How to Smoke Salmon Recipe [+Video]

Smoked salmon is a delicious and versatile dish that can be enjoyed as a snack, appetizer, or part of a main course. Learn how to smoke salmon at home with our easy-to-follow recipe and video tutorial below.

We start this recipe with a dry brine that loads the salmon fillets with flavor and prepares them to soak in all the smoky flavor. This is a hot-smoked salmon recipe made on a wood pellet smoker.

We have covered all our bases when it comes to salmon here on the blog. We have air fryer salmon, grilled salmon, baked salmon, salmon in a salad, salmon bowls and stuffed salmon. We have been working on a smoked salmon recipe for years, and we have finally nailed it!

Ingredients for Smoked Salmon

Aside from the salmon filets, you’ll need just a few ingredients for the dry brine rub and then a few ingredients for the seasoning mix you rub all over it before smoking it. Here is what you will need:

Dry Brine

• Kosher Salt: adds flavor
• Brown Sugar: adds sweetness and flavor
• Black Pepper: adds flavor and tiny bit of heat

Smoked Salmon

• Salmon Filets: You can get smaller individual filets or get one big filet and then slice it into servings afterward
• Dijon Mustard: adds flavor
• Butter: adds rich flavor and helps keep the salmon moist
• Brown Sugar: adds a little sweetness and helps caramelize the outside of the salmon
• Dill: I almost always prefer fresh herbs for recipes, but for this one, I prefer dried dill.
• Smoked Paprika: adds more smoky flavor
• Salt and Black Pepper: adds flavor
• Maple Syrup: used to baste the fillets as they smoke

The measurements for each ingredient can be found in the recipe card at the end of the post.

What is the Best Salmon for Smoking?

I always look for farm-raised salmon when it comes to smoking. They tend to have a higher fat content which helps them stay tender and flaky through the smoking process. King salmon is my go-to. Coho or Atlantic salmon is my backup. You want to avoid really lean salmon like sockeye salmon.

Why Brine Salmon

This brining process will eliminate some of the moisture from the inside of the fish while simultaneously infusing it with salt, which will help preserve the salmon and its moisture and help create a pellicle (see section below).

What is a Pellicle?

Tender shrimp, crisp hot vegetables, and a whole lot of flavor come together to make this Shrimp Fried Rice in just 20 minutes.

Shrimp Fried Rice

The first time I made shrimp fried rice, it was an impulsive lunch to use up a bunch of leftover rice and vegetables that were lingering in the fridge. Shrimp is often my go-to protein source to keep on hand in the freezer, as it thaws pretty quickly and we all love it. So, adding it to that batch of fried rice was a given.

For this recipe, I add a dash or two of Sriracha for a bit of extra flavor without much heat. Feel free to add more, or serve with Sriracha on the side, if you are looking for some real heat in your meal.

The recipe is as versatile as can be. Don’t have shrimp? any leftover meat will work. Dice it small and add it in. Peas aren’t your thing? substitute your favorite vegetable. Make sure that if you are adding carrots or peppers, you cook them long enough to avoid crunchy vegetables in your rice.

Over the years, I’ve made fried rice in many different ways. If you love shrimp as much as we do, you’ll want to try this Kielbasa Shrimp Fried Rice soon too. This easy recipe is a “two thumbs up,” kid-approved, hearty-as-can-be skillet meal; perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner.

Chicken and Bacon Fried Rice has been established in our home as the best “unplanned and amazingly delicious” meal ever. Leftovers for the win once again.

Pulled pork, steak, and chicken come together in the fried rice skillet of every meat lover’s dreams. My guys went crazy over this dinner.

Cauliflower Fried Rice, Ham Fried Rice, and even a Read more

Al dente tiny pasta tossed with generous amounts of cooked shrimp, crunchy fresh vegetables, and a citrus-spiked creamy dressing all combine to make this shrimp pasta salad irresistible. It’s poised to become your new summer favorite!

Shrimp Pasta Salad

Shrimp and pasta go together like peas and carrots. They’re made for each other!

