This was one of the first recipes I tried when I started hiking again. The inspiration for it comes from a blog called Gutsy. My recipe has strong lemon and a nice salty finish. Tangy, salty jerky makes for a great trail snack! If you prefer less lemon, just sub in some water.
Living in the Pacific Northwest, I am grateful to have easy access to wild salmon at a reasonable price. In fact, a couple times a year, I take part in a bulk fish buy from a fisher who has a boat up in Alaska. She brings down sockeye salmon and I buy one or two 22# boxes! It’s totally worth it for the great price, and I love having access to salmon any time I want it. I need a bigger freezer… I can go through salmon like nobody’s business, expecially when I make this recipe. I find I have to make it the day right before a trip, or it mysteriously disappears before I even get out the door. One bite leads to a handful…
Beware of hiking and climbing partners finding out about your tasty salmon jerky. You may find it disappears from your pack!
NOTE: With any meats, temperature is critical for safety; pay attention to the numbers below. Fish must be as fresh as possible to prevent spoilage before drying. If you dry frozen fish, make sure it’s barely defrosted before preparing it.
Ingredients:
16 oz wild salmon (ideally still partly frozen)
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup lemon juice
½ cup water
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp garlic powder
2 Tbsp coconut aminos
1 tsp sea salt
(if you can’t eat lemon juice, substitute apple cider vinegar… if you can’t use apple cider vinegar, sub lemon juice!)
Serves:
4 portions. Once dried, the salmon won’t look like much in volume. Remember that it began as a full salmon filet, so it equals four meal-sized portions. I divide and package it as soon as it’s cooled, so I don’t get piggy and eat too much in one sitting.
Instructions:
Prep for Dehydrator and Oven Methods:
If your salmon is fresh, put it in the freezer for 30 minutes or until slightly firm. If it came to you frozen, let it defrost partially. Partially frozen fish is way easier to slice thinly. NOTE: If you are concerned with parasite risk, make sure your fish has been thoroughly frozen before you use it.
In a large glass or stainless bowl, mix the brine ingredients together thoroughly. Set aside.
slicing the meat away from the skin
With a very sharp knife, slice the salmon into ¼ inch pieces. Near the end of each slice, angle the knife so the sharp side of the blade is facing toward the end you’re cutting off (see image), and carefully scrape the meat off the skin (sharp knife = safer and easier). A dull knife will just mangle the salmon.
You can leave the skin on, but it makes for a really fishy tasting jerky. The skin can be crisped in the oven at 350°F for a tasty treat with lots of good oils in it!
salmon in brine
Add the salmon to the brine, making sure all pieces are submerged. Cover and set in refrigerator for 12 hours, turning once or twice to ensure all pieces get dunked. This soaking gains an effect similar to ceviche.
Remove fish from refrigerator and drain the extra liquid by setting the pieces on a mesh trivet or a a few layers of non-toxic paper towels. Caution: the fish will be slightly hardened, and may break if handled too roughly.
Dehydrator Instructions:
Place the pieces on the dehydrator trays (here’s the dehydrator I use), with plenty of room between them for air flow. Make sure to put some parchment paper on the floor of the dehydrator to catch any drippings. This makes cleanup much easier.
Set dehydrator at 160°F, and dry for 4-6 hours, depending on local humidity. The fish will be done when it turns a darker color, is still chewy and not crunchy. If you over-dry it, it will still be edible, you’ll just get a jaw workout like chewing on a good New York bagel.
Fish jerky should retain 15-20% of its moisture, and there should be no visible surface moisture. Don’t blot off the fat you see collecting on the outside of the fish. This is the good stuff!
Storage: Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. For long-term storage, put in the freezer.
Oven Instructions:
Preheat oven to 160°F.
Important: Line the bottom of the oven with aluminum foil to catch any drippings.
Technique 1: Coat your oven rack lightly with lard or coconut oil. (If you are concerned about contamination from gluten/other ingredients on the rack, use Technique 2, below). Place the pieces of salmon directly on the rack, with plenty of room between pieces, being careful to position them so they won’t fall through. They will shrink in size; if you have doubts, use Technique 2. For the first hour or two, keep the oven door closed to build heat. For the last half, prop the door open slightly (with a heat-proof item!) to allow for evaporation. Dry for 3-4 hours or longer if the air is very humid.
