Brine Salmon: Salt Ratio and Time
Published
Brine salmon for 15 minutes in a 4.65% salt brine. For 1.5 lb (0.68 kg) of fillets that is 33 g (1.16 oz) of salt in 0.75 quart (0.71 L) of water, kept in the refrigerator. A stronger 7.6% brine takes 10 minutes.
Salmon brines are minutes, not hours. The times below apply to fillets or steaks up to 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick.
Quick answer
For salmon, use a 4.65% brine: 44 g (1.6 oz) of salt per quart of water. Brine 1.5 lb (0.68 kg) for 15 min.
- Diamond Crystal kosher, per quart of water
- 3/8 cup
- Morton kosher, per quart of water
- 3 Tbsp
- Table salt, per quart of water
- 2 1/2 Tbsp
- For 1.5 lb (0.68 kg)
- 33 g (1.2 oz) of salt in 0.75 quarts (0.71 L) of water
- Time window
- 15 min
Warnings
Brine in the refrigerator at 40°F (4°C) or below. Do not brine at room temperature.
Discard the brine after use. Do not reuse brine that held raw meat, poultry or fish.
Do not brine longer than 15 min. America's Test Kitchen gives 15 minutes at this strength and does not state a longer time or a reason for the limit. Sitka Seafood Market (a retailer guide, https://sitkaseafoodmarket.com/blogs/cooking-guides/how-to-brine-fish) gives a maximum of 12 minutes for 5 tablespoons of kosher or coarse salt in 2 quarts of water, the same volumes as ATK's 15 minute brine, and The Splendid Table (https://www.splendidtable.org/story/2010/11/18/brine-time-guide) says fish should brine no more than 1 1/2 hours because its structure is delicate. The calculator keeps ATK's 15 minutes as the maximum; Sitka's 12 minutes is the more conservative figure.
Notes
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults limit sodium to less than 2,300 mg per day. Brined and fermented food contains added salt.
The water shown is a default of 0.5 quarts per pound of food. Use enough water to cover the food completely. The salt follows the water: if you use a different amount of water, enter it and the salt changes with it.
Salmon calculator
Enter your own weight, brine strength and water amount, choose your salt type, and get the salt by weight and volume and the time.
Open the salmon calculatorBrine strength
The calculator has two strengths for salmon. Each is a percentage of the water's weight, so 4.65% means 4.65 g of salt per 100 g of water.
| Strength | Salt percentage | Salt per quart of water | Salt per gallon of water | Time for 1.5 lb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard About 4.65 percent salt in water for 15 minutes. The salt amount is The Kitchn's (22 g in 2 cups of water, which it brines for 45 minutes); the 15 minutes is America's Test Kitchen's, whose own brine works out to 4.75 percent. No single source gives 4.65 percent for 15 minutes: it is the lower of the two strengths with the shorter of the two times. see warning | 4.65% of water | 44 g (1.6 oz) 3/8 cup Diamond Crystal kosher 3 Tbsp Morton kosher 2 1/2 Tbsp Table salt | 176 g (6.2 oz) 1 1/4 cups Diamond Crystal kosher 3/4 cup Morton kosher 5/8 cup Table salt | 15 min |
| Quick About 7.6 percent salt in water for 10 minutes. see warning | 7.6% of water | 71.9 g (2.5 oz) 1/2 cup Diamond Crystal kosher 1/4 cup Morton kosher 1/4 cup Table salt | 288 g (10.2 oz) 2 1/8 cups Diamond Crystal kosher 1 1/4 cups Morton kosher 1 cup Table salt | 10 min |
Weigh the salt when you can. The same volume of different salts weighs different amounts.
Warning
Do not brine longer than 10 min. America's Test Kitchen gives 10 minutes at this strength and does not state a longer time or a reason for the limit. Applies to: Quick.
- Standard, 4.65% is the default, for 15 minutes. The salt amount is The Kitchn's and the time is America's Test Kitchen's. The Kitchn brines each pound of salmon in 2 cups of cold water with 22 g of kosher salt, which is 4.65% by weight, for 45 minutes. America's Test Kitchen's fish brine is 5 tablespoons of salt in 2 quarts of water for 15 minutes for up to six 1-inch-thick steaks or fillets, and it calls that a 6 percent brine. No single source gives 4.65% for 15 minutes. The calculator pairs the lower of the two strengths with the shorter of the two times.
- Quick, 7.6% is for 10 minutes. ATK's quick brine is 1 tablespoon of salt per cup of water for 10 minutes, which ATK calls a 9 percent solution.
