Vodka-Cured Salmon

This is another one of those very easy, massively impressive dishes that you have to start way in advance.  As in two days.  But it really is one of the easiest things I've posted.

When buying a salmon fillet, you want to look for a good color that runs clear through the meat, but any farm-raised salmon will have been fed food to make it as pink as possible.  For cured salmon, I suggest the freshest piece of fish you can find, free of blemishes, and sushi-grade if possible.  YOU ARE NOT GOING TO COOK THIS FISH.  If the idea of eating raw fish freaks you out, you might as well stop reading now.

I am basing this recipe on Emeril Lagasse's, but simplifying it a tad and scaling it for four.  His recipe serves 8, which is better for the average dinner party, but I had one pound of salmon in the freezer, so that's what I made.

Serving the salmon is another trick.  Once you have it thinly sliced (and I recommend doing this in front of your guests so they can be impressed that you actually made this yourself), what do you do with it?  You can serve it alone, with a drizzle of olive oil or a light vinaigrette.  Or, do what I did and create a salad to make it a main dish.  Since I was zesting a lemon, I used the juice to make a lemon vinaigrette (olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and a touch of sugar).

And it is VERY salty, which makes sense because you're pressing a quarter-cup of salt into it.  If any of your guests have issues with salt, maybe you should plan this for another gathering.

I swear that's a lemon

1 lb salmon fillet
1/4 C Kosher Salt
1/2 Tb Sugar
2 Tb Fresh Dill or 2 tsp Dill Weed
3 Tb grated lemon zest (2 normal supermarket lemons)
2 Tb Vodka (lemon or another citrus flavored, if possible)

1.  Place salmon skin-side down on a layer of plastic wrap.  Remove any pin-bones with kitchen pliers (as opposed to the ones you keep in your garage for dirty work).

2.  In a bowl, combine curing ingredients to make a paste.  Spread cure evenly over flesh.  Cover with another piece of plastic wrap, then wrap up the whole thing in more plastic wrap to make a tight package.

3. Place fillet in a baking dish, skin-side down.  Find something heavy, like a brick, diving weights, gold ingot, or that ugly ceramic platter you got last Christmas from someone who meant well.  (I used a one-gallon can of paint.)  Wash the weight if possible, wrap the bottom of it in plastic wrap, and place it on the fish.  You're going to force the liquids out of the salmon so it cures in only one or two days.  Without the press, you're looking at a week.

4.  Put the whole shebang in the fridge for 24-48 hours.  Unwrap and rinse off all of the cure.  You can feel that the texture is more leathery than when you started, but it shouldn't be hard.

5.  On a flat cutting board, slice the salmon crosswise into very thin slices on a steep angle.  This cuts the connective tissue so it's easier to chew.  Arrange on plates and serve.

Serves 4 as a main dish, 8 as an appetizer.

Difficulty rating  :)