cured salmon

Curing your own salmon is well worth it for taste and wow-factor. Serve this beetroot and berries version as a starter or on crackers as a canapé

Beetroot & Blackberry Cured Salmon

salmon,

brown sugar

sea salt

blackberries

beetroots,

juniper berries, crushed

tbsp gin

dill,

white peppercorns, crushed

tbsp horseradish

Beetroot & blackberry cured salmon

In a <a href="https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/test-five-best-food-processors">food processor</a>, combine the ingredients for the beetroot and berry cure. Unravel some cling film but keep it attached to the roll. Spoon a bit of the cure on the cling film then lay the salmon, skin-side down, on top and pack the rest of cure over the flesh. Roll the fish tightly in cling film to create a package. Put the package in a shallow baking dish or shallow-sided tray and lay another tray on top. Weigh the tray down with a couple of tins and put in the fridge for two days, turning the salmon over occasionally.

On the second day, remove the salmon from its wrapping and scrape off any excess cure. Gently rinse the remaining cure off the salmon and pat dry with kitchen towel. In a bowl, combine the chopped dill with the peppercorns, horseradish and gin. Prepare another piece of cling film for the salmon and cover all over with the herb mix. Wrap the salmon up again as before. Put it in the baking tray, weigh it down, and leave, for at least another 8 hrs. Remove the salmon from its wrapping and transfer to a board. Finely slice and serve with sourdough crackers and pickles. Will keep in the fridge for up to three days.

A visually stunning beet cured salmon recipe seasoned with freshly ground spices and ginger that’s deceptively simple to make and exceptionally marvelous to look at and eat!

Beet Cured Salmon

pink peppercorns

mustard seeds

fennel seeds

coriander seeds

juniper berries

salt

sugar

lemon zest (finely grated)

salmon

beet (raw, trimmed and coarsley grated)

ginger (peeled, coarsley grated)

Toast all spices (peppercorn, coriander, mustard seed, and fennel seed) in a dry skillet over medium heat, consistently tossing until very fragrant, about 4 minutes. Let spices cool then finely grind with a mortar and pestle or with a coffee grinder. 

Transfer spices to a small bowl and mix in with salt, sugar and lemon zest. 

Toss beets and ginger in a bowl to combine. 

Lay salmon, cut skin side off down, on a large sheet of parchment paper set on a large rimmed baking sheet. Have your spice mixture, beet mixture, and plastic wrap near by because things are about to get real messy. 

Pack spice cure on both sides of fish, pressing to adhere. Then pack the beet mixture on both sides, also pressing to adhere. Fold sides of parchment over salmon, then wrap tightly in plastic. Set another baking sheet on top of salmon and weight down with cans, cast iron skillets, or anything heavy you have on hand. Chill at least 2 days and up to 5.

Unwrap salmon and wipe off everything aromitcs and cure that will easily come off (with a the back of a spoon/knife/spatula/your hand but don&#039;t rinse! Thinly slice to serve.

Cure your own salmon, Scandinavian-style, with dill, juniper, and lemon and serve with a mustard sauce

Gravadlax

flaky sea salt

golden caster sugar

tsp black peppercorn,

lemon

juniper berries, crushed (optional)

(about 20 grams) dill, roughly chopped

tbsp gin (optional)

pumpernickel sauce, to serve

Dijon mustard, cider vinegar, honey oil

tbsp muscovado sugar

Pat the salmon dry with kitchen paper and run your hands over the flesh to see if there are any stray small bones – if there are, use a pair of tweezers to pull them out. Set the salmon fillets aside.

Tip the salt, sugar, peppercorns, lemon zest, juniper and dill into a food processor and blitz until you have a bright green, wet salt mixture or ‘cure’. Unravel some cling film but keep it attached to the roll. Lay the first fillet of salmon skin-side down and then pack the cure over the flesh. Drizzle with gin, if using and top with the 2nd fillet, flesh-side down. Roll the sandwiched fillets tightly in cling film to create a package.

Place the fish in a shallow baking dish or shallow-sided tray and lay another tray on top. Weigh the tray down with a couple of tins or bottles and place in the fridge for at least 48 hrs or up to 4 days, turning the fish over every 12 hours or so. The longer you leave it, the more cured it will become.

To make the sauce, tip all the sauce ingredients into a blender. Blitz until you have a thickened dressing.

