Kippered Salmon (brined, smoked, then pressure canned fish) is a pantry staple in our house. It was in my house growing up; it was in my husband’s; and it has been in our small fishing community for generations.
Every household has their own recipe, their own nuisances, and in the end, their own flavor-packed jars of rich salmon deliciousness to enjoy year-round.
This recipe and the resulting jars with ‘Kip Red’ scratch across the lid in black sharpie, are a staple in our home. With each rich, creamy bite, bursting with flavor, the memories flood in about how the food got from the sea to our plates.
We talk about ‘that time’ we set a subsistence gill net for sockeye, ‘that time’ we limited out in the snagging hole, ‘that time’ the water was glass calm & ‘that time’ the bugs ate us alive.
We laugh about ‘that time’ Grandpa’s smoker caught fire, cringe at the tenacity of a rattling weight atop a pressure cooker, and grin about ‘that time’ we created an outdoor kitchen for canning.
In these moments, we are further reminded why we choose to live the lifestyle that we do.
The simple act of eating salmon dip in our home roots us to the land.
Our food tells stories. Does yours?
Kippered Sockeye Salmon
Equipment
- Smoker (Big Chief)
- Pressure Canner
- 10-12ea Pint or 20-24ea ½ Pint Glass Mason Jars, lids & bands
Ingredients
- 6 sockeye fillets – Kachemak Bay Size makes 10 pint jars
BRINE INGREDIENTS
- 7 qts Warm Water
- 3 c Salt
FEED-THE-FAMILY SALMON DIP
- 1 Pint Kippered Sockeye
- 1 Pint ‘Plain’ Canned Salmon
- 8 oz Cream Cheese
- 8 oz Mayonaise
- 2 tsp dill
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp all-purpose seasoning blend salt-free
- 1/3 c Onion – minced optional
SAVORY KIPPERED SALMON DIP
- 1 Pint Kippered Sockeye
- 8 oz Cream Cheese
- 1 tsp dill
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp all-purpose seasoning blend salt-free
- 1/3 c Bell Pepper – minced red, orange, yellow (optional)
- 1/3 c Onion - minced
Instructions
Stripping the Salmon
- Remove collars from fillets if present & set them aside
- Cut fillets (back-to-belly) into jar-length pieces (see photos),
- Cut each piece (head to tail) into ½” – ¾” wide strips (see photos).
Brining the Salmon
- Mix warm water & salt until all of the salt dissolves.
- Place collar strips & fillet strips in brine (bowl, pot, zip-loc bags) for 30 min.
- Rinse brine from strips
- Lay strips out on towels & pat dry to form some glaze
Smoking the Salmon
- Place strips on smoker racks, leaving room for air flow
- Fill smoker pan with wood chips (we prefer smaller-cut apple wood)
- Let smoker run until pan of wood chips is fully burned (30-45 min)
- Salmon should be lightly smoked & skin should want to peel off easily - but leave it on!
- For a smokier flavor, swap top & bottom trays and repeat steps 2&3
Canning the Salmon
- Prep your jars with your preferred method
- Fill jars with salmon strips – I take care to set them vertically in the jar & use a butter knife to lightly squish them to one side to always fit 1 or 2 more strips.
- Place jars in canner and pressure can at 10lbs for 100 minutes (1hr &40min)
- Let cool & ENJOY!
Feed-The-Family Salmon Dip
- Remove cream cheese from fridge a few hours ahead of time to soften
- Mash cream cheese in a bowl with mayonnaise & some liquid from a jar of Kippered Sockeye. Mix well.
- Add salmon meat (hold back remaining salmon juice) and mix well (I often use my kitchen mixer for this part)
- To make dip creamier, add some more salmon juice.
- Add dill, garlic powder & all-purpose seasoning.
- Mince onion & bell pepper and add to dip.
- We most enjoy this dip on rice crackers, wheat cracker & carrots.
- Add any other favorite flavors or dipping implements & let us know what they are!
- ENJOY!
Kippered Salmon Dip
- Remove cream cheese from fridge a few hours ahead of time to soften
- Mash cream cheese in a bowl with liquid from a jar of Kippered Sockeye
- Once cream cheese is softened & well mixed with the salmon juice, add the salmon meat and mix well (I often use my kitchen mixer for this part)
- Mince onion & bell pepper to add to dip.
- We most enjoy this dip on rice crackers, wheat cracker & carrots.
- Add any other favorite flavors or dipping implements & let us know what they are!
- ENJOY!
Written By, Amelia Pollack
Amelia Pollack, a lifetime Alaskan, is an avid fisherman, hiker, hunter, gatherer, chef of wild-caught foods, & mother of 3.
Amelia and her husband, Chris, created Alaska Freediver as a way to share their love for Alaska’s bounty with all of you.
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