I have had this recipe for over 30 years. It is an eskimo recipe. I will elaborate best I can but I have never found a better recipe the fish is always flaky and not mushy and there is a good reason for it. You do not have to do all these steps but I will try to explain a few things that make it the best recipe of all.
First get a good crock. Then fill it with water half to 3/4 full. Then add rock salt and stir till rock salt turns liquid. You have to add rock salt until an egg will float on the top. After you acompolish that you add your favorite ingredients I use garlic juice, onion juice and a little lemon. I put the filets in the brine and weigh it down with a plate or something similar to keep it submerged for at least 24 hours. (I forgot to mention the best way to cut filets is freeze the fish then when it is half thawed out cut it with a serrated knife. Some have told me you can get samonella from smoking frozen fish and it will get mushy. WRONG if you follow these instructions. Eskimos catch Salmon and lay them on the bank or snow and they usually are frozen before they get home with them. Case in Point. OK the key to this is after 24 hours take the fish out and quickly rinse under water not too long do it quickly you do not want to soak the meat just wash the salt off quickly then lay them on towels or paper towels to dry. When the filets dry you will notice a shiny surface. This is what the Eskimos call Pellical. It is oil coming to the surface. While it is still sticky wipe the shiny surface lightly with a soft dish towel like a flour bag or cloth that will not leave lint. Then put the fillets on racks in the smoker. Try not to cook the fillets instead low heat and lots of smoke. Ideally have a fire pit in the ground and a foot or two away the smoker so the fish gets just smoke and very little heat. Smoke for a day or two and you will be eating the best smoked salmon you have ever tasted and you can flake it with your fingers. The key is wiping off the pellical after it comes out of the brine if you do not do that it will be mushy. Let me know how it turns out. Keep this thread alive. This is my first thread on this forum I posted this recipe many years ago on I-Fish when Jenny was a young beautiful Red Head.
