Cold-Smoked Matcha Salmon
An elegant cold-smoked salmon featuring the distinctive green tea note of ceremonial matcha powder and white miso. The matcha imparts a subtle bitterness and a decorative jade-green tint to the salmon. Cedar wood smoke completes this Japanese-inspired recipe with a resinous, warm note.
Ingredients(for 1 kg)
Instructions
Preparing the Matcha Cure Paste
15 minutesCombine matcha powder, miso, salt, and sugar in a bowl. Add ginger and sanshō pepper. Stir in rice vinegar until a homogeneous paste forms. Remove pin bones from the salmon fillet and pat dry.
Curing
24 hoursApply the matcha-miso paste evenly and generously on the flesh side of the salmon fillet. The skin does not need to be covered. Wrap the salmon in plastic wrap and cure in the refrigerator at 2-4 °C for 24 hours.
Rinsing & Pellicle Formation
2-3 hoursGently rinse the salmon under cold water and remove the cure paste. Pat dry thoroughly with paper towels. Place on a wire rack at cool room temperature for 2-3 hours to dry. The surface will become slightly greenish and tacky.
Cold Smoking with Cedar
12-20 hoursFill the cold smoke generator with cedar chips and alder wood. Strictly keep the smoking temperature below 25 °C. Smoke the salmon for 12-20 hours. The cedar wood gives a characteristic resinous note that harmoniously complements the matcha umami.
Resting & Plating
12-24 hoursAllow the smoked salmon to rest uncovered in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours. Slice thinly before serving. Plate with wasabi crème fraîche, black sesame seeds, and nori strips. Consume within 7 days.
Pro Tip
Use ceremonial grade matcha (not culinary grade), as it has a cleaner, less bitter flavor and maintains the beautiful green color better. Do not substitute the miso with salt – it contains important enzymes that improve the texture.
Save this recipe to your smoking journal?
With Curination you can scale recipes, track projects, document by voice and browse over 1,269 recipes.