Cure For The Common Salmon

The family emergency continues, making it difficult for me to post as often as usual. But, I’ve got another one here that will knock your loincloth off! Some call this Lox, Gravlox, or (mistakenly) Smoked Salmon. Though, it is really Cured Salmon … and, it is really good! Simple, too!!

INGREDIENTS

1 2-3 Pound Fillet Fresh Salmon, skinned
1 Cup Sea or Kosher Salt
1/2 Cup White Granulated Sugar
1/2 Cup Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons Fresh Ground Peppercorns
1 Bunch Fresh Dill

RECIPE

In a medium bowl, place salt, sugars, and pepper. Whisk together until fully blended and the brown sugar is no longer clumpy.
HINT #1: I used a five-flavor blend of peppercorns that included white, black, green and pink peppercorns and Jamaican pepper. Though, using plain old fresh ground black pepper will work just fine, too.

Place the salmon fillet centered on a piece of plastic wrap that is more than twice the length of the fillet itself. Cover the fillet with half the salt mixture, and then half the dill bunch.

Carefully turn the fillet over (It helps to pat down the ingredients into the fillet first). Then, cover the other side of the salmon with the rest of the salt mixture and dill.
Now, wrap the salmon as tightly as possible with the plastic wrap.
Place wrapped filet onto a sufficiently large plate or platter to catch any juices that my run off during the curing process. Place into refrigerator for 24 hours, making sure to turn it over at the halfway point.
HINT #2: If you wrap it tight enough, you won’t have to stack any blocks or anything else that other recipes seem to call for. I also like to re-wrap the fillet with a second piece of plastic wrap to help achieve the necessary tautness.

After 24 hours, remove the fillet from the fridge and carefully unwrap it. This is what it should look like!

Remove the dill and as much of the salt mixture as possible. Under cold running water, rinse the rest of the dill and salt from the salmon. Pat it dry with a paper towel.

With a very sharp knife cut the fillet, on an angle, into very thin slices. Layer the each slice on top of the previous one.
Now, you need to make a decision. Eat it right away? Refrigerate it until later? Or, freeze it for future use in the next 2-3 months? It’s hard not to try some right away, so go ahead and have at it. But, I like to wrap it up in some fresh plastic wrap and refrigerate it another 24 hours … it just seems to give it an extra bit of flavor curing.

When you are ready to serve it, you can place it on toast triangles with a little Goat Cheese and capers, put it in a salad, or go the traditional route pictured here: with a bagel, cream cheese, and slice tomatoes and onions.
HINT #3: You can add many other ingredients during the curing process. Paper thin slices of lemon; zest of any citrus; fresh tarragon or parsley; fennel, caraway, or coriander seeds; or just about anything else you may want to experiment with. Be creative and have fun!

Prep Time = 15 minutes
Cure Time = 24 Hours
Serves 6-8

©2010 Caution: Caveman Cooking/UHearMe, Inc. All rights reserved. This recipe originally appeared on the Caution: Caveman Cooking blog at https://cavemancooking.wordpress.com authored by Caveman. This recipe may be shared and reprinted as long as this entire copyright message accompanies it.