Hot Smoked Salmon:

Hot smoked salmon is salt-cured, then slathered with ingredients such as sugar, molasses, spices, herbs, citrus, soy sauce and garlic. Then it’s exposed to the smoke from hard woods such as oak or beech, with temperatures typically ranging between 65-70°C. This gently cooks the salmon through, resulting in a moist texture and a distinct smokiness throughout. The length of smoking time can vary but typically it takes a few hours, depending on the oiliness, size of the salmon etc. Hot smoked salmon has a firm, flaky texture; the heat helps to caramelise the exterior of the fish which adds a further depth of flavour. Hot smoked salmon is versatile and it can be used as-is, flaked into salads, sandwiches, dips, quiches, omelettes or scrambled eggs, or used as a centrepiece for accompaniments like mayo, pickles and cream cheese with breads; it can also be cooked into hot dishes like risotto or pasta.

Cold Smoked Salmon:

Cold smoked salmon starts with a dry salt cure to draw out excess moisture and help with preservation; different smokehouses will have a slightly different timeline for this. Next the fish is rinsed, then exposed to smoke at much lower temperatures than hot smoked –  usually below 29° – imparting a delicate smoky flavour while preserving the silky, delicate, raw texture of the flesh. Flavourings like various syrups and herbs are applied during the smoking process too. Because it’s quite salty and you tend to eat less cold smoked than hot smoked in a sitting, the flavour can come off as more nuanced but this isn’t necessarily the case. Cold smoking takes way longer than hot smoking, often lasting for days. You don’t really want to cook with cold smoked salmon as heat destroys that melting texture and fresh flavour; rather, use it in salads, sandwiches, sushi, for canapés and in cold appetisers.

Lazy Sunday Club partners with Aoraki Salmon. When it’s time to go salmon shopping, please show them some love. For stockists click here, for salmon recipes and more click here.