salting kokanee salmon

[Sean Gadhar]

So the Kokanee are running and I hope to go snagging Saturday. Anyone ever salted salmon? I was thinking about giving it a try.

 

[Black Hand]

I've home-cured salmon using a mixture of salt, sugar, dill and fresh-cracked pepper. Makes a product similar to the cured salmon found on bagels.

 

[BillinOregon]

Salmon? In Colorado? We catch kokanee in our mountain lakes and smoke those babies -- but not after they are in spawning colors.

 

[LaBonte]

Bill - yep there are kokanee here - surprised me when I saw them in Idaho and then later here in Colorado - there's big run every year in SW Colorado over at Navajo Lake - tried doing the gigging thing here on year but just too many folk out there....
Me I just smoke the suckers with a bit of soaking in a brine first. IMO too much "processing" ruins the flavor

 

[Sean Gadhar]

Thanks everyone, I was thinking more salted like cod. With A room temp. storage stable product .

 

[Brokennock]

Sean. Google search "eat like a predator" (fastest way to find the site I'm trying to direct you too) bounce around his blog/site and somewhere there you will find a great gravlox recepi. I'll try to post a more direct route when I can sit down at a desk top p.c.

 

[BillinOregon]

Chuck, Sean, and you do end up with a palatable product? Folks here in Oregon are pretty picky about kokes once they have begun to show a bit of color and the scales begin to slip. Maybe I am misunderstanding; I was thinking folks out your way were gigging bright red spawners, but perhaps I am mistaken.
Kokanee have become very popular game fish in Oregon and Washington in recent years, not only for their superior flesh but also for their incredible fight when hooked.

 

[Sean Gadhar]

Sorry about the light reflecting in the 2nd photo. I had cleaned them by the time I saw it & it was too late to retake.

 

[BillinOregon]

Sean, that answers my question.

 

[Sean Gadhar]

Sean, that answers my question.

Yea, not sushi grade. More somewhere between farm raised and canned. That is why I'm willing to risk it on trying salting :wink:

 

[Black Hand]

You should be able to pack it in salt (like pork of beef), but since it is an oily fish, I'm not certain whether you'll be able to dry it afterwards to keep at room temperature.

 

[Sean Gadhar]

I know I have seen salmon jerked. I would think salting or dehydrating or a combo of the two :idunno: But I hoped someone had done it so I could have a starting point.

Might start some in salt and some dehydrating and see what I get.

 

[Brokennock]

http://www.gnolls.org/1887/the-best-gravlax-recipe-on-the-internet/