Salmon Jerky to the rescue!

Hands down, this Salmon Jerky steels the spotlight from the all famous beef jerky. Since salmon is honestly my favorite food, I like to think of all sorts of ways to prepare it! Salmon Jerky is a hard one to resist. It is portable GAPS/SCD/paleo food! What more could you ask for?

Salmon Jerky inspiration:

Salmon bellies (the small oily fin on the salmon fillet) are my favorite part of the salmon. I love them becsue they are buttery and crisp..mmmm. It literally makes my mouth water just thinking about these little bellies. (I buy them from my local fisherman). I wanted a unique way to take regular salmon and make it crunchy, like the bellies. I brainstormed, though it didn’t take long to be suddenly inspired to make Salmon Jerky! This Salmon Jerky reminds me slightly of the salmon bellies. They are not super oily, but the crispiness is half the fun!

Salmon Jerky nutriton:

The health benefits of salmon are endless. Everyone has heard all about the good omega 3’s and all, but just incase you have not, here is a rundown:

• High amounts of omega 3 (Helps blood flow,brain function, and clear skin)
• Vitamin D (Sunshine in food form!)
• B12 (Promotes good nerve function)
• Selenium (Helps combat stress and supports thyroid)
• High in Protein (supports healthy body growth)

Wild vs. Farmed?

Oh one last thing…make sure you salmon is WILD!! This is a must, or else you might as well not even eat that antibiotic pumped, pink dyed, stuffy salmon. Ewww! Do your body and environment a favor and buy the wild stuff. It might be more expensive, but that is because the farmed salmon is ridiculously cheap. July/August is the best time to pick up a nice big fillet of wild salmon and either eat it, freeze it, or jerky-it.

Salmon Jerky is my favorite snack food

Yes you read that right. In my opinion Salmon Jerky is better then fruit, crispy nuts, veggies, butter…in my books it is a top priority food. Now don’t get me wrong, all of those options are good, but wild salmon keeps a special place in my heart..and stomach!

It contains no sugar, no dairy, no wheat, no soy, no gluten, no preservatives. Salmon jerky can accommodate most all diets including the GAPS/paleo/SCD/anti-candida/low carb/ traditional food. It is pretty much a universal healthy snack. You are getting the purest real deal right here!

This is definitely not the kind of stuff you get out of the bag, coated in nasty MSG and loads of salt. You will feel good and energized after eating Salmon Jerky. It is a pure good protein source, with just enough fat to keep you satisfied.

Snack ideas:

Salmon Jerky doesn’t just have to be eaten plain. Feel free to get creative. The texture reminds me of crumbled bacon, so it would make a great flip flop for bacon, crumbled on a salad! Use can also use it to dip into salsa, guacamole, sour cream..etc… Crumble the salmon jerky and put into quiche or egg muffins. They would also be great mixed into a savory salmon dip! Let your salmon imagination swim WILD!

Tips and Tricks

Be sure to use fresh quality salmon, You can either buy it frozen or fresh. (If you buy it frozen make sure it does not contain preservatives in it.) It is helpful to freeze the salmon fillet for 30 min before you slice it, to get nice even cuts. Make sure to use real sea salt too! A sharp knife (i use this one) is a must, to cut the pieces of salmon away from the skin nicely. Make sure to buy a middle piece to get nice even thickness throughout the fish. Ok, I think that is all I need to tel you… I will stop blabbing, so you can learn how to make this AMAZING salmon Jerky!

It also helps to have a dehydrator, because it turns out perfect each time! This is the dehydrator we have.

INGREDIENTS:

Brine:

½ cup raw apple cider vinegar

1 T organic lemon juice

2 T coconut aminos

1 T paprika

½ T onion powder

½ T garlic powder

1 ½ tsp sea salt

1 cup of filtered water

 

14 oz wild salmon (partly frozen)

 

DIRECTIONS:

1. Freeze your beautiful piece of salmon for 30 min until it is slightly firm. (This makes it easier to cut evenly)

 

2. Use a sharp knife to cut ¼ inch pieces of salmon flesh. Once I cut through to the skin, I scrape the knife against the skin, to “peel” the salmon flesh away from the skin. Do this until all the salmon flesh is removed from the skin.

 * SAVE the SKIN! Crisp it up the oven at 350 until it is brown and crispy..yum (one of my favorite parts about making salmon jerky!!)

               

3. In a glass bowl or container, mix all your brine ingredients together.

4. Add the salmon pieces into the bowl of brine and let sit for 12 hours in the fridge, covered.

5. Remove from fridge and lay out bleach free paper towels on your counter. (I use 2-3 on top of each other). Carefully take the brined salmon pieces out of the brine and lay onto the paper towels to soak up any dripping liquid.

* The lemon juice and apple cider vinegar almost “cook” the salmon so it turnes into a harder texture, be careful with it because it is more brittle like this. 

6. Transfer the salmon pieces onto a dehydrator tray. ** (oven directions below)

7. Dehydrate for 3-4 hours at 145 degrees Fahrenheit. You know when it is done when it turns a darker reddish brown. It should be dry and chewy, not crunchy! When you bend it, it should not snap in half.

8. Store salmon jerky in a ball jar for many months. Enjoy the health benefits of salmon anywhere, even when it is not in season!

 Yum yum! Enjoy this Super power tasty food!

 

 **Oven directions:

1. Preheat oven to 160.
2. Rub or Spray your oven racks with cooking spray (I recommend lard or coconut oil).
3. Place salmon pieces directly over the racks.
4. Dehydrate for 3-4 hours.

 

~Stay Gutsy, Caroline

 

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