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    Home » Recipes » Healthy Basics » Cured Salmon

    Cured Salmon

    by: Anya·posted: Jun 9, 2015·updated: Oct 7, 2021·Leave a CommentThis post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Curing salmon is incredibly easy and fulfilling.  It requires only two ingredients and is very cost-efficient.

    Salmon Lox or cured salmon is incredibly easy to make and is much more cost-efficient than store-bought.

    The Slavic people are notorious for having salmon appetizers at every dinner function. Be it smoked salmon on buttered baguettes.  Or salmon(ed) deviled eggs.  Or perhaps salmon and spinach rolls with cream cheese would be your choice.  And every now and then, I'll find myself as an honored guest to a party having all of the above.  Yes, we Slavs do enjoy our salmon.

    Salmon Lox or cured salmon is incredibly easy to make and is much more cost-efficient than store-bought.

    What I don't appreciate though is the dent in the pocketbook.  At $16 per pound for wild smoked salmon (and this is at wholesale price at my local Costco).  I suppose the price is not that steep compared to the sturgeon caviar that I shelled out $50 for half a pint to surprise my husband.  But it was sturgeon caviar!  And though this doesn't give it that "smoked" flavor, but it still delicious.

    Thankfully, curing salmon is as simple as adding two ingredients together and then playing the waiting game.  It's also considerably cheaper.  In season, wild salmon can be purchased as low as $3 per pound, but even during off season, there are plenty markets that sell wild salmon for under $10 per pound.

    Curing is the process of preserving meats or seafood by adding salt and/or sugar.  And although technically speaking, the fish is in raw state, the pathogens have been destroyed by the salt used in the process.  For this reason, I always err on the side of using too much salt than not enough.  Same principle applies to culturing vegetables like sauerkraut and pickles. If too salty, you can always rinse the fish under filtered water but you want to be sure that you use enough salt to penetrate the fish.  Cured salmon is also known as lox or gravlax.

    This is a very basic recipe and calls for no sugar.  Just salt and salmon.  You start by washing the salmon fillets.  Pat them dry with a paper towel and remove the skin with a sharp knife by making a cut between the skin and the flesh.

    Salmon Lox or cured salmon is incredibly easy to make and is much more cost-efficient than store-bought.

    {This post contains affiliate links.  The cost remains the same for you. }

    Dredge the fish with fine sea salt (I use this one) , making sure that all of the fish is fully covered with the salt, including the sides.

    Salmon Lox or cured salmon is incredibly easy to make and is much more cost-efficient than store-bought.

    Salmon Lox or cured salmon is incredibly easy to make and is much more cost-efficient than store-bought.

    Spread the fillets in a flat dish, cover it with a board or lid and place some weight on it. I used my fermentation rock. A canned food item will work, just something that will help release the juices.

    Salmon Lox or cured salmon is incredibly easy to make and is much more cost-efficient than store-bought.

    Salmon Lox or cured salmon is incredibly easy to make and is much more cost-efficient than store-bought.
    Set aside at room temperature for 12-18 hours. Ideally, you would do this in the evening, so the curing process will occur overnight when the temperature will not get too warm.

    Salmon Lox or cured salmon is incredibly easy to make and is much more cost-efficient than store-bought.
    After salmon cures, remove from dish, rinse in filtered water and pat dry. Cured salmon is ready to be enjoyed.  Store in glass dish in your refrigerator.  Lox also freezes well, I usually wrap individual fillets in parchment paper and tossed in ziplock bags.  After trying out this recipe, you will no longer be throwing that package of Smoked Salmon in your cart.

    Printable Recipe

    Salmon Lox or cured salmon is incredibly easy to make and is much more cost-efficient than store-bought.

    Cured Salmon

    Anya @ Prepare & Nourish
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    Ingredients
      

    • ⅓ - ½ c. <a href="http://amzn.to/1povosX"_blank">Real Sea Salt</a>
    • 1 ½ lbs. wild salmon fillets
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    Instructions
     

    • Wash and pat dry the fillets with a paper towel.
    • Remove the skin with a sharp knife by making a cut between the skin and the flesh.
    • Spread fillets on a board or cookie sheet.
    • Dredge the fish with salt, making sure that all of the fish is fully covered with the salt, including the sides.
    • Spread the fillets in a flat dish, cover it with a board or lid and place some weight on it. I used my fermentation rock. A canned food item will work, just something that will help release the juices.
    • Set aside at room temperature for 12-18 hours. Ideally, you would do this in the evening, so the curing process will occur overnight and the temperature will not get too warm.
    • After salmon cures, remove from dish, rinse in filtered water and pat dry. Cured salmon is ready to be enjoyed!
    • Store in glass tupperware in your refrigerator.
    Nutrition Information
    The information shown is an estimate provided for your convenience by an online calculator. It should not be considered as a substitute for a professional nutritionist's advice. See our complete Nutritional Information Disclaimer.
    ©Prepare and Nourish • Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is encouraged and appreciated but please do NOT screenshot or copy/paste complete recipes to websites or social media.
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?Leave a comment below and share a photo on Instagram. Mention @prepareandnourish and be sure to tag #prepareandnourish!

     

    Salmon Lox or cured salmon is incredibly easy to make and is much more cost-efficient than store-bought.

    Let's connect! I share more personal, daily snippets of life on Instagram, insightful articles and awesome recipes on Facebook and pin away like it's going out of style on Pinterest.

     

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    I'm Anya and it is my joy to share wholesome recipes using seasonal ingredients and simplified methods. My hope is you'll feel right at home in this online kitchen, where you'll find real food recipes for real families.

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