How to salt salmon deliciously at home: tips and secrets
Salting salmon is quite simple, but at the same time painstaking work that requires special attention and approach to the process, otherwise you can over-salt, under-salt or spoil the taste of the fish by defrosting it incorrectly or sprinkling it with the wrong spices. Some tips for cooking lightly salted salmon from leading chefs.
- How to choose the right fish for salting. High-quality red fish has dense flesh that does not crumble or stick together into one lump. It is worth choosing salmon based on color, sticking to a bright, uniform light red color. Fresh fish looks a little shiny and, of course, it does not have any foreign odor.
- For salting, you should use coarse sea salt; it does not draw juice out of the fillet and leaves the fish meat fatty and juicy. Under no circumstances do experts recommend using an iodized product; it can spoil the true taste of the fish.
- To ensure that the salmon remains a beautiful delicate color, before salting the pieces should be sprinkled with moonshine or placed in this product for a split second, then removed and the salting process begins.
- In order to achieve excellent results, salting fish should be done in glass or enamel-coated containers. You can use a plastic container or stainless steel bowl.
- It is important to cut large carcasses into portions before the process. How to properly cut fish. First, the carcass needs to be washed, dried, then the head and tail should be cut off, all fins should be cut off, gutted, carefully cutting the belly. Next, the salmon is washed from the inside, an incision is made on top, the carcass is divided into 2 parts, the main bone and thin bones are removed. Without removing the skin, cut the fillet into manageable pieces, and you're done. If desired, salting can be done by chopping the fish into steaks.
- Do not leave seafood in the marinade to salt for more than three days; transfer the finished pieces to a dry container and place in the refrigerator. If possible, salted slices can be wrapped in a cotton towel or gauze, so the fish will be drier, but no less tasty.
- If it seems that the seafood delicacy is very dry, you can add a little vegetable oil, preferably olive oil, to the dish when salting; it does not interrupt the taste of the fish itself.
Other ways to salt red fish
As we said above, you can salt salmon in different ways. If you want to get more aromatic and tasty fish, then it is recommended to flavor it not only with spices, but also, for example, with lemon juice or ordinary 40-proof vodka. By the way, using these components salmon will become safer for health. After all, it’s no secret that acid and alcoholic drinks can disinfect any product.
Recommendations for using salt and spices
- • There is no need to skimp on salt when salting, the product is quite fatty and dense in consistency, it will absorb the amount it needs and not an ounce more. It is very difficult to over-salt fish from the salmon family.
- • If you plan to salt the product in brine (marinade), be sure to maintain the proportion of salt and sugar. For 2 tablespoons of salt you need 1 spoon of sugar.
- • To get a bright aroma and rich spicy taste, experts recommend not adding any spices to the recipe itself, but sprinkling spices on the finished fish served on the table.
- • Coriander, pepper, garlic, dried onions, bay leaves, and herbs go best with red fish. When serving, you can garnish the fish with lemon slices (lime is used as a substitute) or orange; they will add some special zest to the taste.
Description of preparation:
Red fish, like red caviar, is a delicacy by definition, and if it is lightly salted salmon, carefully prepared by the owner of the house in advance and placed on the table as an appetizer with vodka, then it’s a fairy tale.
Main ingredient: Fish and seafood / Salmon Dish: Appetizers Geography of cuisine: Russian cuisine
How to quickly pickle salmon
In this recipe we will tell you how to pickle fresh salmon quickly and simply in small pieces. The cooking time for salted salmon using this method will be only one day.
Required for a 1.5 kg fish carcass:
- - 2 heaped spoons of coarse salt;
- - 1 level spoon of sugar;
- - 5 carnations in buds;
- - 10 black peppercorns;
- - 3 bay leaves.
The cooking process will be as follows:
- • Gut the fish, remove the bones, wash, cut into pieces, remove the skin into small portions, and let dry a little.
- • Crush pepper, cloves and bay leaves, mix the resulting mixture with salt and sugar. If desired, the amount of some spices can be added or reduced. It all depends on your preferences.
- • Place the pieces in a glass bowl, sprinkle each layer with your mixture of salt, leave for about forty minutes or a little more in the room, and then put it in the cold for a day.
