The Fish Brine I Use Every Time

Last updated: December 20, 2025

For two medium-sized fish fillets

Ingredients

500 ml water
50 g Diamond Crystal kosher salt

Note: You can make as much or as little brine as you need. You need enough brine to cover the fish.

Directions

500 ml water
50 g Diamond Crystal kosher salt

Add water and salt to a storage container large enough to hold the fish fillets. Stir to dissolve the salt then add the fish to the brine. Brine the fish for 30 minutes in the refrigerator. Then remove the fish from the brine and place on a paper towel on a cooling rack on a sheet pan and air dry in the fridge for 24 hours.

Note: I don’t want the water to warm up the fish, so I add a portion of the water as ice. So for 2 servings of Atlantic salmon, add 400 g water and 50 grams kosher salt to a container. Stir to dissolve. Then add 100 g ice and stir until melted. Then add the fish.