Description
Who knew curing could be such a delicious process?
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb salmon, boneless and skinless
- 3 medium-sized fresh beets, peeled and grated
- 1/2 cup Kosher salt, not table salt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tbsp locally distilled gin
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 2 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp juniper berries (optional)
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
Instructions
- Begin by peeling and dicing 3 medium sized beets. This should yield around 7 oz of beets.
- Place chopped beets, salt, sugar, coriander, black peppercorns, lemon zest, and gin, into a food processor. Pulse until soupy but still thick and somewhat chunky.
- On a sheet pan, place a long piece of plastic wrap vertically. Place another long piece of plastic wrap horizontally.
- Pour about ⅓ of the mixture onto the plastic wrap and use a rubber spatula to spread it across. It should be evenly distributed and thick enough to not see through it.
- Pour another ⅓ – ½ of the curing mixture onto the exposed skin side of the salmon and, again, use the rubber spatula to spread it. Be liberal in your use of the curing mixture and make sure all of the salmon is covered.
- Wrap the salmon in the plastic wrap as you would a burrito. First wrap one horizontal side, then tuck in both vertical sides, then the other horizontal side. Take another long piece of plastic wrap and giving it a second wrap to prevent excess leakage.
- Place the salmon flat in the refrigerator in a container or sheet pan. Wait 48 hours or more.
- When ready to serve, slice thinly with a sharp knife.
- Plate with fresh yogurt or sour cream, fresh avocado slices, quinoa, capers, chive flowers, and fresh, spicy microgreens like nasturtiums.