Smoked Salmon

BD!!! Just found a couple of frozen smoked salmon at Pacifico! So happy, frozen solid too, not like the other we talked about.

There is only one left so if you've a hankering for some REALLLLLLY good smoked salmon, go get the last one of Big Daddy's at Pacifico.

Big Daddy's is pretty good. However, I smoke my own with alder chips from OR. I use Alaska Salmon from BC purchased from the Ajijic Meat Center.

We will have a new batch at the wine tasting at Paz beside Super Lake on Saturday and at the Monday Market in the Hole In One.

We will be reloading Pacifico on Friday also.

Thanks,

Big Daddy

Hey BD, is there a place where you always vend smoked salmon or is it a once in a while thing or, or, or? I risked life and limb going to Super Lake yesterday por nada and I have a need (if you know what I mean).

RoofBob wrote:Hey BD, is there a place where you always vend smoked salmon or is it a once in a while thing or, or, or? I risked life and limb going to Super Lake yesterday por nada and I have a need (if you know what I mean).

There are 6 packs at El Torito and 1 at Pacifico.

El Torito also has some of our smoked Marlin too

We are smoking some more next week for Christmas.

Good Luck,

Big Daddy

I believe you guys are referring to farm raised salmon whether of Chilean or Alaskan origin. Corrrect me if I am wrong and you are serving smoked wild salman but do no even think of lying, Regardless, Dawg is leaving for Chiapas so please do not expect me to be purchasing your salmon until April at the earliest.

Speaking of wild salmon. I need to make some lox, well actually a friend is going to do it, however since I'd like wild salmon, where is the best place to get two large halves?

Thanks.

In our experience fresh salmon is required to make lox. The frozen stuff just doesn't work, it's flakes open after thawing and the salt get in the flesh. At this time of year there is no fresh wild salmon to be had. You might find fresh farm-raised at Costco or Sam's Club.

hound dog wrote:I believe you guys are referring to farm raised salmon whether of Chilean or Alaskan origin. Corrrect me if I am wrong and you are serving smoked wild salman but do no even think of lying, Regardless, Dawg is leaving for Chiapas so please do not expect me to be purchasing your salmon until April at the earliest.

Salmon farming is illegal in Alaska.

David wrote:In our experience fresh salmon is required to make lox. The frozen stuff just doesn't work, it's flakes open after thawing and the salt get in the flesh. At this time of year there is no fresh wild salmon to be had. You might find fresh farm-raised at Costco or Sam's Club.

How about farm raised at Pescaderia Pacifico? I need it for monday or tuesday.

David wrote:

hound dog wrote:I believe you guys are referring to farm raised salmon whether of Chilean or Alaskan origin. Corrrect me if I am wrong and you are serving smoked wild salman but do no even think of lying, Regardless, Dawg is leaving for Chiapas so please do not expect me to be purchasing your salmon until April at the earliest.

Salmon farming is illegal in Alaska.

Total Bullshit. Salmon born and raised in Alaskan hatcheries are farmed salmon. Dawg was raised in Alabama on the Gulf of Mexico but that does not mean I don´t know a flounder from a salmon even if I occasionally personally flounder.

Check it out. There are no salmon farms anywhere on the west coast of the USA. Hatcheries are not salmon farms. Obviously you know nothing about salmon or fish farming. Farmed fish are raised in pens until they're adult. Hatchery fish are released at a VERY young age. Chile and Norway are the big fish farmers. I won't touch their product.

E-raq wrote:

David wrote:In our experience fresh salmon is required to make lox. The frozen stuff just doesn't work, it's flakes open after thawing and the salt get in the flesh. At this time of year there is no fresh wild salmon to be had. You might find fresh farm-raised at Costco or Sam's Club.

How about farm raised at Pescaderia Pacifico? I need it for monday or tuesday.

It will be frozen. Good luck.

David wrote:

E-raq wrote:

David wrote:In our experience fresh salmon is required to make lox. The frozen stuff just doesn't work, it's flakes open after thawing and the salt get in the flesh. At this time of year there is no fresh wild salmon to be had. You might find fresh farm-raised at Costco or Sam's Club.

