“Cold smoked” and “hot smoked” refer to the temperature at which our sockeye salmon has been smoked. After being brined, both types of smoked salmon are smoked over a mix of aromatic hardwoods. Cold smoked salmon is smoked at temperatures no higher than 85F, while our hot smoked salmon is smoked at 180F.
These temperatures effectively preserve the fish, while giving each type of sockeye its distinctive texture and flavor.
Differences in Texture and Flavor
Cold smoked salmon is generally the type of salmon that comes to mind when you hear the words “smoked salmon.” It’s tacky to the touch with a velvety consistency. Salty and briny, it brings an intense burst of flavor to everything from your favorite breakfast dishes to cocktail party appetizers. Cold smoked salmon is ready to eat as is, or it can be integrated into cooked dishes. If cooked or heated up sufficiently, it firms up and becomes a paler, less translucent red.
The texture of hot smoked salmon is somewhere between a cooked fillet and salmon jerky. It’s tender and meaty, but with a drier and firmer mouthfeel. Hot smoked salmon is ready to eat straight out of the bag… and balanced enough in flavor that you might literally find yourself eating it straight out of the bag. However, it’s versatile enough that you’ll want to integrate it into proper meals, light bites, and everything in between. Use it anywhere you are looking to add a burst of instant, umami-rich protein.
Both cold smoked and hot smoked salmon are brined in a blend of salt and brown sugar, which aid in the preservation process. However, you might notice that there are no added sugars listed on the nutritional label, and neither the cold smoked nor hot smoked salmon will taste sweet. This is because the salt-sugar brine is rinsed off before the salmon is smoked and packaged.
Our Suggestions for How to Use Each
Cold smoked salmon comes in 8-ounce packages that contain 18 to 22 slices of smoked fish. It can be used anywhere you want a salty, intense morsel of flavor that is unmistakably smoked salmon: layered onto eggs benedict, mixed into dips, or rolled up into faux sushi rolls. Or try enjoying it on arepas with a slice of ripe avocado, dicing some into a frittata, or pairing it up with goat cheese on homemade seafood pizza.
Hot smoked salmon comes in 8-ounce packages that contain 8 to 10 slices of smoked fish. It pairs especially well with something creamy: on a bagel slathered with cream cheese, flaked into chowder or pasta. Also consider enjoying hot smoked salmon in dishes where you’d usually add in flaked cooked salmon, like salads or rice bowls. Keep in mind that you’ll need to use less of it than cook salmon, as smoked salmon is more concentrated in flavor and seasoning.
