What You Need to Know
Salt draws water out of fish proteins, lowering water activity and denaturing proteins, which reduces bacterial growth. Sodium nitrite reacts with myoglobin to form nitrosylmyoglobin, giving the characteristic pink color and inhibiting Clostridium botulinum. Low‑temperature smoke introduces phenolic compounds that act as antioxidants and flavorants while not cooking the fish.
The Science
Primary Reaction
Salt-induced protein denaturation and nitrite-mediated myoglobin oxidation