Smoked Fish Terms
A Brief Description of Smoked Seafood Terms:
Salmon
There are five species of Western salmon native to the Pacific ocean: Chum (also called Silverbright), Pink (Humpback), Sockeye (Red), King (Chinook), and Coho (Silver). Of these, Kings are the preferred fish to smoke due to their higher fat content and generally rich red color. The Atlantic salmon is the one salmon native to the Atlantic. Its high fat content and peachy color make it the most sought after of all the salmon species for smoking.
Brine
Prior to smoking, all salmon are brined with a cure of salt and sometimes sugars and spices. There are two common methods of brining.
The first method is “dry brining,” also referred to as Scottish style. It consists of using a mixture of salt and sometimes sugars, spices and other flavorings applied directly to the meat of the fish. Once the fish is dry brined for a period of time, the brine mixture is then rinsed off, and the fish is ready to be smoked. Brining times will vary depending upon the species and size of the fish.
The second type of brine is called “wet brine,” which is the method we use at Laszlo’s Gourmet Smoked Fish. Wet brined fish is placed in a specially prepared solution of water, sugars and spices prior to smoking.
Curing
A method of preserving meats and seafood which may involve brining, smoking, salting, and/or drying.
Hot-Smoked
This term refers to the smoking process when the internal core temperature of the seafood reaches 145 degrees F or above for a specific period of time. Seafood that is hot-smoked is generally flaky in texture and does not slice thinly. Most hot-smoked seafood has a burnished golden appearance when done. Hot-smoked can also be called “smoke roasted” or “kippered”.
Cold-Smoked
This is a process of smoking seafood in a smoker where the air temperature does not exceed 90 degrees F. Products that are cold-smoked have a similar texture of the raw product. During this process, the smoke is used to enhance the flavor of the fish rather than cook the product. Cold-smoked fish tend to slice thinly.
Hard-Smoked
This is a term used to reference products that have been heavily salted and smoked. There is very little moisture left in the fish, and it often does not require refrigeration like other smoked seafood. This smoked fish will resemble jerky.
Kippered
This term has two meanings. The first definition refers to any seafood that has been hot-smoked as previously described. The second use of the word “kippered” refers to a cold-smoked herring.
This usage of “kippered” is generally found in the U.K. Lox – The word Lox is a Yiddish translation of the German word “lachs” which means salmon. This term references a method of curing salmon. Traditionally, lox has a much higher salt level and it is not smoked. Lox can be either wet or dry brined.
Nova
This is a word used to describe a type of salmon that is cured with a milder brine than lox. Traditionally, Atlantic salmon from Nova Scotia were used for Nova, but today it can refer to an inferior brand of smoked salmon.
Packaging
Vacuum packaging (sometimes called “cryo-vaccing”) refers to a packaging process where the air is removed from a plastic pouch, and the pouch is then sealed. This is an ideal package to both display and freeze smoked product. Vacuum packaging helps extend the refrigerated shelf life of smoked seafood to approximately 3-4 months.
