Salt Cured Maple Salmon Recipes

SALT AND SUGAR CURED SALMON GRAVLAX APPETIZER

Steps:

• Fillet the salmon or have the fishmonger fillet it for you; the fish need not be scaled.
• Lay both halves, skin side down, on a plate.
• Sprinkle with the salt, sugar, and pepper, spread the dill over the salmon and splash on your liquor of choice.
• Sandwich the fillets together, tail to tail, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
• Cover the salmon "sandwich" with another plate and something that weighs about a pound -- an unopened can of coffee or beans, for example. Refrigerate.
• Open the package every 12 to 24 hours and baste, inside and out, with the accumulated juices.
• On the second or third day, when the flesh has lost its translucence, slice thinly as you would smoked salmon -- on the bias and without the skin -- and serve with rye bread, pumpernickel or bialys and lemon wedges.

SIMPLE, HOMEMADE SALMON GRAVLAX

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Rinse the salmon fillets and pat them dry thoroughly.
• Use tweezers or pliers to pull out any pin bones, if necessary.
• Drizzle the aquavit or vodka evenly over the flesh of each fillet.
• In a small bowl, combine the salt, sugar, and pepper.
• Divide the mixture into 3 even piles within the bowl.
• Divide one of the thirds of curing mix in half and place on a rimmed baking sheet or baking pan in the shape of one of the fillets.
• Lay a fillet skin-side down on the mixture. Spread a third of the curing mixture on the flesh of that fillet.
• Spread the remaining third of the curing mixture on the flesh side of the other fillet. Sprinkle the dill, if using, over both fillets.
• Lay the second fillet flesh to flesh on the first fillet. Sprinkle the remaining curing mixture over the skin of the top fillet.
• Cover the fillets and baking sheet or pan with foil or plastic wrap. Place a cutting board or second baking sheet on top of the covered fish and top it with something heavy (cans, pots, or pans) to weigh the fish down. Place it all in the fridge and let chill for about 12 hours or overnight.
• Remove from the fridge, unwrap, and discard the accumulated liquid in the pan. Turn over the fillets so the bottom one is on top.
• Cover the pan, weigh down the fish again, and return to the refrigerator. Let chill another 12 hours.
• The fish is now cured and ready to serve, but it will continue to benefit from another 12 to 24 hours of being weighed down and chilled, so feel free to repeat these steps a second time around.
• When ready to eat, pat dry, and thinly slice the gravlax against the grain using a very sharp knife.
• Serve and enjoy.

MAPLE CURED SALMON

Steps:

• Whisk syrup and salt in small bowl until well combined.
• Place salmon in a container just big enough to hold them in a single layer.
• Pour syrup mixture over top, cover tightly and refrigerate overnight.
• Remove salmon from the brine and place on a roasting rack.
• Let it drain briefly; bake in a preheated 400F oven for 5- 7 minutes (depending on the thickness of the fish).
• To judge doneness, squeeze the fish or prod with a thin-bladed knife.
• The flesh should just begin to flake and will be moist and juicy inside.
• Meanwhile, place Chardonnay, mustard and cream into a small pot and bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 8- 10 minutes to allow liquid to reduce and sauce to thicken.
• Reserve& keep hot while the salmon cooks.
• Just before serving, add the chives and swirl to combine.

SALT AND SUGAR CURED SALMON

Steps:

• Mix the equal portions of salt and sugar. Pour the mixture over the salmon and rub it gently on both sides. Put the salmon in a tray, cover it with cling film and put in the refrigerator overnight.
• Snap off the hard woody ends of the asparagus. Take two of the asparagus and finely slice them on a mandolin grater and put the strips into a bowl of iced water. This will make them curl and become firm and crisp. Put the rest of the asparagus in boiling water for 15-30 seconds, then transfer to iced water.
• Tear the rye bread into chunks. Melt and brown some butter (25 gr.) in a pan and fry the chunks of bread in the butter, so they are crunchy on the outside and still soft on the inside. When the croutons are done, salt them lightly and put them on a piece of paper towel to drain off the fat.
• Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Add a pinch of salt and a dash of vinegar to the boiling water. The vinegar makes the whites firm even faster to prevent them from breaking up in the water.
• Break the eggs into a cup. Turn off the heat and make a swirl in the water with a spoon. The swirl helps the egg white wrap around the yolk. Gently slide the eggs into the swirl and let them poach for about 3 minutes. When the eggs are ready take them out and leave them to dry on a piece of paper.
• Cut the salmon into thick slices, around 1.5 cm. Sear the cured slices of salmon on one side in olive oil on a pan for about a minute so the salmon gets a light crust on one side.
• Melt the rest of the butter (25 gr.) in the pan and add the white wine. Glaze the asparagus in the butter and wine for a minute. Add the slices of shallot and the chopped parsley and give it a stir with the asparagus.
• Arrange the poached eggs in the middle of a plate and place the salmon slices, asparagus and crunchy rye bread chunks around the eggs. Garnish with the raw asparagus strips, red currants, dill stalks and wood sorrel leaves.

DRY-CURED SMOKED SALMON

Steps:

• To make the dry cure, combine all the ingredients. This will make about one cup. The mixture may be kept, covered, for six months or more. For this recipe, you will need four tablespoons.
• Rub each salmon fillet on both sides with two tablespoons of the dry cure and place in a glass baking dish. Refrigerate for six hours, or overnight.
• Remove fillets from the dish and rinse quickly under running water, just to remove excess cure. Place fillets on a raised grid surface to allow air to circulate around them. Leave to dry for three hours, or until the surface is dry and shiny.
• Forty-five minutes before cooking, light the charcoal fire.
• When ready to cook, throw a handful of wood chips on the coals. Add hot water to the water pan of the smoker, or an improvised smoker (see note). Place the fillets on the grid over the water pan. Cover with the lid and leave the fish for at least 45 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fish. Check periodically and replenish the fuel or chips if necessary. The smoker temperature should not exceed 190 degrees (use an oven thermometer). The fish is done when the flesh is firm to the touch.
• In a mixing bowl, whisk the olive oil, lemon juice and pepper to blend.
• Remove the fish from the grill and cut crosswise into serving pieces. Serve the fish immediately on its own with the vinaigrette, or on a bed of greens dressed with the vinaigrette.