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  #1   ^
Old Mon, Jan-26-09, 00:14
capmikee's Avatar
capmikee capmikee is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 5,160
 
Plan: Weston A. Price, GFCF
Stats: 165/133/132 Male 5' 5"
BF:?/12.7%/?
Progress: 97%
Location: Philadelphia
Default Gravlax

I'm starting to get further into Ruhlman and Polcyn's "Charcuterie," and since I scored a lot of free salmon from a restaurant closing, I've made some gravlax. I was so amazed that it actually worked!

Warning: this dish contains sugar. I don't think it ends up being a really big amount, but if you're counting carbs I can't tell you how much ends up in the fish.

1 large salmon filet, all bones removed (about 12 inches long, maybe 2 pounds).
3 cups unrefined sea salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 very large bunch dill
Sprinkle of ground black pepper

Most recipes call for equal parts salt & sugar. I cut the sugar by half and it still worked - you could probably reduce it even more.

I used a really huge amount of cure because I had a somewhat large dish to put the fish in. If you wrap it tightly in plastic instead of using a dish, you can get away with quite a small amount of cure. But you won't get all the juice that I got. Even using a dish that fits better will allow you to reduce the amount of cure by about half.

Mix the salt and sugar, and pepper together. This is the cure.

Cover the bottom of a nonreactive dish with the cure. Place the fish skin side down on top of it. Some recipes remove the skin first. This might be a good idea; when I left it on it got very tough and is difficult to remove.

Cover the top of the fish with the rest of the cure. Put the dill on top of that. Cover the whole thing with plastic wrap.

Put a plate or baking dish on top of the fish and weight it down. Place in the refrigerator. Since our fridge is so small, I just placed objects on top of the plate to wedge it underneath the shelf above.

Refrigerate for 2-3 days. Redistribute the cure after the first day. A lot of liquid will come out of the fish, creating a brine. You will know the fish is done when there are no soft, raw spots even where it's thickest. It took me almost 3 days.

When it's done, remove the fish from the brine and rinse well. Place on a rack in the fridge to drain. Save the brine - it can be used as an ingredient (I don't know how yet, though).

Slice the salmon paper-thin to serve. I discovered that it's easier, and you can get bigger slices, if you slice diagonally downwards.

I had a friend over this afternoon who likes to have bagels and nova lox. He was initially put off by the dill, but in the end he told me that the gravlax was very good. I was pleased and flattered! To me it was quite salty, but I had some parsley with it and it was perfect.
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  #2   ^
Old Mon, Jan-26-09, 11:58
Nancy LC's Avatar
Nancy LC Nancy LC is offline
Experimenter
Posts: 25,842
 
Plan: DDF
Stats: 202/185.4/179 Female 67
BF:
Progress: 72%
Location: San Diego, CA
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Quote:
Save the brine - it can be used as an ingredient (I don't know how yet, though).

Perhaps like fish sauce?
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  #3   ^
Old Mon, Jan-26-09, 14:18
capmikee's Avatar
capmikee capmikee is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 5,160
 
Plan: Weston A. Price, GFCF
Stats: 165/133/132 Male 5' 5"
BF:?/12.7%/?
Progress: 97%
Location: Philadelphia
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Nancy LC
Perhaps like fish sauce?

If fish sauce were dill-flavored, perhaps...

I saved a bunch of salmon bones and bits. I think I'll make some kind of soup.
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  #4   ^
Old Mon, Jan-26-09, 16:23
Nancy LC's Avatar
Nancy LC Nancy LC is offline
Experimenter
Posts: 25,842
 
Plan: DDF
Stats: 202/185.4/179 Female 67
BF:
Progress: 72%
Location: San Diego, CA
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Maybe Dashi?

I saw Chef Ming cooking something with dashi that looked really good. Now I want to try.
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  #5   ^
Old Mon, Jan-26-09, 19:14
awriter's Avatar
awriter awriter is offline
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Posts: 1,096
 
Plan: Kwasniewski Ratios
Stats: 225/158/145 Female 65
BF:53%/24%/20%
Progress: 84%
Default Gravlax another way

Quote:
Originally Posted by capmikee
To me it was quite salty . . .

Mike, congrats on the first attempt! I adore Gravlax and make it often. On your next attempt, here are some tips you might want to try:

-- Freeze the fillets for min. 6 hours or overnight before defrosting and using. This will kill any worm eggs still deep within the salmon flesh.

-- Use equal amounts of salt and sugar. The sugar is dissolved into the brine (which, btw, is good for nothing but dumping in the sink as it's basically salt and sugar water mixed with salmon molecules that will quickly go off!) and thus lends no carbs to the fish. But it is crucial to the texture of the salmon; without it, the fish becomes 'tough' when it should be light and tender - as you discovered with the skin, which, btw, should be left on.

-- Use 2 cups of salt (Kosher. If Diamond, use twice as much as Mortons; I prefer Diamond) and 2 cups white sugar for 2 pounds of salmon.

-- A few tablespoons of vodka is lovely, as you'll read below.

A good way to make this is to start with 2 fillets because so you can lay one fillet on top of the other, flesh to flesh.

