Jerky: Salmon & Halibut

Salmon jerky is absurdly expensive, but it’s SO easy to make. Halibut jerky is just impossible to find, but we have a lot of it from fishing with my sister in Alaska.

This can be done with any fish. The stronger the flavor of the fish, the stronger of a marinade it can stand up to.

Process fish: descale the salmon but keep skin on to hold the meat together during/after drying—the skin peels off easily once the jerky is dried (or you can eat it). Remove skin from the halibut, as it’s less easy to remove and basically impossible to eat after dehydrating (not to mention it’s generally just not enjoyable to eat).

Cut into 1/4 to 1/2 inch strips lengthwise for salmon filets and widthwise for halibut filets.

Make marinade: let salmon marinade for 1-3 hours, halibut marinade for 1-2 hours.

• Salmon marinade:

  • Gochujang (0.5 cups)

  • Soy sauce/tamari (1 cup)

  • Sesame oil (2 tbsp)

  • Rice vinegar (1 tbsp)

  • Honey (3 tbsp)

  • Fresh garlic/ginger microplaned to taste

• Halibut marinade

  • White miso paste (0.5 cups)

  • Soy sauce/Tamari (1 cup)

  • Lime

  • Make paste in mortar and pestle with the following aromatics: lemongrass, garlic, ginger, cilantro leaves.

  • Honey (3 tbsp)

Dehydrate: dehydrate at 145 degrees, for between 4-8 hours, depending on the humidity of your climate. In Denver, it took about 8 hours to get to a firm jerky texture without over-dehydrating to crunchy.