Citrus Cured Salmon Food

CITRUS-CURED SALMON

Steps:

• Combine salt, granulated sugar, brown sugar, peppercorns, coriander seeds, fennel seeds, and red pepper flakes in a medium bowl. Spread half of curing mix in the center of a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet roughly the same size as the fish. Place fish, skin side down, on curing mixture. Spread lemon zest, lime zest, and orange zest evenly over fish; cover with remaining curing mixture. Bring edges of foil up and over salmon and crimp to enclose. Place another baking sheet on top of salmon and weigh down with several large cans or a heavy pot. Chill, unwrapping and flipping fish halfway through, 24 hours.
• Rinse fish and pat dry; place, skin side down, on a cutting board. Using your longest, sharpest knife and wiping down blade with a moist towel between slices, cut on a diagonal 1/8"-1/4" thick, leaving skin behind.
• Do Ahead
• Salmon can be cured 3 days ahead. Cover tightly and chill.

CITRUS-CURED SALMON GRAVADLAX

Steps:

• Tip all the ingredients for the salt mix into a food processor and whizz until everything is combined and the spices are completely ground.
• Stroke your hand along the salmon fillet to check for any stray bones. If you find any, pull them out with a pair of tweezers or small pliers.
• To skin the salmon fillet, lay the fish skin-side down with the tail end closest to you. Insert your knife at an angle at the tail end and cut through the flesh to the skin. Turn the blade so it's almost flat against the skin, then take hold of the skin with the other hand. Pull and wiggle the skin towards you so as to cut the fillet away. Halfway through removing the skin, hold the knife firmly and flip the fillet over. Gently lift the fillet away from the skin and discard the skin. Trim away the thinner part, plus any fat around the edges, so that the fillet has an even shape.
• Scatter about a third of the salt mix onto a large tray in a line about the size of the salmon fillet. Lay the salmon, skinned-side down, over the salt and pack the rest of the salt on top. Cover with cling film, put another tray on top and weigh it down with a few cans or an empty casserole dish. Leave in the fridge overnight or for at least 10 hrs.
• Under cold running water, wash the salt mix off the salmon fillet, then dry with kitchen paper. Finely chop the dill. Lay the salmon on a board and cover with the dill, pressing it down to pack it onto the salmon.
• If serving as a plated starter, use a sharp carving knife to cut the salmon straight down into fine slices, allowing 6 slices for each plate.
• To make the horseradish cream, whisk together the cream and crème fraîche. Add the horseradish, lemon juice and seasoning, then continue to whisk until thick. Dress the salad leaves in a little olive oil. You are now ready to plate up.
• Arrange a neat pile of baby salad leaves in the centre of each plate. Curl slices of the salmon into bow shapes around the leaves. Continue all the way around the plate in a petal fashion. Use 2 teaspoons to make small quenelles of horseradish cream and spoon each into each bowl.

VODKA AND CITRUS CURED SALMON

Steps:

• Remove any tiny pin bones from the salmon with a pair of needle nose pliers or tweezers. Rinse the salmon under cold running water and pat dry. Place salmon, skin side down, on several large sheets of plastic wrap.
• In a small mixing bowl, combine salt, sugar, dill, vodka and lemon, lime and orange zests. Spread the sugar/salt/citrus mixture evenly over the fleshy side of the fish, pressing it into the flesh. Wrap the salmon tightly in the plastic wrap and place skin side down n a large baking dish. Place a flat glass or ceramic dish on top of the salmon and weight the dish with several heavy cans or a brick and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 48 hours.
• Unwrap the salmon and rinse all of the cure off under cold, running water. Pat dry and slice diagonally into paper-thin slices.

ONE DAY CITRUS CURED SALMON

Steps:

• Place salmon on a sheet pan covered with plastic (skin side down). Finely chop the zest of the three fruits. Sprinkle the zest on the salmon pushing it gently into the flesh. Pour the liquor and orange extract over the salmon. In a separate bowl, mix the salt and brown sugar and coarsely ground peppercorns. Pour the mixture over the salmon, pressing it into the flesh. The coating should be so thick you can't see the salmon underneath. Wrap with plastic. Put an additional sheet pan on top of the salmon and weigh it down with something heavy. Make sure the weight is distributed evenly and put in the refrigerator for 24 hours. Remove from the refrigerator and wipe off the aromatic coating. Slice on the bias and serve.

CITRUS-CURED SALMON

Steps:

• Wash and blot dry the salmon fillet, removing pin bones. Fillets can have skin either on or off, as the skin can be removed later.
• Because lots of fluid will be drawn off the fish while curing, using a deep platter or baking dish (large enough to accommodate the salmon fillet) is essential. Line the platter/baking dish horizontally and vertically with two pieces of plastic wrap, long enough for wrapping the salmon and overlapping the edges.
• Thoroughly combine citrus zests with salt and sugar.
• Place salmon skin side down atop the plastic wrap in the serving platter.
• Thoroughly massage the citrus/salt/sugar cure into fleshy side of fish.
• Bringing sides of plastic up, tightly seal the salmon in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2--3 days. (Usually two days is enough) Due to the large amount of fluid drawn out of the fish, it will become very firm. Some recipes advise weighting it down, but I have not done so.
• Once removed from the plastic wrap, thoroughly rinse cure from salmon and using a sharp knife, remove the skin.
• Wrap in plastic film again and place in freezer for 12 hours.
• Remove from freezer, unwrap from plastic film and slice thinly by holding a sharp knife almost parallel to counter, slicing on the diagonal of the fillet, almost shaving.
• Enjoy in your favorite recipe using lox-style salmon. Toss with pasta in a cream sauce, top a pizza crust and add goat cheese, dill, and scallion. Serve in hearty scooped out cucumber cups with cream cream cheese and dill. Or just enjoy plain with brown bread, butter or mayo, slivered red onion, sliced tomato, and capers.