To serve, unwrap the fish and brush off the marinade with kitchen paper. Rinse it if you like. You can slice the fish classically into long thin slices, leaving the skin behind, or remove the skin it and slice it straight down. Serve the sliced fish on a large platter or individual plates with pumpernickel bread, dill and mustard sauce.

Recipe video above. Too many cured salmon recipes are way too salty ot way too sweet! But once you know the right propotions, it&#039;s ridiculously simple to make and far cheaper than buying equivalent shop-bought versions.Gently flavoured with spices and a little vodka or gin, this a show-stopping, sophisticated-looking modern classic. Wonderful elegant canape or individually plated starter (fine dining favourite!), as part of an antipasto platter or cheeseboard, or just generally having in the fridge to nibble or use in sandwiches!1kg / 2 lb salmon will easily serve 16 people as a starter (slices are cut thinly)

Beetroot Cured Salmon (Gin or Vodka, Gravlax)

lb single piece of fresh salmon (, skin

white sugar

tsp caraway seeds (, whole)

tsp white peppercorn (, whole)

coriander seeds (, whole)

tbsp vodka ((OK to omit, Note 5))

tsp black peppercorns (, whole)

tsp juniper berries (, whole)

tbsp gin ((OK to omit, Note 5))

sour cream

horseradish (fresh), finely grated ((Note 6))

tsp salt

dill

cucumbers ((Lebanese not the long English/Telegraph ones))

tbsp red or white wine vinegar

tsp dill (, roughly chopped)

bread

capers ((some for garnish, some for assembling bites))

oil ((vegetable, canola))

Make beetroot cure: Place the beetroot, sugar, salt plus the gin cure OR vodka cure ingredients in a food processor. Blitz until pureed like a smoothie – about 15 seconds on high, scraping down the sides as needed.

Line container: Use a container into which the salmon fits snugly, but flat (Note 3). Line with two large pieces of cling wrap, overlapping one horizontally and one vertically, like a cross (so it will wrap salmon completely).

Place salmon in beetroot: Spread beetroot mixture on the cling wrap inside the container. Lay salmon on top, flesh side down. Press down lightly but not too firm – flesh should be fully in contact with beetroot, not base of container.

48-hour cure: Wrap up securely with the cling wrap, cover with lid (or seal container with more cling wrap). Refrigerate 48 hours (do not turn).

Rinse: Unwrap salmon, rinse off beetroot mixture, then pat dry.

Recommended – rest overnight: If time permits, place washed and dried salmon in an airtight container and refrigerate overnight. This allows the salt to redistribute more evenly throughout the salmon. (Note 4)

Horseradish cream: Mix ingredients together until smooth.

Cucumber Ribbons: Use a potato peeler to make long thing ribbons lengthwise down the cucumber. Toss with vinegar and salt, set aside for 10 minutes. Drain liquid, toss with dill, transfer to serving dish.

Fried crispy capers: Heat oil in a small pan to 190°C/375°F. Fry capers for 30 sec/1 min until crisp. Drain on paper towels and cool.

Crispy bread: Brush bread lightly on each side with olive oil, then bake in a 180°C/350°F oven for 8 minutes, turning halfway, until crisp.

Plating: Place uncut salmon on a serving platter (one you can cut on). Scatter salmon with crispy capers and fresh dill. Place crispy bread and horseradish cream on the side, along with fresh lemon if using.

To serve: Cut thin slices down to the skin (but not through it). Pivot the knife blade so it&#039;s almost parallel to the skin and cut the each slice carefully away from the skin (you cannot eat the skin). Smear crispy bread with horseradish cream, top with salmon, a few capers, and sprig of fresh dill. Devour!

Serving:

The 3 most important steps to smoked salmon are curing, drying, and temperature. This step-by-step guide will help you smoke salmon in your own backyard!

Smoked Salmon With Honey Glaze

honey (locally sourced is always best!)

cherry wood chunks

water

Start at the tail of the salmon running your fingers down the center of the fillet and work your way up towards the head of the fillet making sure all of the pin bones have been removed. Remove any bones you feel or see with a clean pare of needle nose pliers or fish tweezers..

Step #1  Prepare The Salmon For Brine

In a small bowl, mix all of the brine ingredients together with a whisk, until the salt and sugar have dissolved completely. Transfer the cleaned salmon filet inside a 2-gallon plastic bag, then pour in the brine solution, squeezing out as much air as possible. Place the bag onto a sheet pan or casserole dish. Situate the fillet inside the bag so that it is completely submerged inside the brine solution. Place it inside the refrigerator to cure.

