My FABULOUS cousin Reneé sent the fam a salmon she caught in Alaska along with some instructions for curing the baby for lox! With my lil sis and her camera home, we were able to thoroughly document the entire process from unpacking to bagel topping! Check it out!
Ingredients
- Bomb ass delicious cousin caught Alaskan Salmon
- 1 cup salt (she recommends Kosher)
- 1/2 cup sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- wax paper, tin tray, tin foil
- Serving Suggestion: bagel, tomatoes, cream cheese, red onions, capers!
Preparation
1. Thaw salmon
2. Remove from pack and remove skin. Really hard to do! After doing some research, I found some helpful tips. Lay fish skin side down. Salt the tail end (this allows you to have a better grip on the slippery fish while you are cutting). Use a sharp knife!!! (We didn't have one. So frustrating!) Start at tail end and cut away from you. Practice helps to get the angle down for removing all the skin without removing much fish. This was my first time doing it! Meg took lots of pictures of my struggle.
3. Mix salt, sugar and lemon zest.
4. Line a large tin tray (lots of liquid is released in curing process so tray is ideal) with tin foil and then wax paper. YOU DON'T WANT ANY FOIL TO TOUCH THE FISH. Wax paper will be the protector shield!
5. Put half of salt mix on the wax paper and put salmon on top. Pour rest of salt mix on salmon and spread around so that salmon is fully covered.
6. Wrap salmon in wax paper so no part is exposed, then wrap in tin foil so it stays put.
7. Put in fridge and Reneé says to place cutting board (in our case Grimm Fairy Tales book) on top of fish with canned food on top. Compressing the fish aids in the curing.
8. Cure for 24 hours, remove from fridge, rinse very well to remove salt. Careful not to spill juices from curing process on you when unwrapping the fish. I did exactly that, despite Reneé's explicit warning!