When people talk about smoked salmon, two different images may come to mind. Traditionally, cold smoked salmon has been associated with the East Coast, Europe, and Jewish Delis. The tradition of hot smoked salmon, on the other hand, can be traced back to the indigenous cultures of the Pacific Northwest, making this style the common and popular choice on the West Coast. Both products are widely sold throughout the country though, yet people often do not know the difference between the two.
Visual Identifiers: Cold Smoked
Cold smoked salmon, also known as "lox" or "nova lox," is silky and thinly sliced smoked salmon often paired with bagels and cream cheese. To identify in stores, cold smoked salmon is vacuum sealed in a flat package, resembling a cured deli meat item because of its thin slicing.
Visual Identifiers: Hot Smoked
Fully cooked and smoked, hot smoked salmon can be identified by its firm, flaky texture, with the skin at the bottom of the portion kept intact. In stores, hot smoked salmon is typically sold as a portion, skin-packed on a printed fiberboard.
Curing & Smoking Methods: Cold Smoked
There are a variety of methods when curing cold smoked salmon. Whole salmon fillets can be dry-cured using salt and other ingredients like sugar and preservatives, or they can be cured in a liquid brine using water and salt. At Echo Falls, we use a traditional recipe for our cold smoked salmon which involves dry curing using salt only for an authentic result, allowing the flavor of the salmon to shine through. After the cure is applied, fillets dry in a chilled room, allowing the salt to equilibrate. The cured fillets are then smoked with wood chips slowly at low temperatures not exceeding 85 degrees. It is after the smoking process that the fillets are skinned, trimmed, and thinly sliced.
Curing & Smoking Methods: Hot Smoked
Unlike cold smoked salmon, hot smoked salmon is rarely dry-cured. When we process, salmon fillets are pre-portioned and then cured in a liquid brine consisting of water, salt, and often brown sugar. Other sweeteners such as honey and maple are also sometimes used. Hot smoked salmon allows for creative seasoning, which is why you'll find a range of flavored hot-smoked items at Echo Falls, such as Cajun spice, cracked pepper, or bourbon seasonings. For the highest quality results, these spices are added after the cure, and before the smoking process. After the salmon has been cured and dried, they are smoked over wood chips reaching an internal temperature of 150 degrees for roughly 20 minutes. Echo Falls utilizes a variety of wood sources for smoking, such as apple wood or oak wood.
At Echo Falls, most of our cold smoked salmon processing takes place at our Monroe, WA smokehouse, while our Renton, WA smokehouse specializes in hot smoked salmon. Watch the video below for a behind-the-scenes look:
Serving Cold Smoked Salmon
The most famous way to eat cold smoked salmon is the iconic lox and bagel pairing. The subtle smoke flavor and silky texture of cold smoked salmon make it excellent for serving on a bagel, paired with soft, spreadable cheeses and goes well with capers, onions, or a variety of popular bagel toppings. If serving for appetizers, you can swap out the bagel for some crackers, and you have the perfect bite-size party-pleasers.
Cold smoked salmon is versatile, and as a ready-to-eat product, is an ideal way to add to entree dishes such as Caesar salads, pasta, avocado toast, or omelets.
Serving Hot Smoked Salmon
Hot smoked salmon is an ideal choice for charcuterie boards- simply skin the portion, and slice into finger-width slices so guests can pair it with crackers, breads, and cheeses. Hot smoked salmon is also a popular choice for salmon spreads and dips. Key ingredients can include cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, lemon, pepper, and capers.
We have a menu of options for serving both hot and cold smoked salmon! If you're looking to get ideas, head to our recipe page and find one that inspires you to host your next party!
Explore More Ways to Serve Smoked Salmon
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