Smoked Salmon - Splendid Gift from the Sea
Sherry Shantel
While the waters of the Atlantic have been devastatingly over fished today for Salmon to be placed onto countless million dinner tables each year, the waters of Alaska are still very well populated with fish due to the fact of the guidelines fishermen have to follow in Alaska. In the nineteenth century almost all commercial Salmon were pulled from the Atlantic. Being canned in New England to be eagerly shipped off to California in the 1840s, and by the middle of the 1860's the tasty delights were actually being produced in California and then carried off to the east!
Over 70% of Salmon fished today are not even fished, they are farmed. Although Alaska is an exception to this. Alaskan Salmon are not pinned what so ever, they are all free living in the Pacific Ocean up until the time of their return to their birth place in the rivers of Alaska.
Alaskans highly praise the value of the Salmons orange-red flesh and thought that any form of disrespect shown to these fish would cause Sea Gods to take the salmon away.
Without the salmon not only the people and animals would suffer, but the land as well. When salmon return from the sea they bring back nitrogen so that the trees and plants thrive, benefitting the herbivores also. The best way to honor this salmon gift from the gods is to take only what is needed and use all that is taken. So it was vital to develop a way to store the salmon caught during their breeding runs back up their natal rivers. That is where Alaskan Smoked Salmon comes in.
There are many combinations of smoking to choose from when smoking Alaskan Salmon. Things which are considered in the smoking process are the temperatures, and the type of cure to be used. Cold smoking gives a lighter smoked taste, but offer more of the natural flavor of the Salmon, while hot smoking produces a much more smokier taste.
Different woods give different flavors. The best smokers will blend different species to give just the right result. Alder wood gives one taste, apple another, and cedar a third. The length of time the fish is smoked affects the flavor, as does the cure before smoking. Wet cure means the meat is soaked in a brine solution that contains salt, pepper, sugar and spices. Veteran smokers often keep their precise recipe a secret. Dry cure, a combination of sea salt, sugar and aromatic herbs or fruit, is more commonly used to produce cured but not smoked fish.
The species of the salmon also plays a vital role in the out come of flavoring. There are five different varieties of salmon to choose from in Alaska, and each one offers a strikingly unique flavor compared to one another.
Today, people can find salmon on their local grocery store shelves, but this variety is typically farm raised and cold smoked. For any connoisseur, however, Alaskan Smoked Salmon is the best bet. The taste of Alaskan Salmon is comparable to fine wine when its properly smoked and cured correctly.
The author moves to presenting various kinds of salmon gift such as http://www.smokedsalmondelivered.com/smoked-salmon-caviar.html Alaskan Smoked Salmon Caviar. For more mild-flavor, try a different recipe. When it is time to order, try: http://www.smokedsalmondelivered.com/ Smoked Salmon Gift Sets.
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