CITRUS-CURED SALMON

Steps:

• In a small bowl, stir salt and sugar to combine. In another small bowl, combine orange, lemon and lime zest; set aside.
• Place a sheet of parchment paper-lined aluminum foil, large enough to extend beyond the length of the salmon, on work surface. Spread one-third the salt mixture in center of parchment-lined foil; place salmon skin-side down on salt bed. Sprinkle zest mixture evenly over salmon and top with remaining salt mixture; salmon should be completely covered.
• Fold foil up to contain salt; place a second sheet of parchment paper-lined aluminum foil over salmon and firmly crimp sheets together to form a tight package in which salt mixture is in contact with all surfaces of salmon. Transfer salmon packet to a baking sheet. Set a pan or large dish on top of salmon; top with cans or bricks to weight down. Transfer to refrigerator; refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Unwrap salmon and remove it from salt mixture. Rinse salmon and pat dry using paper towels. Set salmon on a rack or paper towel-lined tray and refrigerate 8 to 24 hours more.

CITRUSY ROASTED SALMON AND POTATOES

Steps:

• Set a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 425 degrees.
• In a medium bowl, combine the olive oil, clementine or mandarin juice, lime juice, cilantro, shallot and garlic; set aside citrus sauce.
• Scrub the potatoes and slice them into ¼-inch-thick rounds. In a large (12-inch) cast-iron skillet (or similar oven-safe pan), fan out the potato rounds, overlapping them a little, to cover the surface of the skillet. Season well with salt (about 1 to 1½ teaspoons) and black pepper to taste. Sprinkle on a few red-pepper flakes. Stir the oil and citrus juice mixture to combine again, and spoon half of the sauce over the potatoes. Place the skillet in the oven and roast for 20 minutes, until the edges start to turn golden.
• Remove the skillet from the oven, season the salmon well with salt (about 1½ teaspoons) and pepper to taste and place the salmon on top of the potatoes, skin side down. Sprinkle with a few more red-pepper flakes. Spoon the rest of the citrus sauce over the salmon and top the fish with the citrus slices. Place the skillet back in the oven and roast until the salmon is cooked through to your liking, 10 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the salmon.

BEETROOT-CURED SALMON WITH CITRUS SALAD & CARAMELISED WALNUTS

Steps:

• Finely grate the beetroot and mix with the lemon zest, tarragon, sugar and salt.
• 2 Line a shallow dish with several layers of cling film in different directions, so it hangs over the edges. Spoon in half the beetroot mixture, drizzle with half the gin and put the salmon fillet on top. Spread the rest of the beetroot mix on top of the salmon, drizzle over the rest of the gin, then wrap as tightly as possible in the cling film. Leave to cure in the fridge for 48-72 hrs, turning the salmon occasionally (the longer you leave it, the firmer it becomes). Drain off any liquid as it escapes.
• When the salmon is cured, scrape off the salt mixture really well, then rinse with cold water and dry well.
• For the salad, put the sugar in a pan with 2 tbsp water and melt over a low heat. Bring to the boil and bubble until you have a golden caramel. Add the walnuts and mix together to coat. Tip onto a baking sheet lined with greased baking parchment and leave to cool.
• Segment the citrus fruits over a bowl to catch the juice. Cut each segment into two or three pieces. Mix 4 tbsp of the juice with a pinch of salt and sugar, and plenty of black pepper. Whisk in the oil.
• Finely slice the salmon. Divide the watercress and fruit segments between eight plates, then top with salmon. Scatter over the walnuts, drizzle over the dressing and serve.

GRAVLAX (SWEDISH SUGAR AND SALT CURED SALMON)

Steps:

• Remove any small bones from the fillets with a pair of tweezers or needle-nosed pliers.
• Mix the sugar, salt and pepper in a bowl.
• Cover the bottom of a baking dish with 1/3 the dill and rub half of the sugar-salt mixture into the first fillet, on both sides, and lay it skin side down on top of the dill.
• Cover with 1/3 of dill.
• Prepare the other salmon fillet in the same way, and cover with the remaining fillet, skin side up, with the remaining dill on top.
• Cover in plastic wrap, place a cutting board with some heavy weights on top and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
• Remove from plastic wrap and discard accumulated juices.
• Rewrap and refrigerate another 24- 48 hours.
• Scrape off the marinade and slice paper thin.
• Serve with Mustard Dill Sauce (Recipe #68168).