How to Cure Salmon – The Cheap and Easy Way

You’re supposed to drown the fish in vodka.

Most recipes think so, anyway. Or gin. Or any high-proof alcohol that can seek into the fish’s flesh and denature it.

Denature: to cook without heat. Like what happens when you ferment cabbage into sauerkraut. But in this case there’s a ton of sugar involved, too.

I used Mark Bittman’s recipe from the NYT Cookbook. He doesn’t call for vodka. Which makes the recipe a lot less expensive, but maybe also a little more concerning. All you need is salt, sugar, dill and (sustainable) salmon. I used a wild BC salmon. The fishmonger said it was sustainable. Do I trust him?

I also used holy basil instead of dill. I hope Bittman will forgive me.

I write “concerning” in regards to the recipe because you only salt one side of the fish. What about the other side? Does it magically cure when the salt sinks all the way through the flesh to the skin that you’ve placed skin-side down on a piece of plastic wrap? Probably. But alcohol would coat everything.

Still, the recipe was delicious. Bittman would probably laugh at my worry—silly little girl all scared of salmonella. Well I didn’t get it. So I guess that’s a win for both of us.

Here’s the recipe.

First you mix the tons of salt, sugar and dill.

Then you press it onto the fish.

Wrap.

Wait.

And it comes out dark red and denatured. Simple.

Then you slice pieces away from skin on an angle. Don’t eat the skin. Maybe you can, but it’s all gelatinous and looks uncooked.

Next time: vodka. It would fill me with confidence.