My First Salmon!!!!!!

[Ianinfrance]

I've just salted and smoked another couple of sides of salmon. Didn't have any oak dust left, so I used beech. What's been interesting has been the weight loss. One of the sides weighed 1885g and the other weighed 1855g. These are the losses
weight after salting fridge 36 hrs 8 hrs smoking "25°C"
1885 1768 = 6.6% 1717= 8.9% 1711= 9.2%
1855 1720 = 7.3% 1661= 10.4% 1654 = 10.8%

These figures are a lot lower than I've seen recommended on other threads. Is this likely to be a problem. Any ideas as to why two sides cured together and treated identically should have a significantly different weight loss. I'm hoping SWMBO will want to do a tasting this evening.

[onewheeler]

Those weight losses match mine nearly exactly. 9 - 10% weight loss overall seems typical. It might depend on the quality of the salmon - I usually use good organic farmed salmon.

Presumably the weight loss also varies with how it's been treated at the poissonerie (how old it is, how long on the counter, whether it's been on top or buried under ice...)

Mine tastes good (very good in my opinion!) and keeps well (up to about four weeks - it's eaten by then!).

Martin/

[Ianinfrance]

Thanks Martin,

Most reassuring. I bought fairly bog standard Norwegian farmed sides from the French equivalent of Makro, on special at a very reasonable price €8.90 or so a kilo.

I have no problems at all with the flavour of mine, in fact, it's way better than anything I can buy in the shops here. I was quite flattered in fact, because some people who chose us after a flattering article in the Times, ate with us and he said it was the best smoked salmon he'd ever eaten. So it's not just my tender "father's eye" that thinks well of it.

So I think I shall just have be less worried about the figures and enjoy the food.