**A very sharp, long slicing knife and well-chilled salmon are the usual approach.** You can get paper-thin slices by hand; a mechanical slicer isn’t necessary.

First, the type of smoking matters: the silky, thin slices sold commercially are generally **cold-smoked** salmon. Hot-smoked salmon has a cooked, flaky texture, so it tends to break apart when sliced that thinly. [Acme explains the difference](https://acmesmokedfish.com/pages/our-smoked-fish-smoking).

For cold-smoked salmon:

1. **Chill it thoroughly.** If it still feels too soft, briefly put it in the freezer until firm but still flexible—start checking after about 15–20 minutes. You don’t need to freeze it solid. [Tanner’s recommends this approach](https://www.tannersfish.com/blogs/news/how-to-slice-cold-smoked-alaskan-salmon-5-step-guide-2026).
2. **Leave the skin underneath** on a stable cutting board and remove any remaining pin bones.
3. **Use a long, narrow, very sharp knife**, ideally a salmon slicing knife.
4. **Hold the blade at a shallow angle**, almost parallel to the surface, and shave off broad, thin slices with gentle, long drawing strokes. Use very little downward pressure; let the edge cut. Stop each slice before reaching the skin. [Forman & Field’s carving guidance](https://formanandfield.com/product/untrimmed-whole-sides-for-carving-copy/) likewise recommends a sharp knife and smooth slicing strokes.

Your freezing idea is therefore useful as a **firming step**, but try hand slicing before freezing a whole side for a machine. Brief chilling makes the flesh easier to cut without requiring a full freeze-and-thaw cycle.