In 24 hours everything will be ready, you can take it out and eat it or use the salted salmon for sandwiches. You can serve this delicious delicacy with dry wine, lemon slices, any fresh herbs, black olives or black olives.
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How to salt fresh salmon with dill
Ingredients for 1 kg of fresh fish:
- 5-6 tablespoons of medium-ground salt
- 200 g dill
How to pickle salmon fillet with dill:
1. Rub the prepared fish well with a mixture of salt and sugar.
2. Place a third of the washed and dried dill sprigs on the bottom of the salting pan, and place 1/2 pieces of red fish on them, skin side down.
3. Cover with the second third of the dill, then place the remaining fish skin side up and cover with the rest of the dill.
4. Place a flat plate with pressure on the dill, cover with a lid and leave at room temperature for 8 hours.
5. Then put it in the refrigerator for two days.
Lightly salted salmon at home
Now for a recipe in which we will tell you how to pickle frozen salmon. If desired, this recipe can also be used for fresh fish; you will only need to omit the process of defrosting the product.
Ingredients for pickling products:
- — Frozen salmon carcass;
- - 2 table. spoon sugar;
- - 4 tablespoons of salt;
- - 1 teaspoon of mustard seeds and the same amount of dried juniper berries;
- — A bunch of greens (dill, mint);
- — 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil;
- — To taste, a little lemon juice, ground black allspice.
Algorithm for preparing salted salmon:
- The day before cooking, place the frozen fish carcass in the refrigerator on the lowest shelf. Next, wash the seafood, remove the seeds, and cut into pieces. You can cut the seafood delicacy into steaks, but not into too thick pieces, as is convenient.
- Chop the greens very finely.
- Mix all the bulk products, add herbs, rub the salmon pieces with the resulting mixture, place in a container where the fish will be salted.
- Sprinkle the dish with oil and lemon juice.
- Set the pressure and put it in a cool place for 2 days.
- The finished pieces can be served immediately, or you can rinse off the spices and only then serve them to guests.
On a note! If desired, you can tear the greens into large pieces and simply cover the fillet with it after treating it with salt.
Lightly salted salmon with whiskey
When salted with the addition of whiskey, salmon turns out unusual and acquires characteristic oak notes. And you can create such a fish appetizer in just 10-12 hours.
Composition of ingredients
To salt fish you will need to prepare the following list of products:
- salmon – 500 g;
- sugar – 125 g;
- salt – 150 g;
- white pepper (ground) – 1 tbsp. l.;
- whiskey (aged) – 50 ml;
- fresh dill – 25 g.
For the recipe, you should use the fillet with the skin. Then the fish will be stronger and will not spread when slicing. And it is also important to use coarse sea salt for salting.
Step-by-step cooking process
To salt fish in an unusual way, you will need to follow these instructions:
- The salmon fillet needs to be washed, patted with a paper towel and cut into 2 pieces of the same size.
- In a bowl, combine salt with sugar and pepper. After adding whiskey to the mixture, mix it thoroughly.
- After washing the greens under running water, shake off excess moisture and then chop into small pieces.
- The fish must be rolled in the salt mixture on all sides. Then you need to place half the fillet on cling film (skin side down), and sprinkle it with herbs, cover with the remaining piece of salmon so that the skin “looks” up.
- The workpiece must be wrapped tightly with cling film so that no air gets inside. Then it should be sent to the refrigerator.
It is necessary to salt salmon in this way for 3 days. But in the process you will need to turn the package over in different directions.
How to serve a dish
When the time is right, you need to remove the fish from the film, blot the salt and greens with a paper napkin, and cut into thin slices.
You can serve the pieces as an appetizer, placing them on a serving plate and garnishing with lemon slices, or with bread.
How to pickle salmon pieces
One of the simplest and most convenient methods of pickling. The salmon turns out tasty and tender, melts in your mouth, and can be served as a separate dish, on sandwiches, toast, or used as ingredients in the preparation of other snacks.
We take:
- - Salmon carcass.
- — Any vegetable oil – 100-120 ml.
- — Salt – 2-3 tablespoons.
- - Sugar is half the amount of salt.
- — A mixture of spices for fish (you can buy or prepare it yourself from coriander, bay leaf, pepper, mustard).
