Discover how to cure salmon using this simple method. Although the procedure is really straightforward, there are countless possible modifications. This cries out for customization, whether you’re talking about the brine or the seasonings used after the cure. To make the food taste more like lox, you could add smoked salt, chipotle, or smoked paprika before or after the cure. And don’t even get me started on the herbs. You can garnish your slices with dill, tarragon, chervil, or thyme after the 3-minute cure.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Additional Time: | 2 hrs |
| Total Time: | 2 hrs 15 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
Ingredients
- 2 ½ cups cold water
- ½ cup kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal®)
- ⅓ cup white sugar
- 1 pound center-cut salmon fillet, pin bones removed
Instructions
- Whisk together cold water, salt, and sugar in a large bowl until sugar and salt are completely dissolved. Set brine aside.
- Cut salmon along one side of the center connective tissue to the skin but not through. Turn the knife parallel to the cutting board and cut salmon meat from skin. Repeat on the remaining side; discard skin and connective tissue. Cut each fillet into 1/4-inch slices.
- Working in batches of 5, place slices in brine for 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove cured slices to a wire rack; blot gently with paper towels.
- Arrange cured salmon in a single layer on a platter, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until chilled, 2 hours to overnight.
- The nutrition data for this recipe includes the full amount of the curing ingredients. The actual amount of the cure consumed will vary.
Reviews
great as is so no changes. I would however caution a single person unless making this for a large gathering start with a smaller portion
This is remarkable! The pleasing buttery texture of lox with a tiny fraction of the effort. I did learn that the thickness of each piece is critical to the timing. A few slices were too thin and I left them in the brine one extra minute resulting in those pieces being a touch to salty. Resting in the fridge overnight seems essential to me. It was a little to close to sashimi after only a couple hours. I can’t wait to try again. This time I’ll use a skinless filet to see if that isn’t all the simpler to get perfect quarter inch thick slices.
I was a bit skeptical to try this, but it turned very good. Next time I’ll add more smoked paprika and maybe some liquid smoke to further infuse the smoked flavor.
Tried recipe as listed. Sprinkled fresh dill on salmon before refrigerating. A bit of lemon juice on it before serving is wonder.
I love to experiment with making sushi at home, but the raw fish part makes me nervous. This recipe let us have that velvety smooth texture we love in salmon sushi without the raw fish. I only made 1/2 the batch listed and I was so amazed at how easy it was and how much more rewarding serving my sushi felt.
Fantastic dish. I followed the recipe and added dried dill from the garden last year after the cure. Very nice.
I love this! Fantastic recipe!