Technique 2:
This is my favorite oven method. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. Use a sheet that has a lip all the way around the edge, to make cleanup easier. Place the salmon pieces on the tray with plenty of room between. For the first hour or two, keep the oven door closed to build heat, and remove the tray once or twice to carefully drain off the collected liquid. For the last half, prop the door open slightly (with a heat-proof item!) to allow for evaporation. Dry for 3-4 hours or longer if the air is very humid.
When Is It Done?
The fish will be done when it turns a darker color, and it is still chewy and not crunchy. If you over-dry it, it will still be edible, you’ll just get a jaw workout like chewing on a good New York bagel.
Fish jerky should retain 15-20% of its moisture, and there should be no visible surface moisture. Don’t blot off the fat you see collecting on the outside of the fish. This is the good stuff!
Storage: Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. For long-term storage, put in the freezer.
Click here for more information on safely drying fish, poultry and meat.
LOVE your site. I’m about to hike the John Muir Trail (2nd time but first while AIP!) and I’m going back and forth on salmon. I eat a ton of salmon and I’ll really miss it if I can’t take it with me, but on a 4 week hike…it’s probably not safe? I’d sooo appreciate your advice. I am packaging my dehydrated foods in mylar bags, vacuum sealed with oxygen absorbers inside. I’m having to mail all my food to the food drop locations because I live on the east coast. Thanks in advance!
Hi Holly! Hmmm, good question. All I can do is tell you what I’d do, and of course add the caveat emptor clause… so:
You’re on the right track with the mylar bags and vacuum sealing – this will give you the most rock-solid resistance to spoilage from the outside. What type of salmon you use, how you treat it while processing, and what temperature you use, will all have an effect on how long it will stay fresh. What you need to think of is allowing the fewest chances for bacterial buildup. And, high-fat foods tend to go rancid faster than low-fat foods, so…
Make sure you use a low-fat salmon (ie: no king salmon! The fish-eating Orca whales in the PNW are starving and need all of it anyhow! they prefer King/Chinook). Use pink, sockeye, or some other lower-fat option.
Use fish that’s as fresh as you can find it. Ideally, killed that day (I know, it sounds so sad…). If it’s on the rack and looks soft and spongy, pass. Make sure your kitchen tools and hands are OCD clean during the entire prep and drying process (see my page on dehydrating meats). Dry it at 155°F. When you cool it, make sure no flies can get to it. Make sure it’s truly dry and cool before packaging (again, see that meats page). Then package it up tight with your mylar bags. I’d store it in a freezer for as long as possible before shipping out. Can you ship it with dry ice? I’m not sure how that would pan out if it sat there for a week… look into it. Any chance you have a contact on the receiving end who can store it for you in their fridge?
Personally, I’ve only used dehydrated salmon after a few weeks in the fridge, and the trip (ie: out of fridge time) was 5 days long. I did have one batch that seemed to go rancid after about 6 weeks in the fridge. A sad experiment!
I’m not giving you any black-and-white, because I don’t have one for you. Glenn over on backpackingchef.com gives some fairly long time frames for dried meat stored in heat-sealed packaging. You might check his blog out.
The low down: In my experience, when you open the salmon and taste it (or smell it), you’ll know if it’s going rancid. I’d plan to use the salmon in the first week or two, and have lower-fat meats for the latter part of the trip – such as beef or turkey. And have a backup plan available just in case (such as knowing where the closest grocery store is to your location). Good luck, and have a successful trip!
Reblogged this on and commented:4 miles south of Cheyenne is Terry Bison Ranch, where a thoausnd bison fatten for market. It’s like a tourist attraction. Just don’t try to chase one across the field. Tourists ride in train cars. No industrial meat processes, here. Wish I could afford more bison in my diet.
Does the recipe include both the apple cider vinegar and the lemon juice you have listed in the ingredients? Or, do you use just the 1/4 c. vinegar OR 1/4 c. lemon juice?
Thank you!
Jenny – I use them both, but it does come out pretty tangy and sour! I like sour. If you don’t, I’d suggest cutting down one or both to about half, but sub in the difference in that volume with water. You might want to let it sit some extra time, because both the lemon and vinegar play a role in ‘cooking’ the fish like a ceviche. The fish should change color, and get a somewhat greyish look, once it’s ‘cooked’.