Salmon and candy, two words that don’t often go together, unless you’re on the West Coast. This high-protein snack has long been a favorite of Indigenous communities; with its umami-packed flavor profile, it’s easy to see why. Salmon candy is not only sweet, it’s smoky and salty too, making it the ultimate snack. Here’s our special Wade Bradley Candied Salmon Recipe from our CEO and pitmaster:
Ingredients
- 60 pounds of West Coast Salmon
- 2 kilograms of demerara sugar
- 2 liters of honey
- 1 liter of maple syrup to the water.
- Bradley Smoker
- 8 cups of lukewarm water
Directions
- Dissolve 3/4 cups of coarse salt into 8 cups of lukewarm water.
- Add 2 kilograms of demerara sugar, 2 liters of honey, and 1 liter of maple syrup to the water.
- Filet, skin, & debone your salmon. Cut into finger length and thickness.
- Combine the solution & salmon in containers that can be stored in the fridge. Mix the combined ingredients by hand 2 to 4 times a day & store them in your fridge for 2 full days.
- Remove the strips of salmon & hang with toothpicks under inverted Bradley Smoker racks for up to 30 hours in a cool (34 to 40F / 1.1 to 4.4C) environment.
- Put the racks in the Bradley Smoker and start smoking. The salmon should reach a temperature of 180 F (82.2 C) in about 3 to 4 hours. Adjust the Bradley Smoker temperature accordingly to get these results.
My personal notes: This recipe should make about 60 pounds of Indian Candy. You can use any kind of sugar product. You can adjust the solution as you see fit. You could even add a bottle of whisky to adjust the taste more for adults. The most critical aspect of this recipe is the time allowed to cure and the time allowed to dry. The smoking process is easy but keep an eye on it, do not overload the smoker. For obvious reasons, the smoker cannot handle 60 pounds of salmon at a crack. Most likely you will do only 3 racks at a time and probably do about 4 batches. The salmon can continue to cure and dry for much longer periods without deterring the end results. I have also used this recipe on ducks & geese and I had excellent results.