How about farm raised at Pescaderia Pacifico? I need it for monday or tuesday.

It will be frozen. Good luck.

Will have to consult with the lox maker. She does one every year for us, and has never mentioned that it had to be fresh.

Just saying fresh works better for us. You are talking about gravlox, i.e. salt-cured lox, correct? Smoking a frozen fish presents no problems.

David wrote:Just saying fresh works better for us. You are talking about gravlox, i.e. salt-cured lox, correct? Smoking a frozen fish presents no problems.

Well she has refused to ever give me the recipe, but yes amongst other things she does use salt. Fleur de sel actually.

The "other things" influence the flavor, the salt does the curing. It's important to use pure (non-iodized) salt. Sea salt or kosher salt is best.

David wrote:The "other things" influence the flavor, the salt does the curing. It's important to use pure (non-iodized) salt. Sea salt or kosher salt is best.

Fleur de sel is the best sea salt. I use Flor de sal from Colima. It's the first salt removed and is slightly wet, and powerfully strong.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleur_de_sel

I like pretty much everything about David's comments on this board (especially his Prof. Irwin Corey), except your belief that any salmon that's not fresh-caught or is farm-raised, is something to stay away from. This came up before. I've cooked both, and the only charge I got of fresh, over farmed/frozen, was from the mosquitoes around the campfire.

HelperGuy wrote:I like pretty much everything about David's comments on this board, except your belief that any salmon that's not fresh-caught or is farm-raised, is something to stay away from. This came up before. I've cooked both, and the only charge I got of fresh, over farmed/frozen, was from the mosquitoes around the campfire.

Ever tried making Lox HelperGuy?

I use rum, brown sugar, and salt to cure my salmon before it goes over the smoke. The longer the rum-soak (or bourbon or whisky), the sweeter and more candy-like the salmon. We can barely leave it alone. (Anyone who's tried my Harvey Burger ingredients can trust me when I say this is that good.)

It appears that lox is not smoked. I can definitely say that mine can be enjoyed unsmoked, but it's SOOO much better after the fire. Perhaps wouldn't be the same on a Montreal or N.Y. bagel.

So is this thin stuff we buy in packages around here simply cured, and not smoked?

HelperGuy wrote:I use rum, brown sugar, and salt to cure my salmon before it goes over the smoke. The longer the rum-soak (or bourbon or whisky), the sweeter and more candy-like the salmon. We can barely leave it alone. (Anyone who's tried my Harvey Burger ingredients can trust me when I say this is that good.)

It appears that lox is not smoked. I can definitely say that mine can be enjoyed unsmoked, but it's SOOO much better after the fire. Perhaps wouldn't be the same on a Montreal or N.Y. bagel.

So is this thin stuff we buy in packages around here simply cured, and not smoked?

I think it's just cured, because of the texture, but don't know for sure. Maybe somebody else does.

HelperGuy wrote:I like pretty much everything about David's comments on this board (especially his Prof. Irwin Corey), except your belief that any salmon that's not fresh-caught or is farm-raised, is something to stay away from. This came up before. I've cooked both, and the only charge I got of fresh, over farmed/frozen, was from the mosquitoes around the campfire.

I have no problem eating frozen wild salmon. Frozen salmon loses it's firmness when thawed and IMHO is inferior when making lox, although it's fine for smoking. Having lived the majority of my life in a region where wild fish of several varieties were available in their seasons I appreciate the richness and variety of flavor they deliver. Farm-raised atlantic salmon are a poor, nearly flavorless product. Again IMHO. YMMV.

Interesting. I knew a young farmer in Canada who had dinner with us once; brought the corn-on-the-cob to dinner with him. Said he would NEVER eat corn that was more than six minutes old.......

Helper Guy:

Just the fact that farm raised has to have color added should tell you something. I have often wondered if they were also adding flavor at the same time. Wild salmon and even natural stock of lake raised trout have natural color from what they feed on and cold water. I tend to agree with David after having read what farm raised fish of any kind are fed. For example, I have seen farm raised trout in Mexico and also line caught trout out of Lake Zirahuen and you can have the farm raised.