Both ATK figures have a catch. ATK writes "salt" with no type. Read as table salt at 6 g per teaspoon, the standard recipe works out to 4.75 percent, not 6, and the quick recipe to 7.6 percent, not 9. The calculator uses the figure that follows from the volumes. Great British Chefs gives 100 g of table salt per liter of water, which is 10 percent by weight, for 15 to 30 minutes. The calculator uses the lower percentage and the shorter time.
The Kitchn's 45 minutes is a longer time at about the standard strength. Recipes differ on time, and the calculator uses the shorter one, so neither source states the exact pairing of 4.65% and 15 minutes. The stronger ATK brine works out to 4.75%.
Salt type affects the volume you measure. Table salt, Morton kosher and Diamond Crystal weigh different amounts per spoonful, so a recipe that lists "1 tablespoon per cup" without naming the salt is not a fixed strength. The kosher salt versus table salt guide explains the difference. The brine percentages explained guide shows how to read a percentage.
Salt and time by weight
Weigh the fillets before brining, without the brine. The table below is for the standard strength and uses the calculator's default of 0.5 quart of water per pound of salmon.
Note
The water shown is a default of 0.5 quarts per pound of food. Use enough water to cover the food completely. The salt follows the water: if you use a different amount of water, enter it in the calculator and the salt changes with it.
| Food weight | Salt by weight | Diamond Crystal kosher | Morton kosher | Table salt | Water | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 lb (0.23 kg) | 11 g (0.39 oz) | 1 1/2 Tbsp | 2 1/4 tsp | 1 3/4 tsp | 0.25 quarts (0.24 L) | 15 min |
| 1 lb (0.45 kg) | 22 g (0.78 oz) | 2 1/2 Tbsp | 1 1/2 Tbsp | 1 Tbsp | 0.5 quarts (0.47 L) | 15 min |
| 1.5 lb (0.68 kg) | 33 g (1.2 oz) | 1/4 cup | 2 1/2 Tbsp | 2 Tbsp | 0.75 quarts (0.71 L) | 15 min |
| 2 lb (0.91 kg) | 44 g (1.6 oz) | 3/8 cup | 3 Tbsp | 2 1/2 Tbsp | 1 quart (0.95 L) | 15 min |
| 2.5 lb (1.13 kg) | 55 g (1.9 oz) | 3/8 cup | 1/4 cup | 3 Tbsp | 1.25 quarts (1.18 L) | 15 min |
Weigh the salt when you can. The same volume of different salts weighs different amounts.
For the quick brine:
| Food weight | Salt by weight | Diamond Crystal kosher | Morton kosher | Table salt | Water | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 lb (0.23 kg) | 18 g (0.63 oz) | 2 Tbsp | 1 Tbsp | 1 Tbsp | 0.25 quarts (0.24 L) | 10 min |
| 1 lb (0.45 kg) | 36 g (1.3 oz) | 1/4 cup | 2 1/2 Tbsp | 2 Tbsp | 0.5 quarts (0.47 L) | 10 min |
| 1.5 lb (0.68 kg) | 53.9 g (1.9 oz) | 3/8 cup | 3 1/2 Tbsp | 3 Tbsp | 0.75 quarts (0.71 L) | 10 min |
| 2 lb (0.91 kg) | 71.9 g (2.5 oz) | 1/2 cup | 1/4 cup | 1/4 cup | 1 quart (0.95 L) | 10 min |
| 2.5 lb (1.13 kg) | 89.9 g (3.2 oz) | 5/8 cup | 3/8 cup | 1/4 cup | 1.25 quarts (1.18 L) | 10 min |
Weigh the salt when you can. The same volume of different salts weighs different amounts.
Weighing the salt is the reliable way to measure. The volume columns help when you have no scale.
How to brine salmon
- Weigh the salmon and the salt. Use the table above, or the calculator for your weight.
- Dissolve the salt in the water until no crystals remain.
- Chill the brine. It must be at 40°F (4°C) or below with the fish in it.
- Submerge the fillets completely in a food-safe container and put it in the refrigerator.
- Set a timer for 15 minutes at the standard strength or 10 minutes at the quick strength, and take the fish out when it ends.
- Drain and dry. The Kitchn pats the salmon dry with paper towels after brining. ATK found that a wet brine does not prevent browning as long as the fish is patted dry before cooking.