Lay the fillets on a large sheet of plastic wrap, side by side, skin side up. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of vodka (which lends a nice depth to the finished fish) on the top of each fillet top.

Sprinkle 1/3 of the salt/sugar mix on each fillet. You will have 1/3 of the mix left when done. Top with dill, basil, or whatever herb you like.

Lay one fillet on top of the other, skin to skin. Sprinkle half of the remaining salt/sugar mix on the skin of one fillet, turn over the sprinkle the remainder on the skin of the other fillet.

Wrap fillets tightly in the plastic and place into a high-sided pan. Put a plate on top of the fish packet, weigh it down as heavily as you can. Put in fridge.

After 12 hours, turn the wrapped fish over so whatever fillet was up, is now down. Re-weight.

After another 12 hours - you are done! Basically, the salt 'cooks' the fish, and 2-3 days is far too long (unless you've got a couple of 5-pound thick fillets!) -- it will make the finished product too salty, as you discovered. If the fillets and the skin are 'tight' and tough, you've 'overcooked' it.

Like smoked salmon, Gravlax should be tender and 'silky' when sliced, and very lightly (barely) salted.

Rinse the fillets well, scraping off the herbs, and dry well. Wrap each fillet separately in plastic. They will keep a week in the fridge. If you want to freeze one, slice it thinly, wrap well, and freeze for up to 2 months.

As for the skin, you want to leave that on and slice 'against' it so you can get very, very thin slices. If done properly, when the fish is completely gone, you'll be left with nothing but an empty skin.

A dill (or basil or ... ) cream sauce served with it is lovely, as is cream cheese of course.

Lisa
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  #6   ^
Old Mon, Jan-26-09, 20:37
capmikee's Avatar
capmikee capmikee is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 5,160
 
Plan: Weston A. Price, GFCF
Stats: 165/133/132 Male 5' 5"
BF:?/12.7%/?
Progress: 97%
Location: Philadelphia
Default

Thanks for the tips. The salmon was frozen when I got it and stayed in the deep freezer for about a week afterwards.

I think it was only really too salty at the ends, and when it was sliced too thickly. That's interesting about the sugar - but how come the fish gets salty without getting sugar in it? Is it just because salt ions are smaller than sugar molecules?
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  #7   ^
Old Mon, Jan-26-09, 22:53
awriter's Avatar
awriter awriter is offline
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Posts: 1,096
 
Plan: Kwasniewski Ratios
Stats: 225/158/145 Female 65
BF:53%/24%/20%
Progress: 84%
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Quote:
Originally Posted by capmikee
That's interesting about the sugar - but how come the fish gets salty without getting sugar in it? Is it just because salt ions are smaller than sugar molecules?

Yes, and also because of osmosis. As you noticed, the salt creates brine. How it does this is by the salt infiltrating the salmon flesh, which, to stay in equilibrium, lets water molecules flow out of it into the surrounding pan. But once a liquid envelopes the fish, it 'entices' the salt to migrate out of the fish and into the liquid again, making the liquid salty. But equilibrium forces some of the now salted water back into the fish again - and that back and forth goes on all the while the fish is in the liquid.

In a way, although the 'heat' (migrating molecule-created energy) is extremely low, heat of a kind is generated, and that is in part why the salmon gets 'cooked' by it. Exactly the same thing happens with Ceviche and the acid (lemon) you create it with. You can overcook Ceviche, too!

If your salmon has been previously frozen, then 24 hours in the brine is sufficient to cure it, believe me. Try it, and let us know how it comes out.

Lisa
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  #8   ^
Old Tue, Jan-27-09, 01:54
capmikee's Avatar
capmikee capmikee is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 5,160
 
Plan: Weston A. Price, GFCF
Stats: 165/133/132 Male 5' 5"
BF:?/12.7%/?
Progress: 97%
Location: Philadelphia
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by awriter
If your salmon has been previously frozen, then 24 hours in the brine is sufficient to cure it, believe me. Try it, and let us know how it comes out.

It was still pretty mushy after 24 hours. Ruhlman said to put it back in if it feels soft & "raw."
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  #9   ^
Old Tue, Jan-27-09, 10:20
awriter's Avatar
awriter awriter is offline
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Posts: 1,096
 
Plan: Kwasniewski Ratios
Stats: 225/158/145 Female 65
BF:53%/24%/20%
Progress: 84%
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by capmikee
It was still pretty mushy after 24 hours. Ruhlman said to put it back in if it feels soft & "raw."

Yes, but:

1: You didn't have enough sugar in your mix.

2: You didn't have two fillets on top of each other, flesh to flesh, which keeps more of the salt/sugar mix between them (as the weight presses them together) on their surface.

I believe both of these reasons would make a difference in the timing. And of course timing also depends on the thickness of your fillets; the thicker the pieces, the longer the time in brine will be.

Lisa
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  #10   ^
Old Tue, Jan-27-09, 10:42
capmikee's Avatar
capmikee capmikee is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 5,160
 
Plan: Weston A. Price, GFCF
Stats: 165/133/132 Male 5' 5"
BF:?/12.7%/?
Progress: 97%
Location: Philadelphia
Default

They were pretty thick. But next time I'll use more sugar without fear.