Preparing red fish this way is very simple.
- • We described above how to cut salmon for salting, there is nothing complicated here, all the steps are the same as in the previous recipes.
- • Next, place the pieces in a deep bowl, mix the spices with oil and treat each slice with this mixture.
- • Place the prepared dish in a cold place for 1.5-2 days, then take it out and eat it.
Recipe for dry salting red fish
The author of this video offers his recipe for salting salmon. If you want to cook a snack for the first time or are just looking for a delicious, original recipe, then I suggest you watch this video.
To prepare we will need:
- Fresh red fish (fillet)
- Dried juniper berries
- Black peppercorns
- Salt
- Lemon juice
- Fresh leaf celery
- Fresh dill
Learn more from the video:
After this video, I will definitely cook fish this way.
How to salt salmon bellies at home
Salmon bellies are in no way inferior in taste, fat content and richness to steaks and fish fillets. Right now we’ll tell you how to make delicious lightly salted bellies.
Ingredients:
- — Salmon bellies – 600-700 gr.
- — One spoon each of granulated sugar, ground pepper, ground coriander, white vinegar.
- - Two spoons of salt.
- - Glass of water.
Cooking process:
- • Rinse the bellies, dry them, and place them in a deep dish for salting.
- • Mix the spices into one mass, sprinkle on the bellies and mix thoroughly with your hands to distribute the salty mixture over all the pieces.
- • Boil water, cool, mix a glass with vinegar, pour this mixture over the abdomen, place pressure on top, and leave in the cold for 48 hours.
- • Drain the brine from the finished fish, place the bellies in another bowl, let them dry and can be served with potatoes, fresh vegetables, or just some bread.
How to brine salmon backbones
The backbones of salmon fish are also subject to salting. They can be bought in a store or used by separating the carcass into fillet parts.
You will need to prepare:
- — Salmon ridges – 1-2 pcs.
- — Vegetable oil – 5 tablespoons.
- - A teaspoon of sugar and twice as much salt.
- — Ground black pepper – 1-2 pinches.
- - Table vinegar (9%) - teaspoon.
How to pickle ridges:
- - Mix salt, pepper and sugar, rub the ridges.
- - Pour oil over the food half an hour after wiping the fish with salt.
- — Add vinegar, turn the food several times with your hands.
- — Place the pickled ridges in a bag, seal it tightly, and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.
- - In the morning, mix the products directly in the bag and leave for about 8-10 hours. Take out the ridges, use a knife to separate the meat from the bones and you can make sandwiches or eat with vegetables, mashed potatoes, or just nothing.
Lightly salted salmon with vinegar
Lightly salted salmon can be made at home with the addition of vinegar. And thanks to this component, you can prepare a snack in just 2 days.
Composition of ingredients
To salt fish, you will need to prepare the following list of products:
- salmon steaks – 4-5 pcs.;
- water – 1 l;
- salt – 90 g;
- sugar – 25 g;
- vinegar – 25 ml;
- black peppercorns – 5-6 pcs.;
- bay leaf – 1-2 pcs.;
- coriander peas optional.
Step-by-step cooking process
To salt red fish with vinegar, you will need to follow this algorithm:
- Salmon steaks must be thoroughly washed, wiped dry with a paper towel, and placed in a glass or plastic container of a suitable size.
- In a saucepan you need to combine water with sugar and salt. After adding spices to the solution, you should put it on medium heat and heat it with occasional stirring. As soon as the liquid boils, you need to pour vinegar into it and immediately remove it from the stove.
- When the brine has cooled to room temperature, you need to pour it over the prepared fish. After closing the container with salmon with a lid, you need to put it in the refrigerator.
The delicacy will be ready in 48 hours.
How to serve a dish
Before serving, steaks should be lightly washed, skin removed, and cut into portions. They can be served as an independent snack, or together with bread in the form of sandwiches. In any case, it would be a good idea to garnish the salmon with thin slices of lemon or sprigs of herbs.
How to brine a salmon steak
Salted salmon at home can be made into boneless pieces or steaks. In this recipe we will learn how to salt salmon fish with steaks.
- We prepare the salmon carcass, cut it into steaks, removing the head, tail, entrails and cutting off large fins.