- Cook. FoodSafety.gov gives 145°F (63°C), or cook until the flesh is no longer translucent and separates easily with a fork. Season lightly, because the fish already carries salt.
What the brine does
ATK found that a brine reduces the white albumin that collects on the surface of salmon as it cooks. In its quick-brine test, the salt partially breaks down muscle fibers near the surface so they set without squeezing out albumin, and the soak seasons the outside of the fish so a separate salting is not needed.
For fish in general, ATK says the brine partly breaks down muscle fibers and forms a gel that holds water and helps keep the fish from drying out. It adds that fish brines faster than meat because its muscle fibers are much shorter. That is why the times are minutes. ATK's fish brine was tested on tuna, salmon, swordfish and halibut.
What happens if you go over the time
The calculator's maximums are the times America's Test Kitchen gives: 15 minutes at the standard strength and 10 minutes at the quick strength. ATK does not state a longer time or a reason for the limit, so this guide does not either. Sitka Seafood Market, a retailer guide, gives 12 minutes for the same volumes as the 15 minute brine, which is the more conservative figure, and The Splendid Table gives 1 1/2 hours. The warning above lists both.
Warning
Do not brine longer than 15 min at the standard strength, or 10 min at the quick strength. America's Test Kitchen gives those times and does not state a longer time or a reason for the limit. Sitka Seafood Market, a retailer guide, gives a maximum of 12 minutes for 5 tablespoons of kosher or coarse salt in 2 quarts of water, the same volumes as America's Test Kitchen's 15 minute brine, and The Splendid Table says fish should brine no more than 1 1/2 hours because its structure is delicate. The calculator keeps America's Test Kitchen's 15 minutes as the maximum at the standard strength; Sitka's 12 minutes is the more conservative figure.
Great British Chefs uses 15 to 20 minutes for a few portions and up to 30 minutes for a larger side of salmon in its 10 percent brine, and says the flesh will begin to cure if the fish stays in that brine any longer. That warning is about its own brine, which is stronger than either option here, so it is not the reason for the calculator's limits and its times do not apply to the calculator's amounts.
Long salt cures and smoking brines, which run hours to overnight and often include sugar, are curing steps. This calculator does not cover them and gives no amounts for them, and the same goes for curing salt and nitrite.
Safety
Warning
Brine in the refrigerator at 40°F (4°C) or below. Do not brine at room temperature.
Warning
Discard the brine after use. Do not reuse brine that held raw meat, poultry or fish.
Note
The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults limit sodium to less than 2,300 mg per day. Brined and fermented food contains added salt.
The brine food safety guide covers refrigeration, brine reuse, time limits and what the calculator does not cover. Other fish have their own times in the seafood brine time chart. The guides to brining trout and brining white fish use the same general fish brines, and brining shrimp uses a weaker brine for a longer soak. The can you over-brine meat guide gives the maximum brine times for several foods and the saltiness limit behind them.
Practical problems
The salmon is too salty. The time may have run over, or the salt type may differ from the recipe. A recipe that says "1 tablespoon per cup" for table salt makes a weaker brine with the same volume of Diamond Crystal. Weigh the salt.
The fillets are thicker than 1 inch (2.5 cm). The sources give their times for fillets or steaks up to 1 inch thick. The calculator has no separate time for thicker pieces.
White albumin still shows. The brine reduces albumin, according to ATK, but the sources do not say it removes all of it.
The fish is not covered. Use more water, enter the new amount in the calculator, and let the salt follow.
Frequently asked questions
How long do you brine salmon?
At the standard 4.65% strength, 15 minutes. At the quick 7.6% strength, 10 minutes. Do not brine longer than the time for the strength you use.
How much salt do you use to brine salmon?
For 1.5 lb (0.68 kg) of fillets, 33 g (1.16 oz) of salt in 0.75 quart (0.71 L) of water at the standard strength. That is 1/4 cup Diamond Crystal, 2 1/2 Tbsp Morton kosher or 2 Tbsp table salt.
Why brine salmon before cooking?
America's Test Kitchen found that a brine reduces the white albumin that collects on the surface of salmon as it cooks. The brine also seasons the flesh.
Can you brine salmon for 45 minutes?
The Kitchn does, at about the standard strength. The calculator's limit is 15 minutes because that is the time America's Test Kitchen gives for its brine, which works out to 4.75%. ATK does not state a longer time or a reason for the limit.
Is a long salmon cure the same as a brine?
No. Long salt cures and smoking brines, which run hours to overnight and often include sugar, are a different process that this calculator does not cover.