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Lightly Salted Pink Salmon at Home
Instructions
Wash the pink salmon, wipe it dry, remove the head and tail and clean out the belly.
Cut the flesh, skin and all, from both sides of the backbone (if the fish were not heavily frozen you could remove the skin as well, but shop-bought pink salmon without its skin will simply fall apart).
Cut the carcasses into 2-3 pieces.
Trim all the offcuts, remove the gills and set the whole lot aside for fish soup.
Pour about a litre of cold water into any container. Add enough salt that it stops dissolving after stirring and settles on the bottom. Add the sugar.
Lower the fish in – if it does not sink, the density is good and the brine has been made correctly. From this moment, start timing: hold pieces with skin in the solution for exactly 2.5 minutes, pieces without skin for 2 minutes.
Lay the pink salmon out in a single layer on a flat dish.
Put the prepared fish in the freezer. After 2-3 hours it will be frozen enough.
Combine all the sauce ingredients, squeezing in the juice of half an orange.
Brush the pink salmon with the sauce on both sides.
Now the fish needs to be dried. You can simply do this at room temperature, or you can switch on a fan. The most efficient way, though, is in an electric dryer or dehydrator. I set the temperature to 45 degrees.
After 3 hours, the lightly salted pink salmon, with its exquisite flavour, will be ready.To serve, I brush the fish with a thin layer of olive oil and cut it into individual portions. With beer and croutons it is the best appetiser there is. That said, this pink salmon can grace a festive table too – it goes wonderfully with open sandwiches on buttered bread.Do give it a try, and enjoy your meal!
Tips
- 1
THE BRINE MUST BE SATURATED – add salt until it settles. Only in such a strong solution does the isothermal reaction work: the fish "cures" in minutes rather than hours.
- 2
2 MINUTES AND NOT A SECOND MORE – go by the timer. Overdo it and you get a "salt slab". With skin it is 2.5 minutes, without skin exactly 2 minutes.
- 3
DO NOT USE LEMON – citric acid will "bleach" the fish and the lovely pink colour will be lost. Orange only!
- 4
DEHYDRATOR AT 45 °C FOR 3 HOURS – the professional approach. Without one, use a fan at room temperature (5-6 hours). The same principle works in other kinds of home curing of red fish.
FAQ
How do I choose pink salmon? +
Fresh-frozen pink salmon should have silvery skin with no yellow film and no cracks. A size of 1-1.2 kg is ideal for the recipe. The male is fattier than the female – he has a "hump" and an elongated lower jaw, while the female has an even body. If it is sold without the head, judge by its "thickness": a fatty fish is firm. Far Eastern pink salmon (from Kamchatka or Sakhalin) is better than Atlantic. The brands Russkoye More, Agama and Okean are tried and tested. Thaw it in the fridge for 8-12 hours, or in cold water in a sealed bag for 2-3 hours. Do NOT use the microwave and do NOT use hot water.
What can I replace the orange in the sauce with? +
Alternatives are grapefruit (more bitter, for a "grown-up" taste), mandarin (sweeter and gentler) or fresh mandarin juice (for a winter version). Do NOT use lemon – citric acid will bleach the colour of the fish. Freshly squeezed orange juice is a convenient option that saves you having to cut up an orange. For a "spicy version", add ginger juice (1 tsp). For a "premium" version, add mandarin liqueur such as Cointreau (1 tbsp). Soy sauce is the base of the marinade, so do not replace it with anything else (only tamari, the gluten-free equivalent). Without orange juice the sauce will be less vivid and more "salty".
How long does the pink salmon keep? +
In the fridge in a closed container it keeps for 5-7 days (coated with the sauce). Without the coating, 3-4 days. In the freezer, up to 2 months. Thaw it in the fridge for 8-12 hours. After thawing, 2-3 days. Use the finished lightly salted slices within 24 hours, as they lose their freshness faster. For longer storage, use vacuum packaging (it will extend the life to 2 weeks in the fridge). Do not leave it at room temperature for longer than 30 minutes, as the delicate fish spoils quickly. For a large gathering, make a double portion in an airtight container.
What do I serve the pink salmon with? +
The classics: on open sandwiches with black or grey bread, on toast with butter, in rolls and sushi. With light or dark beer it is a "man's serving". With a shot of vodka it is a Russian tradition. With boiled potatoes "in their jackets" it makes a simple supper. On a festive table it is the "Russian herring" reinvented. With capers, thin rings of onion and olives it becomes a restaurant-style serving. It goes with a glass of dry white wine (riesling, sauvignon blanc) or sparkling wine. Add a sprig of dill and a slice of lemon when serving. For a "peasant lunch", serve it with warm potatoes and onion rings dressed in vinegar.
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