Salmon season has been going for a while now and summer is in full swing
here in the PNW. Garden is in and now it is time to get some seasonal
favorites prepared. The Copper River hype is over and the prices are
leveling a bit with Alaskan Sockeye now $5 low to $10 high. Whole Sockeye
5-7 lbs ave. can be had for 3-4 dollars a pound. I will be tweaking some
salmon recipes ideas I have ( Grilled Salmon in a Yellow Mole with roasted
corn/ Scallion salsa, some with a Mexican flair over the next few days. So
if there is any interest I will post them. Conversely, if anyone has some
ideas I would love to hear them. But for now, it is time to prepare some
salmon and one of my favorite appetizers is an Ancho Chile/Tequila Gravlax,
Salsa Mexicana and crispy corn tortilla chips
Gravlax is a Scandinavian salt cured fish, mostly Salmon. It has been
adapted and adopted, like most cuisines, and spiced up a bit over the years
with a variety of local flavors and ingredients. This one uses Ancho
chiles, Tequila, cumin and cilantro to create a Mexican Style flavor. It
offers a basic protein element for the imaginative cook to create endless
appetizing little dishes, hors d'oeurvres, antipasto, antojitos, botanas,
canapés, bocaditos, snacks, nosh, or whatever you wish to call them. Be
experimental with different Mexican flavors in a fusion fashion, try a
hibiscus tea and coriander seed rub; Anise, fennel and orange zest rub;
Black pepper, Juniper berries and gin; Habanero, Achiote paste and Tamarind
(trying this one next), any of the new flavored liquors with complementary
or even contrasting spices. The important thing is to experiment
I cure and press my Gravlax for a good week but I here is a good Link to see
and understand the basics:
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/132/Gravlax. My particular
pressing step is not essential but my method works for the way I like it.
Regardless, prior to making this dish, give some thought about how you will
cure the salmon whether you want to save the brine, or even if you want to
press the fish and where the juices can escape to. I do not save the brine
but I imagine it would be a very flavorful ingredient to use in some dishes
and may consider it later. For now I want it cured and pressed so I use two
pans that I know I can fit in the fridge. The bottom pan I use has a
roasting rack and I have a slightly smaller meatloaf pan that will stack fit
inside it that I can put a foil wrapped brick in it to squeeze the liquid
out of the fish. I got a bit obsessive here. I didn't like the grill mark
look of the finished product so I cut one of the thin food grade flexible
cutting sheets someone gave me ( 2-3 in a pack) to fit inside the bottom
roaster. I then took a soldering iron and melted small holes in it making a
perforated sheet if you will. This way I have a fairly hard surface to lie
on the wire rack that I can wash and reuse and it allows the fish to drain
into the pan. Now on to making the product.
INGREDIENTS:
2 Salmon filets about 1-2 lbs ea.
1/4 cup coarse kosher salt
1/4 cup fresh cracked black pepper
1/3 cup piloncillo or brown sugar
2 cups fresh dill
1 cup rough chopped cilantro
1 Tablespoon Ancho chile powder or a chile powder to your taste/comfort
˝ teaspoon cumin powder
˝ teaspoon Allspice (optional)
2 oz. tequila, 1 shot for the fish, the other for you
PREPARATION:
Place the fillets on a double thickness of plastic wrap.
Mix all of the dry ingredients together, the cumin, cilantro, chile, sugar,
salt, pepper, and dill.
Rub the fish with the tequila.
Divide the spice mixture in half and sprinkle the mixture over both pieces,
coat liberally.
Lay one salmon filets on top of the other so they are head end facing the
tail end of the other.
Wrap tightly in the plastic wrap.
Carefully slice several slits or poke holes in the package so as to allow
the liquid to escape.
Place the tightly wrapped package of salmon into a pan or baking dish and
weigh down with some weight such as a brick or heavy food cans.
Refrigerate the fillets for 3-5 days, turning them over every 12 hours or
so.
Unwrap, rinse off the spices, serve thinly sliced and enjoy.
Serving ideas: Blue corn tortilla chips, lime wedges, pickled red onions,
pickled jalapeno slices, and a variety of fresh salsas or hot sauces. Try a
nice cracker with a thin slice and some flavored mayonnaise, such as
cilantro, dill, jalapeno, a tequila cream or an avocado cream or guacamole.