How to choose the right smoked salmon?

On the eve of the holidays, you are already preparing your menus and smoked salmon will be on the program.
But do you know how to choose this luxury dish, which origin should be preferred?  should it be taken with or without salt?

How to choose it well?

1. What origin?
The quality of smoked salmon does not depend on its origin (Norway, Scotland, etc.) but more on its breeding conditions and the care taken in the various stages of fish processing .

2. What smoking?
Always choose the mention "  smoked over ...  ".
This statement guarantees that the product has been smoked by slow combustion of wood that comes from a single species (most often beech or oak).
The mention the reference "  smoked ”(alone) will reveal the vaporization of liquid smoke on the fish.

3. What salting?
There are two types of salting for salmon: the first can be done by injecting brine (liquid salting) and the second is manually with dry salt.

The 2nd option allows the salt to penetrate more slowly into the flesh, without excess and therefore gives a tastier taste to the salmon.

Check that the salt level does not exceed 3g per 100g.

4. What slicing?
Try to opt for the mention "  hand sliced  Which is smoother and less brutal than industrial machine slicing.
(This notation is not always mentioned).

5. The words "never frozen  "Or" do not freeze  "?
It indicates that the salmon has never been frozen: neither before nor after smoking. Unlike the mention "  do not freeze  ". It is important to pay attention to this mention if you want to buy your salmon in advance and freeze it.

6. The color of the salmon?
Salmon with brownish traces (remains of brown muscle) or with too thick white fibers (excess fat) should be avoided.
Always choose your salmon with a clear and homogeneous color.

7. Little extra:
It is preferable to favor labeled products . Indeed, these products require complete specifications: the Red Label and the AB logo are good quality guarantees.

These labels are certainly more expensive but what do they tell us?

The Red label: Slow growth of salmon at sea, no freezing, salting with dry salt, traditional smoking, and the fat content between 10 and 17%
The AB logo: the fish are found in environments with little exposure to the risk of pollution, fish feed is made from AB plants without GMOs. 


Smoked salmon recipe idea for holiday aperitifs:

2 salmon rillettes

Ingredients : for 4 people
1 slice of fresh skinless salmon
1 packet of smoked salmon
White cheese 0% or fresh square 0%
Lemon
Chive
Pepper (no need for salt)

Preperation:
Pan-fry the fresh salmon
In a blender: put the cooked salmon, smoked, cheese, chives, lemon and pepper.
You can serve them with wholemeal bread, salad leaves or even endives.
Easy and light recipe and… Bon Appétit :)