 2017, and updated in October 2019 with new photos.
Laura J Swafford says
This recipe is a keeper, 5 plus stars. I also used this recipe on Steelhead trout. OMG It was so good and not dried out. Thank you for the recipe.
Terry Boyle says
Excellent recipe. Wouldn’t cook any other way. Yummy.
Heatherv says
Hi! Trying this ASAP. What do you serve this with usually?!
Sean Martin says
For sides with the salmon here are some of our favorites. You can search for these recipes on the blog.
• Roasted Potatoes – these are easy but elegant. We have a duck fat version on the blog as well if you want to splurge but getting duck fat is not always easy.
• Grilled Mashed Sweet Potatoes – These are sweet and savory.
• Cold Lentil Salad – We add smoked sausage for some savor flavor, but it’s a nice cold salad if looking for a fun dish.
If looking for greens we love our charred and grilled Caesar salad. We also have a fun beet salad where we use wine to re-constitute dried cranberries. – Sean
Janet says
Absolutely delicious–light smoky flavor and perfectly cooked fish. Don’t leave off the Dijon, as it definitely added an important note. I’m not likely to cook salmon on the grill again–the result from this method is worth the trouble of setting up the smoker.
John says
Took around 2 hours for the 2.8 lb Atlantic Salmon filet we got from Aldi, but it was amazing!
Steve says
Smoking salmon without brining and drying is a waste of time. You have to give it time to form a pelicle or the smoke won’t adhere to the fish.
Sean Martin says
Having cooked this dish at hundreds of professional events like Feast Portland, and IPNC, your comment is an incorrect statement. A pellicle is not required nor is brining for smoking salmon, smoke bonds to multiple surface types. And by using the Dijon mustard we create our own version of a pellicle. Brined smoked salmon is good, but it is not required.
Jerrod Coleman Sr. says
Great ideas definitely ready to get the smoking. Thanks guys
Andy says
How do you think doing Mahi Mahi this way would turn out?
Sean Martin says
We have smoked Mahi Mahi and I would think this method is great. You may want to just stick with a simple seasoning since the fish is so rich in flavor.
Andy says
Thanks Sean. I will be using this recipe later today and using a 2.87 pound farm raised Atlantic salmon as the star in a Mother’s Day supper I’m preparing for Mom. I’ve followed y’alls recipes before so I know it will be OUTSTANDING!
Edward Fousek says
Amazing. Best salmon I’ve ever made.
Seasoned with salt,lemon pepper, chili pepper, then mixed a liquid chili and garlic salt with some brown sugar and basted on filets then cooked.
Sean Martin says
Love the baste idea!!!! Thanks so much for sharing your experience.
Dave says
You don’t mention anything about a water pan. Should I use one?
Sean Martin says
Dave, we don’t tend to use on, either on our Big Green Egg or our MAK Pellet Grill. If you have a cooker that runs dry, feel free to use one.
stevie says
do you use charcoal when smoking the salmon or just the wood pellets???
Sean Martin says
you can use either. Depends on what type of cooker you are using.
If a pellet grill – then you would only use pellets, we love fruit based pellets.
If a charcoal style grill (say a Weber kettle or Big Green Egg) – use lump charcoal with wood chunks.
Hope that helps!
Mark A Boyd says
I used maple wood pellets for this recipe and it turned out amazing. Coated my fillet with a nice smoothe honey mustard, salt and pepper. Then added 2 dabs of pesto butter and topped that with 2 lemon slices. Then a sprig of rosemary from our garden and OMG! Tender and tasty. Beautiful color as well. However I did smoke it for 1 hour at 145-50° and it still turned out perfectly. I will use this same recipe again and again.
Sean Martin says
Love it! Those flavors sound amazing!
Nicole says
I just made this on the smoker. Wow. Delicious! Thank you!
Brynn Herrin says
I’d never tried smoking my own salmon before and honestly thought I’d never be able to! Then I looked at the back of my freezer and found a leftover salmon fillet from my recent box order (I go to these guys if anyone is looking for the hook up! https://lummiislandwild.com/). Turns out, I CAN smoke my own salmon! Thank you so much, Mary!
Jessica says
Can you tell me about the lemons and the green… perhaps parsley? It isn’t mentioned anywhere in the recipe, was the lemon also smoked? It really looks very appetizing.
Sean Martin says
Jessica, yes that is parsley as a garnish and then the lemons are sliced in half and grilled over direct heat. This sweetens them slightly.
Teri says
This recipe turned out perfect. We do not eat salt , so I used a no salt blend. Perfection!
Clark Johnson says
Looks great and an easy smoke. Sure this question has been asked many time but I can’t find an answer. Does smoking salmon and/or other fish affect things you smoke after? Thanks
Sean Martin says
Clark, no. We don’t find any residual smoke or fish flavor lingering. First we try to buy the freshest fish possible, and second, the heat on a grill or smoker get so hot that it burns off residue over each cook.
Les C. from woodland ca. says
Please give cedar plank some love,would enjoy your take on this and wine pairings,after all pac. nor. west.Love your family!
Mary says
Thank you and we love cedar plank and use a lot of it!!! Also great for veggies!!
Pech says
That looks so delicious!!! And I love that you included even some ways to use leftovers in new ways! I really love the shots of how flakey tender yet moist the fish is
Mary says
Thanks! This really does produce a very moist fish. Nothing dry about it. Though sometimes (like tonight in fact) we’ll smoke a salmon fillet just to make that salmon dip in the leftover suggestion list 😉