Gin Cured Salmon
Starter
Feeds 2-4
Cook Time: 6 Hours - Overnight
Difficulty: Medium
Curing is such an ancient art of preserving food. There’s a certain mystery around it that leads you to think its difficult to master, maybe that it requires special equipment and absolutely ages and that it is definitely unachievable at home! All a load of nonsense! We were curing things way before all the industrial madness started!
How long you leave the salmon in the cure for is entirely up to you and depends how you like to eat it. 6 hours will leave quite a soft texture to the fish, overnight will toughen it up slightly - I normally go overnight. It is generally a bit more crowd pleasing and means you can slice it more thinly. Have a play around and see what suits you!
Once you’ve got your cured fish it will last a week in your fridge unsliced and is a really versatile thing to have around. It goes with all the
There are a crazy number of gins in the world. I keep thinking the bubbles going to burst but then more seems to appear. As with any booze when you are cooking, choose one you like to drink! Try different flavours, they will all make a difference to the finished dish. Try thinking about the flavours within the gin and pair the salmon with something complementary on the plate!
This recipe works wonders with any fish but if you really want to try something apart from salmon, try it with some trout!
INGREDIENTS:
2 Salmon Fillets (approx 120g each)
50ml Gin
1/2 Tsp Juniper Berries
1/2 Tsp Fennel Seeds
1 Bunch Dill
100g Course Sea or Brine Salt
25g Caster Sugar
METHOD:
First skin the salmon fillets. Place them skin side down on a chopping board. Using a thin, sharp knife, start to separate the flesh from the skin and continue for around 1-2cm
Holding the skin flat to the board, flatten your knife and using a gentle sawing motion, run the knife parallel and along the surface of the chopping board to release the skin from the flesh.
In a food processor or blender add the course salt, gin, juniper berries, fennel seeds, dill and sugar and blend until well combined and slightly paste like, to form the cure
Sprinkle some of the cure on the bottom of a shallow bowl or plate. Place the salmon fillets on top and then cover with the rest of the cure. Try to cover all of the salmon, including the sides with the cure
Wrap the bowl in clingfilm and place a light weight on top (I usually use a side plate)
Stick it in the fridge for 6 hours - overnight depending on how cured you like your fish
Once cured, there should be a slight pool of water in the bowl so carefully remove the cling film and rinse under cold running water for 5 minutes to clean and wash away all the remaining cure
Thinly slice or dice the salmon and serve as you wish
I like to serve mine in any way you would serve smoked salmon! With eggs, in a sandwich, as part of a salad or it makes a great canapé with some diced cucumber and mayo on a cracker!
