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Citrus-Cured Arctic Char

  • Author: Chef Jason Bangerter
  • Prep Time: 15 mins
  • Cook Time: 4 hours
  • Total Time: 4 hours 15 mins
  • Yield: 12 to 16 1x
  • Category: Fish & Seafood
  • Cuisine: Canadian

Description

This recipe is the key to a burst of flavour when curing fish. It is the first step of cold smoking your own salmon but after this step, it tastes so good that I eat it right away! To really showcase the freshness of the ingredients, I serve the cured fish with the fresh products used in the cure.


Scale

Ingredients

Citrus Cure

  • 500g (1 pound or 2 cups cups)sea salt
  • 500g (1 pound or 2 cups) white sugar
  • 3 lemons, peels only, using a vegetable peeler
  • 3 limes, peels only, using a vegetable peeler
  • 3 oranges, peels only, using a vegetable peeler
  • 6 pieces lemon grass, crushed and cut on a thin bias (about 1/8” to 1/4” thick)
  • 20g (1/4 cup) white peppercorns
  • 20g (1/4 cup) coriander seeds, crushed
  • 1 bunch fresh coriander, washed and chopped with roots
  • 1 bunch fresh tarragon, washed and chopped (my note: at the Luma tasting, they used lemon verbena)
  • 8 star anise, crushed

Fish

  • 3 to 4 pounds Arctic char or salmon fillets

Instructions

  1. Leaving the skin on, fillet, scale and clean the fish.
  2. Mix all the cure ingredients. Line a non-reactive pan with some of the mixture.
  3. Place the prepared fillets skin side down on the mixture, being careful not to overlap them.
  4. Top with more cure mixture and continue until all the fillets are covered.
  5. For a 3-4 lb fillet (salmon) allow to cure for 18-20 hours in the fridge. Wipe off cure when the fish has the desired texture and flavour. For smaller fish you would adjust the time in the cure. For a thin fillet of Arctic char, 4-6 hours would be fine.
  6. To serve, wash off the cure and thinly slice or cut the fish. Serve with a light salad of mixed greens, shaved raw fennel, citrus segments, coriander leaves and good quality olive oil.
  7. Tip: For a bigger punch of flavour, blend the cure in a food processor before curing.

Notes

This recipe is generously shared by Executive Chef Jason Bangerter, Luma and O&B Canteen