Salted salmon is a great cold appetizer. Moreover, it is universal, because it is in harmony with almost any alcoholic beverages, except for the sweetest ones. At least once you should try to salt the salmon yourself. It will be cheaper for the wallet, and the fish itself will be healthier.
Is there a salmon fish
If you start looking in the store for fish labeled "salmon", you probably won't find it. The fact is that we are used to calling any fish from the salmon family that way. Manufacturers indicate a specific species on the label.
Salmonids include:
- trout;
- salmon;
- pink salmon;
- chum;
- red salmon;
- coho salmon, etc.
It is under these names that salmon can be found in stores. This is just a small fraction of the representatives of the salmon family. All of them are united by red meat with excellent taste.
Why is it better to pickle salmon yourself
In stores, salted salmon is usually sold in vacuum packaging. However, this does not guarantee product quality. As a rule, the package contains red fish from Norway or the Faroe Islands. Looks pretty but raised in captivity. That is why its meat is softer, but too fatty. And in taste, it is inferior to wild Far Eastern sockeye or Murmansk salmon. The farther north the fish lived, the tastier it is.
Homemade salting of salmon guarantees the use of a good product, the absence of any preservatives and liquid smoke, which producers usually like to sin. Some of them use salting as one of the ways to mask fish that are not fresh.
Which salmon to choose for pickling
For home salting, you can take almost any red fish. The best option is salmon, trout, sockeye salmon, coho salmon and chum salmon. A relatively budget pink salmon is also suitable. Only her appearance is the most unpresentable of all salmonids. Pink salmon meat is gray rather than red, and is the worst in keeping its shape when sliced.
Many people tend to buy chilled fish carcasses for salting. You can safely take frozen food. Most likely, chilled fish - in the recent past, the same frozen. Anglers usually freeze the catch on board immediately, as they can be at sea for several days or even weeks.
Try to buy domestic fish for salting. As mentioned above, in Russia so far the artificial breeding of salmonids is not as strongly developed as in Norway, therefore, the risk of running into "greenhouse" fish of little use is almost reduced to zero.
How to properly cut salmon for pickling
Butchering is perhaps the only drawback in home salting of red fish. This activity is not pleasant, but it only takes 20-25 minutes.
It is more convenient to cut the fish not with a knife, but with scissors. Try not to defrost the food completely, otherwise it will be more difficult to work with.
First, rinse the fish under running water. Cut off the head, if any, and the tail.
If the fish is not gutted, make an incision in the abdomen and remove the entrails. Use a knife or special tool to clean off the scales. You don't have to do this. However, if there are too many scales, then it is better to remove it. Rinse the fish again under running water.
Cut the skin on the ridge, going around on two or only one side. Separate the ridge, reaching the spine, and then carefully peel the meat from the back from the bones.
Cut the fins off the peritoneum. Turn the carcass over so that the bones are on top and the part to be separated is on the bottom. Separate the meat from the ribs, and then from the tail of the ridge. It is more convenient to do this with a medium-length knife.
If there are tapes left inside, be sure to remove them. They usually come off along with the ribs. Cut out the fin from the back and bottom of the tail.
Use a knife to separate the ridge from the other half of the fish. It is also more advisable to start from the top, and then remove the ribs.
The result of the process will be two halves of red fish fillets. The most tender and more expressive meat is closer to the head. It is better to use it for salting.
How long does it take to salt salmon
Salting red fish takes only 8-10 hours. In this case, it will turn out to be slightly salted. However, sanitary doctors recommend increasing the salting time at least twice. Tapeworms may be present in the flesh of the fish, especially if it lived in fresh waters. It is better to play it safe and extend the salting time at least up to a day. The salmon will be saltier, but safer.
If you want to stop the salting process, simply drain the fish juice and cut it into pieces. It is not necessary to wipe, especially soak, as many do.
note
Of no small importance is the place where the fish will stand during salting. She needs cool conditions, with temperatures no higher than 2 ° C. It's cold enough to the point of freezing. The ideal option is the so-called freshness zones in the refrigerator. However, not everyone has them. Therefore, choose the coldest place in the house, but with positive temperatures. If you leave the fish in a room where it is usually about 20 ° C, it can start to go out.
At home, salted salmon can be stored for no more than 4-5 days. Depends on how cool the place is and how clean your hands were when you cook it.
How to pickle salmon: a classic recipe
- 2 tbsp. l. Sahara;
- 1 tbsp. l. salt.
- Mix sugar and salt. If you are limited in time to 5-7 hours, use finely ground salt, and first "run" the sugar through a blender to grind it. Otherwise, the salmon simply will not have time to salt properly in such a short time.
- If desired, add salt and sugar with spices, but this will already be a departure from the classic recipe. Bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns will do. Dill is in harmony with salmon. However, this is all a matter of taste, not everyone likes the presence of extraneous odors, even pleasant ones.
- Sprinkle the mixture over the fish fillets. If you want the salmon to be more tender, brush it with unscented vegetable oil before salting.
- Place the fillets in a bowl with the skin on top. Cover the dishes with a lid or cling film. If the fillets are thick, place a weight on top to cook better and faster. After a few hours, the fish will begin to secrete juice, in which it will subsequently be salted.
When serving, top with lemon wedges and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper.
How to cook lightly salted salmon the Swedish way
This recipe is interesting because the ingredients include vodka. Combined with dill, it gives salmon a spicy and rich flavor.
- 2 tbsp. l. coarse sea salt;
- 1 tbsp. l. Sahara;
- 2 tbsp. l. vodka;
- freshly ground black pepper to taste;
- 1/2 bunch fresh dill
- Mix sugar, salt and pepper. The latter must necessarily be freshly ground. If you don't have a grinder, grind the pepper in a mortar or mash mallet.
- Divide the fillet into two halves and pour the vodka over the pulp side. You don't need to pour alcohol on your skin.
- Rub both fillet halves with a mixture of salt, sugar and pepper. Place one part in a bowl, place a few dill twigs on top and cover with the other half.
- Wrap the fish in plastic wrap and place in a cool place for 18-24 hours. During this time, turn the fillets a couple of times.
Before serving, cut the salmon into thin pieces and pour over the marinade that was formed during the salting process. You can add mustard sauce to the fish. To make it, simply mix Dijon mustard with olive oil, honey and chopped dill.
An ideal side dish for such fish is boiled potatoes.
