Is the purpose of all the herbs and other seasonings to cover up the taste of the salmon?
Do you Gravlax? Recipe added, #23.
- Thread starter ASA335
- Start date
That sounds like it could even improve the flavor of a flip-flop sandal!
What is the ratio of sour cream to mayo, pray tell?
Her basic recipe;
1 cup sour cream
¾ cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions
2 teaspoons dried dill weed
2 tablespoons lemon juice
OP
Gravlax Recipe
Ingredients
Salmon Filet, often just the tail end or the belly where the meat is thinner
Kosher Salt, by weight*
Brown Sugar, by weight*
Fresh Dill Weed, enough to just cover both sides of the salmon
Freshly ground Black Pepper, to taste
* Determine the amount of salt and sugar by weighing the salmon in grams, and then using fifteen (15) percent of that as your weight measurement (rounded up) for each. Example: If the salmon weighs 1025 grams, 1025 x .015 = 15.375, which rounded up would be 15.4 grams. So you would use 15.4 grams of salt and 15.4 grams of sugar for 1025 grams of salmon. A decent digital kitchen scale comes in handy for many things.
Directions
1. Pat the Salmon Filet with a dry paper towel to remove excess moisture from both sides.
2. Place a clean medium to large bowl upside-down on a kitchen work surface. Place the filet, skin side down, over the bowl to cause the filet to arch over the bowl. This will make pin-bones easier to see or feel. Use a clean tweezers or needle-nosed pliers to remove any pin-bones by pulling the bones straight out. Discard the bones.
3. Mix the Kosher Salt and Brown Sugar together in a bowl to make the cure.
4. Using two similar casserole dishes or baking pans, line one of the dishes/pans (this will be the bottom dish/pan) with two sheets of kitchen plastic wrap, forming a cross with these sheets that is long enough to be folded over the entirety of the salmon.
5. Spread a bit less than one-half of the cure on the plastic wrap where the salmon will be laid. Evenly place one-half of the fresh Dill Weed on top of the cure. The idea is to have maximum cure and dill coverage for the skin side of the salmon.
6. Sprinkle the desired amount of Black Pepper on to both sides of the salmon.
7. Lay the salmon, skin side down, atop of the cure/dill in the dish/pan.
8. Spread the remaining cure on top of the flesh side of the salmon. Gently rub and spread the cure so all surfaces, nooks and crannies, are covered with the cure. Evenly place the other one-half of the dill on top of the flesh side cure. The idea is to have maximum cure and dill coverage for the flesh side of the salmon.
9. Fold the opposing ends of the plastic wrap over the salmon to create a tight plastic envelope, holding all the cure and dill snugly against the salmon.
10. Place the second dish/pan, bottom down, on top of the salmon. Place weights (I usually use two 28 oz cans of tomatoes) into the top dish/pan. The idea is to spread the weight, via the dish/pan, over the salmon, aiding in the extraction of fluids from the salmon as the salmon cures.
11. Place the whole shebang in to the refrigerator for about three days. You need to take this out once a day, two or three times during the cure, clean out any fluid spillage in/on the dishes/pans, flip the salmon package over, place the weighted dish/pan back on top, and then return to the refrigerator.
The salmon will be cured when finger pressure indicates that the salmon has become firmer, all the way across and through, than it was when it was first wrapped up.
12. Unwrap the salmon. Rinse the cure/dill off of the surface of the cured salmon. The idea is to just get the excess cure/dill off, not to extract the cure and flavor out of the salmon. Dry with paper towel. Place, uncovered, on a plate and return to the refrigerator for a few hours, or over night, to let the salmon's surface dry a bit more (it should have a tacky or dull appearance).
To store: I use a plastic food storage bag, pressing out much of the air in the bag, and seal it for short term storage (a couple of weeks I think - mine always gets eaten in less than that, so I'm not sure). This can also be wrapped and frozen to last for months in the freezer. If it starts to smell off, it is.
To serve: Thinly slice across the grain at a 45 degree angle or less. This will give you long and wide slices with the wavy fat lines visible. Do not include any skin. I am able to turn the blade just as it slices to the skin, thus avoiding cutting through the skin. Use as an appetizer or snack. Add to a cracker, slice of bread or toast, atop a salad, or???? Do a computer or cookbook search for ideas. I like a bit of cream cheese, with either a bit of pickled onion or small frond of fresh dill, with each slice of this salmon.
