| Before firing up the BBQ smoker, many
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| | to you.
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| chefs will either cure or brine the fish
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| | This recipe is a great tasty alternative
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| or meat as a way of adding extra flavor.
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| | to smoked salmon and it's also really
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| Curing and brining however have been
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| | easy to do, certainly no need for a
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| traditional methods of preserving food
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| | smoker. All that's needed is a polythene
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| for donkeys years and in today's
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| | bag, some salt, some treacle (or
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| refrigerated society the techniques and
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| | molasses) and a bit of time. It takes
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| skills have been on the wane. That was of
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| | about a week to cure and I like to start
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| course until outdoor cooking became such
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| | out one Saturday so that it's ready for
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| a popular recreation. So rather than
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| | the next weekend.
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| becoming obsolete they have started to
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| | Ingredients:-
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| make a comeback.
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| | · 1 large salmon filet (skinned)
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| My research into curing started when I
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| | · 4 tablespoons treacle or
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| started writing for and as my research
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| | molasses
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| evolved, so did my interest. Even to the
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| | · 1 tablespoon salt
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| point where I started to experiment with
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| | Method:-
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| curing and brining simply as a way to
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| | Place the salmon in the polythene bag and
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| preserve food and forget about the
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| | tip in the salt and treacle / molasses.
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| smoker.
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| | Seal the bag and give the ingredients a
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| The science behind curing is that the
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| | good "mulch" around to make sure that the
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| salt slowly sucks the moisture out of the
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| | salmon is covered in the salt / treacle
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| food, effectively acting as a desiccant
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| | mix. Place the mix in the refrigerator
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| and drying it out. Bacteria that normally
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| | and leave for a week.
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| would grow on the food are unable to do
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| | When the week is up, remove the salmon
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| so because the substrate doesn't contain
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| | from the bag and give it a rinse under
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| the one essential ingredient to help it
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| | the tap. Slap it on a board and slice
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| survive - water.
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| | really thinly. Please note that in order
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| So in essence the longer something is
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| | to slice thinly you need a very sharp
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| left to cure, the less susceptible it is
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| | knife - remember the sushi chef.
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| to bacteria and therefore the safer it is
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| | I like to serve it spiralled inside
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| to eat. This is the principle for cured
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| | canapé cases with a little
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| ham or indeed any dried meat.
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| | crème fraiche blob on top, you can
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| The curing process today is essentially
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| | also try it on a small circular cracker.
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| about salt for the desiccant and sugar
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| | It makes for a really tasty munchie to
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| for the flavouring. In the recipe below
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| | open up any barbecue cookout. But don't
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| I've used treacle as a sugar substitute -
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| | feel you have to wait for a barbecue, if
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| you can also use molasses. The flavours
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| | it's raining outside that what better way
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| are slightly different and I would argue
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| | to spend a Saturday afternoon than
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| that the molasses is slightly more subtle
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| | preparing a treacle cured salmon for next
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| but as ever, it's about what tastes good
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| | weekend?
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