If there is not enough brine to submerge the entire fillet, you can double the brine solution and make another batch.

Curing times may vary according to the thickness of the fillet. Sockeye salmon fillets are usually pretty thin, so it has been our experience that the fillet needs 8 to 12 hours of curing time. A really thick piece of salmon may need up to 24 to 36 hours to brine. Be careful not to over-brine the salmon or it will be way too salty to enjoy.

Step #2  Brine the Salmon

This next step is completely effortless BUT one of the most important steps to smoking good salmon. The salmon needs to form a pellicle. This is a slightly tacky layer that has a thin dry sheen to it like the flesh has been brushed with lacquer. This layer gives the smoke something to stick to.

Remove the salmon from the brine and carefully rinse with cool running water. Gently pat the fillet dry with paper towels, then lay it skin side down onto a platter or sheet pan long enough so that it lays completely flat. Leave the salmon uncovered and place it in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours or overnight.

We typically dry our fillets in the refrigerator overnight for about 12 hours.

Step #3  Air Dry the Salmon - Forming the Pellicle

The salmon is smoked using a hot smoking process, but before firing up the grill or smoker, it’s important to know that when smoking salmon or fish of any kind, it is important to maintain a low constant temperature. The goal smoking temperature is between 150 and 200 degrees.

Light the charcoal chimney with about a dozen briquettes inside. It’s important to start with a small fire and work your way up if it’s not hot enough.

When the coals are ready, set the grill for indirect heat, by pouring the hot coals from the chimney into a charcoal basket or push them to one side of the grill. Throw a chunk of the cherry wood onto the coals.

Step #4  Fire Up the Grill, But Watch The Temperature!

Place the grate on the grill. Preheat the grill to an ideal temperature of about 170 degrees. Add more charcoal to make the fire hotter, if needed. Having a hinged grate makes it easy to tend the fire and add wood.

Use a paper towel to add oil to the hot grate, then lay the cured and dried salmon fillet skin side down on the cool side of the grate.

Alternatively, you can use a perforated grilling tray that allows 360-degree smoke and heat penetration. This will ensure the salmon doesn’t stick. It’s also good to use if you smoke a salmon fillet without the skin.

Cover with the lid and smoke the salmon. Keep the temperature low and slow. Adding too much heat at once will cause a white albumin “bleed” on the surface of the meat. Albumin is a liquid protein in raw fish. When the fish is exposed to heat, the albumin coagulates and starts to solidify. As the meat cooks, the albumin squeezes out onto the surface of the meat. It’s pretty nasty looking, but this weird slimy white substance on the surface of the salmon is perfectly normal. Along with forming the pellicle, monitoring the temperature of the grill will help minimize the collection of albumin. A little bit is normal, but If you get a lot the salmon is not ruined. You can also brush it off when tending to the coals.

Smoke the salmon for about 1 to 1 ½ hours. Add more coals and wood as needed. Spot-check the temperature of the salmon with an instant-read thermometer. At this point the fillet should be around 120 degrees F. Close the lid and continue to smoke for the remaining time checking the fish every 30 minutes.

For the last hour, use a silicone grilling brush to baste the salmon with honey. At this point, there is no need to add any more wood to the coals. Just maintain the low steady temperature.

The salmon is done with the meat flakes and the internal temperature of the salmon in the thickest part reaches 135 to 145 degrees F.

Remove the smoked salmon from the grill and serve.

Step #5  Smoke The Salmon

You don't have to make a restaurant reservation to enjoy all of the flavors that ceviche has to offer — you can make your own simple ceviche.

Simple Ceviche Recipe

limes, juiced (½ cup)

mirin

soy sauce

radishes,

cucumber,

mango, diced small

Spanish onion, diced small

orange, juiced

cilantro,

Sea salt,

Combine lime juice, mirin and soy sauce into a bowl with salmon. Allow to cure for 2 hours or until each chunk is cooked through.

Combine radishes, cucumber, onion, orange juice, mango and cilantro into a bowl. Season with sea salt.

Strain the cured salmon, saving 1/3 cup of the marinade.

Mix salmon and 1/3 cup of marinade into the fruit and vegetable mixture.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fpvYckoD0w

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