Say, Lisa, I saw elsewhere that you're writing a cookbook. Do you have any published already?
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  #11   ^
Old Tue, Jan-27-09, 10:48
HiDelight HiDelight is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 422
 
Plan: Atkins maint
Stats: 200/125/125 Female 5'3
BF:not fat anymore!
Progress: 100%
Location: In my garden
Default

what a great book huh? I have had it for a while now and my house is full of smoky goodness as a result!

I can not add more than Awriter did about the subject because I agree with it all

I just wanted to chime in because this is a great subject!

I have made the gravlax and really enjoyed them

try the ham hocks

wow

he uses a lot of sugar in his bacon recipe but I highly rec it other wise

I have made so much bacon I gave it for Christmas pres along with ham hocks and sausage

we are looking for a second had fridge to cure in now because I am ready to try some dried salamis

I have also added (I know this ot but still) some cinnamon, nutmeg and pimiento to my smoking repertoire

what flavors you can create with this the book is such a great starting point but the adventure is endless and far more healthy than the mystery meat in most sausage

I even have made lamb bacon ..to die for!

charcuterie is such a fun subject and can be very low carb I am so excited folks here do it

should we just have a thread about it I wonder?

or is there one already?
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  #12   ^
Old Tue, Jan-27-09, 11:00
capmikee's Avatar
capmikee capmikee is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 5,160
 
Plan: Weston A. Price, GFCF
Stats: 165/133/132 Male 5' 5"
BF:?/12.7%/?
Progress: 97%
Location: Philadelphia
Default

I don't mind you taking over this one.

What kind of smoker do you use? We don't have a lot of room in our backyard. Wifey wants to get an electric smoker - does that work just as well?

I'm intimidated by all their warnings about salami, but I've invented a very easy recipe for something that tastes a lot like salami:

2 lbs raw hamburger
1/4 lb extra fat (optional)
1 cup homemade kimchi, with juice
1 generous bunch fresh parsley
Juice of one lemon
1/4 c homemade olive oil mayonnaise (optional)
1/2 Tbsp salt
1/2 Tbsp ground black pepper

Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate for a couple days. Or leave at room temperature for about 6 hours.

I have a container of this in the fridge and I can't stop myself snacking on it. It would probably be better if it were stuffed into a sausage casing and dried a little, but I love it!
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  #13   ^
Old Tue, Jan-27-09, 12:43
HiDelight HiDelight is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 422
 
Plan: Atkins maint
Stats: 200/125/125 Female 5'3
BF:not fat anymore!
Progress: 100%
Location: In my garden
Default

we have used everything from a garbage can to a grill and now I am really liking the MASTERBUILT ELECTRONIC SMOKEHOUSE

it really holds a lot is easy to use and smoked perfectly as far as I can tell.

let's start a low carb Charcuterie thread then

I am at work so it is hard for me to compile my brains between patients and charcuterie but would be glad to start it in the morning tomorrow if someone else does not want to do it today?

I came into work the other day and could not figure out why the whole place smelled as wonderful as my kitchen does

a friend of mine who I gave some smoked ham hocks to put them into a pot of beans and brought them in OMG I took a little of the broth (I dont eat beans again yet) it was to die for if I do say so myself!!!

but bacon is outstanding I get great pork bellies at a local Asian mkt they cut it the way I want it and I dont think I could buy another pound of bacon
as easy as it is to cure and smoke and the wonderful flavors of doing it yourself! wow is all I can say!

thanks for starting this I am excited to know there are others out there doing it

I printed the recipe and am going to try it so thanks for that as well

I am not afraid of getting sick I grew up in a Southern Italian neighborhood where sausages were strung across the the walls hanging for months on end sometimes in butcher shops and delis. I figure people have done this forever and as long as we are careful, follow santiation rules we are no more likely to get sick then we are when we eat peanut butter crackers ..kidding actually we are safer!!!!! they are carby and poisonous!!!
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  #14   ^
Old Tue, Jan-27-09, 12:44
HiDelight HiDelight is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 422
 
Plan: Atkins maint
Stats: 200/125/125 Female 5'3
BF:not fat anymore!
Progress: 100%
Location: In my garden
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I make my own kimchee as well I use baby napas and stuff them with green oinions and garlic chives

mmmmmm kimchee is of God!!!!
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  #15   ^
Old Tue, Jan-27-09, 12:50
capmikee's Avatar
capmikee capmikee is offline
Senior Member
Posts: 5,160
 
Plan: Weston A. Price, GFCF
Stats: 165/133/132 Male 5' 5"
BF:?/12.7%/?
Progress: 97%
Location: Philadelphia
Default

Where does the Charcuterie thread belong? Kitchen Talk?

Right - the danger of cured meat is botulism. C. Botulinum can survive salt and very high temperatures but there are two things it can't survive: Nitrates and acid. That's why people put citric acid in canned tomatoes, and as I understand it, any acidic starter culture will keep meat safe too.
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