Comments on: Fennel-Cured Salmon

By: Palu

Palu — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 02:04:30 +0000

I’m going to try this recipe using these Vacuum-able Zip-Lock brand bags. A friend told me about these bags. You can get the starter kit which is a vacuum pump and three one-quart bags for about $5. Then you can get the one-gallon bags that have the little vacuum fitting separately.

By: Mike

Mike — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 11:02:32 +0000

This sounds great but I don't feel like dropping $40 on a bottle of Pernod that I'll likely never touch again. How do you think using ouzo or even a cheap anisette would work? I suspect the anisette might be too sweet. Thanks

By: ethermaiden

ethermaiden — Mon, 11 Feb 2008 18:28:09 +0000

You got me to make a variant on your recipe today- I didn't want to open a new bottle of absinthe for the little I needed in this recipe, and also didn't want to go out and BUY a pastis when I've got the dregs of a bottle left in the cellar. So I mixed it about 50/50 Montmartre with come etrog liquor I had on hand as well. Fennel and citrus go well together, and we all know how well salmon and citrus marry. Should be tasty.

Also, for those debating the weights- I rarely weight very much. What I do instead is use my food vacuum sealer on it. I make it on a cutting board, then slide it into the bag. It works rather nicely to keep all the juices in, the air out, and the flavor infused through the fish.

I use the vacuum sealer for really everything you can think of- and it's really handy as all get out. Both for buying in bulk and saving money that way, to preparing really fun dishes that seem hoity-toity but were super easy- thanks to it's wonderful air-sucking talent. Sous vide? a snap!

By: Blake Royer

Blake Royer — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 14:00:18 +0000

As I understand it, gravlax is any cured salmon that is not subsequently cold smoked. Which is different from "lox," which some say means brined rather than dry-cured, others say is smoked/not smoked/etc. People on eGullet are very opinionated.

SP and Joshua: I headed over to Cooking For Engineers and read through the comments. As far as the weights, the consensus seems to be that they're not necessary for the curing process to actually work, and probably not for the taste, but some people feel that the denser flesh that results is preferable. I'd love to taste the two side by side.

By: Joshua Moise

Joshua Moise — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 12:06:37 +0000

I might try it sans the weights. Can't wait to see how this little experiment turns out.

By: SP

SP — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 11:24:16 +0000

The guy over at Cooking for Engineers says the weights are unnecessary, says that the weights and turning in over are a bit of an old wives tale. I guess he's done it enough to be able to make that conclusion. Personally, I wouldnt mind forgoing the weights as it must take up a lot more room in the fridge. Unless you have a cold place other than your fridge in which case it wouldnt matter.

By: Josh

Josh — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 02:04:14 +0000

Is it possible to make this without putting weights on the meat. The smoked Alaskan salmon I've had wasn't pressed, but a meaty, unpressed and delicious hunk of fish.

By: SP

SP — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 17:00:13 +0000

I'm excited to see how this turns out. I have a few slabs of pork belly in my fridge right now on their way to becoming bacon. I wanna do salmon, or maybe char, next.

By: Nick Kindelsperger

Nick Kindelsperger — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:32:14 +0000

ethermaiden: I think the main difference between this and gravlax is that the fennel substitutes the dill. Gravlax IS fantastic, though. I wonder if there are other fun names for cured salmon?

By: Nick Kindelsperger

Nick Kindelsperger — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 12:12:20 +0000

It was farmed. I just couldn't completely take the chance on something until I know what's going to happen. The farmed wasn't cheap, though. I think it was about 30 bucks.