Makes 24 servings
Curing salmon at home is an easy project that makes for a big presentation at a special brunch. Serve the cured salmon with toast and your favorite pickled accompaniments, alongside your softly scrambled eggs, or with plenty of cucumbers and hard-boiled eggs.
Ingredients
- 1 (24 oz) salmon fillet
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1 1/2 cups kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- 1/4 cup lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lime zest
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- 20 black peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
Directions
- Prepare the salmon by removing the skin and pin bones and trimming off any tissue. Set aside in the refrigerator.
- Combine the remaining ingredients in a food processor and process until the peppercorns and citrus zest are well blended.
- Sprinkle about half of the seasoning mixture over the bottom of a glass baking dish. Place the salmon on top of the seasonings, then cover evenly with the remaining seasoning. Using a similar sized pan, weigh down the salmon and place in the refrigerator for 2 days.
- Remove the salmon from the refrigerator and rinse to remove the seasoning. Pat dry with a paper towel, and thinly slice to serve. Store any remaining salmon tightly wrapped in the refrigerator.
Recipe is incomplete.
Whoops — sorry about that. Added the rest of Step 3 to weigh down the salmon while it cures.
My husband has to be on a low-salt diet. How little salt can I get away with to cure the fish?
Thank you.
Jackie Antonoff
Step 4, it says “Remove … refrigerator and to remove the seasoning.” Should it say “and rinse to remove”? The next sentence says to pat dry.
Thank you.
Lisa Amtower
Yes, thanks for noticing! We’ve updated the post.