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
- Leaving the skin on, fillet, scale and clean the fish.
- Mix all the cure ingredients. Line a non-reactive pan with some of the mixture.
- Place the prepared fillets skin side down on the mixture, being careful not to overlap them.
- Top with more cure mixture and continue until all the fillets are covered.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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