FoodBanter.com - View Single Post - Pot-luck breakfast ideas

On 11 Dec 2004 07:20:35 GMT, unicate (Alexis
Siefert) wrote:

>>>And, as I know most of you are as well, I'm "expected" to come up with
>>>something delicious and wonderful and different.
>>>
>>After my recent good luck making gravlax from wild King Salmon, I
>>would make another of that and bring it with chevre and crusty bread.
>>
>
>Now *that's* a great idea. I have two huge Kings in my freezer (yes, wild, and
>caught by your's truly). Did you happen to post the recipe already somewhere?
>If not, could you post it here?

I don't think I did anything unusual, but this is it:

I saw a King filleted at a really good fishmongers. It spoke to me. I
asked for about two pounds off the forward end of a fillet.

I got a pound of salt and a pound of sugar and mixed them together. I
put a layer of the mix in the bottom of a shallow roasting pan and
placed the fillet, dried with paper towels, on it skin side down.

I looked in the closet for a little cognac to sprinkle on, but there
wasn't any, and it was Sunday AM. I settled for some rum which had
been there unused for many years, and sprinkled a few drops over the
flesh side.

I untied and washed a bunch of dill weed (bunch is a scientific
quantity, determined by the farmer), dried it and spread it over the
fish. I piled the rest of the salt/sugar mix over it. It was enough to
completely cover with a fair thickness.

I covered the pan with plastic wrap, and put a cast iron frying pan on
top. Piled some dinner plates on the frying pan, and left it for 12
hours on the table. At 10 PM I put it in the fridge, still Sunday.

On Tuesday evening I took it out of the cure, rinsed off and dried it,
and wrapped in waxed paper. Then I put it in a Ziplock bag and back in
the fridge. On Wednesday we put it in a cooler with cold paks and
other cold things and drove to Woods Hole (Cape Cod) where it went in
my cousin's fridge.

On Thursday relatives started showing up about 1 PM. I was busy
cooking so I commandeered someone to slice it. It was beyond my
expectations and cured throughout. Everyone else loved it as well, and
it dissappeared in a big hurry.

So:

Starting at or near room temperature, 12 hours rooom temp cure, 36-48
hours refridgerated cure. After that it can be kept refridgerated.

I don't know what effect freezing would have but I assume you have
done that before. Just be sure it is thawed completely before starting
the cure.

One reason I was surprised at how much I liked it was that gravlax is
a Scandinavian tradition obviously based on Atlantic Salmon, a quite
different fish. When salmon farming first started I thought it was the
greatiest idea in years, but it has proved to cause a lot of problems
and I have been reluctant to buy it for some time.

I know I like fresh King Salmon (is there anyone who doesn't) but I
had no idea how it would take to this treatment. Now I will use King
Salmon again. Indeed for Xmas Eve party next. I am hooked.

HTH

Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC

Let's Put the XXX back in Xmas