And this shrimp and pasta salad is a perfect example of that harmony. The creamy mayonnaise-based dressing has a pop of fresh lemon juice to complement the shrimp’s natural sweetness. The bell pepper, celery, and onion provide the textural variety and crunch every good pasta salad needs.

While we’re talking about the shrimp, this salad can use almost any variety and size of fully cooked shrimp. Because you’re chopping it into bite-sized pieces, it doesn’t matter whether you start with small, medium, or jumbo shrimp just so long as it’s cooked and chilled.

While you technically could use extra small or salad shrimp as well, I prefer not to. The texture and taste of the larger shrimp in this salad are much nicer. Extra small and salad shrimp tend to blend in, can sometimes be a bit tough, and often lack some of the flavor of the bigger sizes.

We do a lot of shrimp meals in our family. They’re quick cooking, convenient to keep on hand in the freezer, and fairly budget friendly!

Shrimp Quesadillas are a busy weeknight go-to because they come together so very quickly. Bacon Wrapped Shrimp Kabobs are another excellent summer meal option.

And shrimp doesn’t just have to be a dish at the party, it can be the party itself! Especially if we’re talking about a dish as special as Shrimp Boil!

Pasta Salad with Shrimp

To make shrimp pasta salad, you’ll need the following ing

Spicy, sweet, and slightly tangy glazed salmon with broccoli is one of my favorite ways to cook and serve fish. One delightfully simple sauce does double duty as marinade for the fish and flavor booster for the fresh broccoli.

Glazed Salmon

This keeper of a recipe makes adults and kids alike happy, even if some of the kids turn their noses up at the broccoli. They just don’t know what they’re missing!

This fuss free broiler method is ideal for busy weeknights when I don’t have a ton of time to get dinner on the table. And the glaze on the salmon helps balance the “fishy” taste that lots of folks find less than desirable.

I like that I can use the same sauce for both the fish and the vegetables here, keeping prep time and dishes minimal! Feel free to adjust the amount of red pepper flakes in the recipe based on your preferred level of spiciness.

This recipe is a hit with salmon lovers and skeptics alike!

Salmon Glaze

Baking salmon in the oven results in a deliciously tender filet packed with flavor. It truly doesn’t need to be more complicated than that for a great result!

This baked salmon recipe is as easy as mixing together a simple sauce, spooning it over a fresh filet and letting the whole thing cook in the broiler. In my sauce, I used olive oil, soy sauce, red pepper flakes and peach jam for a glaze that is equal parts sweet, savory and tangy with just the right amount of heat.

(You can use store bought peach jam in this recipe but if you happen to have Homemade Peach Jam on hand, it’ll work wonders in this recipe too!)

With flavorful salmon nestled on a bed of baby greens, fresh herbs, glass noodles, avocado, crunchy cabbage and carrots, pickled broccoli and a to-die-for chili lime dressing, this Asian Salmon Salad is a showstopper.

This is a salad to get very excited for – just ask my friends and family. I’ve been shouting about it for months, and I’m thrilled to be sharing it with you at last.

Asian Salmon Salad

Yes, I did just call this salad exciting and I truly mean it. I challenge you not to fall head-over-heels for this colorful salad with a riot of textures and flavors.

The dish starts with a bed of baby arugula and spring mix. It is then topped with toothsome noodles, shredded carrot, thinly sliced red cabbage, pickled broccoli stems, fistfuls of torn fresh basil, cilantro, and mint, and toasted sesame seeds and tossed with the most insanely vibrant Thai chili lime dressing and crowned with roasted marinated salmon.

This salad is no side dish. It is an unapologetically main-dish salad worthy of the distinction. I’m not going to lie; it takes a couple of steps and some advanced planning to make this salad because of various components that need to rest overnight, but it is so worth it.

My friend and I tackled making this incredible-looking salad during a girls’ weekend after falling in love with the idea of it while looking through my copy of Mandy’s Gourmet Salads. You do need to start this at least one day before you plan to eat it because of the marinating and cooling time for the pickles and salmon, but I promise you won’t regret it!