Enjoy!
Ingredients
Salmon Filet, often just the tail end or the belly where the meat is thinner
Kosher Salt, by weight*
Brown Sugar, by weight*
Fresh Dill Weed, enough to just cover both sides of the salmon
Freshly ground Black Pepper, to taste
* Determine the amount of salt and sugar by weighing the salmon in grams, and then using fifteen (15) percent of that as your weight measurement (rounded up) for each. Example: If the salmon weighs 1025 grams, 1025 x .015 = 15.375, which rounded up would be 15.4 grams. So you would use 15.4 grams of salt and 15.4 grams of sugar for 1025 grams of salmon. A decent digital kitchen scale comes in handy for many things.
Directions
1. Pat the Salmon Filet with a dry paper towel to remove excess moisture from both sides.
2. Place a clean medium to large bowl upside-down on a kitchen work surface. Place the filet, skin side down, over the bowl to cause the filet to arch over the bowl. This will make pin-bones easier to see or feel. Use a clean tweezers or needle-nosed pliers to remove any pin-bones by pulling the bones straight out. Discard the bones.
3. Mix the Kosher Salt and Brown Sugar together in a bowl to make the cure.
4. Using two similar casserole dishes or baking pans, line one of the dishes/pans (this will be the bottom dish/pan) with two sheets of kitchen plastic wrap, forming a cross with these sheets that is long enough to be folded over the entirety of the salmon.
5. Spread a bit less than one-half of the cure on the plastic wrap where the salmon will be laid. Evenly place one-half of the fresh Dill Weed on top of the cure. The idea is to have maximum cure and dill coverage for the skin side of the salmon.
6. Sprinkle the desired amount of Black Pepper on to both sides of the salmon.
7. Lay the salmon, skin side down, atop of the cure/dill in the dish/pan.
8. Spread the remaining cure on top of the flesh side of the salmon. Gently rub and spread the cure so all surfaces, nooks and crannies, are covered with the cure. Evenly place the other one-half of the dill on top of the flesh side cure. The idea is to have maximum cure and dill coverage for the flesh side of the salmon.
9. Fold the opposing ends of the plastic wrap over the salmon to create a tight plastic envelope, holding all the cure and dill snugly against the salmon.
10. Place the second dish/pan, bottom down, on top of the salmon. Place weights (I usually use two 28 oz cans of tomatoes) into the top dish/pan. The idea is to spread the weight, via the dish/pan, over the salmon, aiding in the extraction of fluids from the salmon as the salmon cures.
11. Place the whole shebang in to the refrigerator for about three days. You need to take this out once a day, two or three times during the cure, clean out any fluid spillage in/on the dishes/pans, flip the salmon package over, place the weighted dish/pan back on top, and then return to the refrigerator.
The salmon will be cured when finger pressure indicates that the salmon has become firmer, all the way across and through, than it was when it was first wrapped up.
12. Unwrap the salmon. Rinse the cure/dill off of the surface of the cured salmon. The idea is to just get the excess cure/dill off, not to extract the cure and flavor out of the salmon. Dry with paper towel. Place, uncovered, on a plate and return to the refrigerator for a few hours, or over night, to let the salmon's surface dry a bit more (it should have a tacky or dull appearance).
To store: I use a plastic food storage bag, pressing out much of the air in the bag, and seal it for short term storage (a couple of weeks I think - mine always gets eaten in less than that, so I'm not sure). This can also be wrapped and frozen to last for months in the freezer. If it starts to smell off, it is.
To serve: Thinly slice across the grain at a 45 degree angle or less. This will give you long and wide slices with the wavy fat lines visible. Do not include any skin. I am able to turn the blade just as it slices to the skin, thus avoiding cutting through the skin. Use as an appetizer or snack. Add to a cracker, slice of bread or toast, atop a salad, or???? Do a computer or cookbook search for ideas. I like a bit of cream cheese, with either a bit of pickled onion or small frond of fresh dill, with each slice of this salmon.
Enjoy!
OP
Thanks!
I do appreciate this. The wife is looking forward to using this.
Thank you,
I do appreciate this. The wife is looking forward to using this.
Thank you,
OP
