Ruhlman's Twenty (6 page)
Authors: Michael Ruhlman
One side of salmon will be enough to create hors d’oeuvres for 15 to 20 people, or an appetizer or first course for 8 to 10. For an easy canapé, mix some minced red onion or
Macerated Shallots
into crème fraîche, spread it on a crouton, top it with a slice of salmon, and garnish with chives or a little grated lemon zest. Of course, it’s also awesome on a bagel with cream cheese.
1 cup/225 grams kosher salt
½ cup/100 grams sugar
1 tablespoon grated orange zest
1 tablespoon grated grapefruit zest
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon lime zest
One 2- to 3-pound/1- to 1.5-kilogram skin-on salmon fillet, pin bones removed and very thin pieces of flesh trimmed
In a small bowl, combine the salt and sugar and stir to distribute the sugar throughout the salt. In another small bowl, combine the citrus zests.
On a work surface, lay a sheet of aluminum foil large enough to extend beyond the length of the salmon. Spread a third of the salt mixture in the center of the foil to serve as a bed for the salmon. Place the salmon skin-side down on the salt. Distribute the citrus zest evenly across the salmon. Pour the remaining salt mixture over the salmon. It should be covered. Fold the foil up to contain the salt. Place another sheet of foil over the salmon and crimp the sheets together firmly. The idea is to have a tight package in which the salt mixture is in contact with all surfaces of the salmon.
Set the foil package on a baking sheet/tray. Set a pan or dish on top of the salmon and weight it down with a brick or a few cans. This will help press the water out of the salmon as it cures. Refrigerate the salmon for 24 hours.
Unwrap the salmon and remove it from the cure, discarding the foil and the cure. Rinse the salmon and pat dry with paper towels/absorbent paper. To remove the skin, place the salmon skin-side down on a cutting board. Holding a sharp, thin, flexible knife at about a 30-degree angle, cut between the flesh and the skin. When you can get a grip on the skin, pull it back and forth against the knife to separate it from the flesh. Set the salmon on a rack or on paper towels/absorbent paper on a tray and refrigerate for 8 to 24 hours, to allow the salt concentration to equalize and to dry the salmon further. Wrap the salmon in parchment/baking paper and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
1
/A whole side of salmon, skin on, pin bones removed, will be cured with nothing more than salt, sugar, and citrus zest.
2
/First, trim any very thin pieces of flesh.
3
/Rest the salmon skin-side down on some of the salt-sugar mixture and cover it with citrus zest.
4
/Try to disperse the zest uniformly and plentifully across the salmon.
5
/Pour the remaining salt-sugar mixture over the top.
6
/Wrap it up in foil.
7
/The salmon will release a lot of liquid, so I like to double-wrap it.
8
/Tighten the foil so that the dissolved salt and sugar form a brine surrounding the salmon.
9
/Cover the salmon with a second tray and add weights, such as foil-wrapped bricks or heavy cans, to help extract water from the flesh.
10
/After 24 hours, the salmon will have released plenty of liquid and will be fully cured.