Cured salmon – one my most favorite scandinavian delicacies.

In the early days, salmon was often buried in sand to let it ferment and prevent it from going bad too fast, today we “bury” the fish in a lot of salt and sugar. For me personally this is a way of preparing fish that is not only excellent in taste but also very diverse and, as most of my recipes, easy to make. It tastes better than the bought one and it is much cheaper as well if you prepare it yourself. Here we go:

Ingredients:

• one whole fillet of salmon
• 1 dl salt per kg salmon
• 1 dl caster sugar per kg salmon
• dill, fresh or dried, it does not really matter
• liquor
• spices and herbs as you wish

Preparation:

I usually buy a whole fresh filet of salmon when they are extra cheap, sometimes they have a special offer in my fish shop. Mostly it weighs around 2 to 2,5 kg. I cut off the thin end piece and cut the rest in two approximately even pieces:

 

Then I prepare the basic mix of salt, sugar and chopped dill. And now one can show creativity, just add whatever you like: for example coriander and chili, if one wants to go Asian style, or Italian style with basil and/or oregano, or just some crushed rosè pepper. The variations are infinite!

Now I daub the fish generously with liquor. I usually take Cognac, but even Whisky or Gin (Scandinavian style with crushed juniper berries) work fine.

After that I rub the mixture into the fish fillets in thick layers and stack them flesh side towards flesh side.

The thin end piece also finds its space.

I put the whole lot into a big pan with a grid. I bought mine at IKEA. Afterwards I cover everything with a cling film and put it in the fridge. The fish can now ripe and cure for two days, just turn it over 2 to 3 times per day. Done.

Take the pieces apart and scrape the mixture off with the back of a knife.

The salmon has now a wax kind of texture because it has lost a lot of fluids due to the salt. The liquid and a lot of salt and sugar can now be found on the bottom of the pan. I split the salmon into smaller pieces and freeze them separately. Just take it out of the freezer the night before and let it unfreeze in the fridge over night and you get the most wonderful cured salmon for breakfast. By freezing it, the fish is also suitable for pregnant women. I prefer it fresh though.

We,, now we can basically cut it into slices, preferably with a big filleting knife. I got it as a gift. The investment is worth it when you filet a lot of fish. The salmon gets cut at an angle so sections become bigger. Now you can eat it with a fresh butter toast just like that or you can serve them as appetizers before a bbq. It also works together with rösti and some sour cream, or you make Linus sushi 😉

Enjoy and have a lot of fun with burying your fish!