Cured salmon

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

  1. Prepare the salmon by removing the skin and pin bones and trimming off any tissue. Set aside in the refrigerator.
  2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a food processor and process until the peppercorns and citrus zest are well blended.
  3. 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. 
  4. 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.

CIA FOODIES


Citrus-Cured Salmon

Cured salmon
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

  1. Prepare the salmon by removing the skin and pin bones and trimming off any tissue. Set aside in the refrigerator.
  2. Combine the remaining ingredients in a food processor and process until the peppercorns and citrus zest are well blended.
  3. 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. 
  4. 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.

Copyright © 2024 The Culinary Institute of America

5 Comments

  1. Recipe is incomplete.

  2. 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

  3. vowtowin@gmail.com

    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

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