Cold-smoked salmon from Andfjord Salmon

"Smoked salmon, or cold-smoked salmon, was something I had never tasted before I came to Norway. A fascinating dish, almost like sushi, that we also didn't have in Texas when I was growing up. So, we can kind of call smoked salmon the original Norwegian sushi," says American chef Angela Taliaferro. 

Did you know that Andfjord Salmon achieved a survival rate of 97.5 percent in its first production cycle? At Andøya in Vesterålen, Andfjord Salmon is developing the world's most sustainable and fish-friendly facility of its kind. Andfjord Salmon's patented flow-through system combines the best of sea and land-based salmon farming.   

It is this salmon that Texas native Angela Taliaferro uses in her recipe for smoked salmon.    
 

A three-day smoking process  

What's extra fun about cold-smoked salmon is that it can be made by anyone, no matter what grill you have or even if you don't have a grill at all, as long as you have a closed container. 

Day 1: 

Mix together the salt and brown sugar and dry salt the salmon. Place it either in plastic wrap with both sides well covered or in a sealed container. 

This process will suck the moisture out of the fish, resulting in much firmer fish meat. 

Day 2:  

Rinse off all the salt and sugar, place in ice cold water for 30 minutes, remove, and dry thoroughly. Then refrigerate the fish, preferably on a cooling rack, without covering the fish. Refrigerate the fish for 24 hours, optimally, or overnight.  

Day 3: 

Day three is smoking day! Fill with pellets or use a smoking gun and light it. We are using a maze with pellets inside. It's important that you have a thermometer in the smoker or in the grill to check that the temperature does not exceed 26.6 degrees Celsius. If you need to lower the temperature, place a bowl of ice cubes into the smoker along with the fish. 

How do you know when it's finished? It should be a little firmer in its consistency and the meat fibres should be a little more transparent. Wrap the fish tightly and refrigerate.