- Next, mix two tablespoons of brown sugar and 3 tablespoons of sea salt in one bowl, add a mixture of peppers and any favorite seasonings for fish dishes or salting seafood to taste. We put part of the spice mixture on the bottom of the salting dish, lay the steaks evenly, it is best if the fish is laid in one layer, but if this is not possible, you can put the pieces one on top of the other, but in this case there must be a salty mixture between the layers. Cover the steaks with film and keep in the refrigerator for 1.5 days.
- Next, drain the liquid formed in the plate, place your steaks beautifully on a plate, garnish with herbs and lemon rings. All is ready!
Attention! If the pieces are too thick, you can keep them in salt for 2-3 days. If they are thin, it is enough to withstand 1 day.
Freezing recipe
• For freezing, the fillet is cut into thin slices, without skin, laid out in layers in a jar, ground pepper is added between the layers and the whole thing is filled with sunflower oil. The jar goes into the freezer, where it will definitely not spoil within a year. • The main thing to remember is that salted fish should be defrosted at a low temperature; it is advisable to move the jar from the freezer to the refrigerator in advance for 5-6 hours and there it will thaw without releasing water and maintaining the original appearance of the product.
So, let's remember the important points:
1. We only take frozen Chinook salmon; if you have fish from the shore, then we freeze it for at least 3 days. 2. When cutting, we use a sharp tool. 3. If you are going to salt chinook salmon at home, be sure to wash it with cold water, preferably salted. 4. When gutting fish, pay special attention to the bloody groove along the spine, from the abdomen. 5. It’s better to fillet any salmon when it’s frozen, so it’s easy to remove the spine with all the rib bones at once. 6. If we want the Chinook salmon to be lightly salted, we don’t get carried away with salt. In this case, we use only coarse salt. 7. We select an oppression that is 2 times greater than the weight of the prepared fillet (in my case, 3.6 kg of fillet, eight kilogram oppression). Without pressure, the fish takes much longer to salt, and we risk getting a product with a flavor. 8. Defrost the fish after storing it in the freezer in a cool place.
Chinook salmon is a wonderful fish that simply has no equal. Unfortunately, due to its size and the enormous volumes of red caviar for salmon per individual, it has been practically exterminated in Russia. But if you still manage to purchase this fish and salt it as recommended in this recipe, you will definitely not be disappointed.
How to brine salmon
You can salt salmon varieties of fish not only dry, but also wet; read how to do it correctly and tasty right now.
For a kilogram of fish we take:
- — A liter of clean water;
- — Two tablespoons of table salt.
- - A teaspoon of granulated sugar.
- - Juice from a third of a lemon.
- - Dried cloves, a mixture of peppers, bay leaves, other spices - to taste.
Recipe for salting salmon at home using the wet method, step by step.
- Cut the fish fillet into portions that are not too small, but not large.
- Boil water, add all the spices and herbs according to the recipe into the boiling water, stir, and let the brine cool completely to room temperature.
- Squeeze lemon juice into the cold mixture, mix, pour the marinade over the fish pieces, cover with a lid, and put in the refrigerator for at least one day. Next, drain the filling, place the pieces on a plate, let them dry, pour in olive oil, decorate with herbs and sell.
Lightly salted salmon with vodka
Salmon is salted in a similar way in Scandinavia. And thanks to vodka, the fish retains its color, density, and shape. In addition, the alcoholic drink enhances the aroma of the treat, and at the same time kills all microbes.
Composition of ingredients
To cook fish the Scandinavian way, you will need to prepare the following list of products:
- salmon carcass weighing 1 kg – 1 piece;
- vodka – 100 ml;
- salt – 120 g;
- sugar – 40 g;
- vegetable oil – 20 ml.
Step-by-step cooking process
Salting fish using the Scandinavian method consists of the following steps:
- The salmon carcass must be cleaned of scales, and the fins, tail and head must be cut off. Without removing the skin, rinse the fish and then dry it with a paper towel.
- The fillet must be separated from the bones and cut into pieces. It is desirable that they be the same size.
- Salt needs to be mixed with sugar, adding spices and herbs of your choice.
- After greasing the pieces of fish with vegetable oil, you need to rub them evenly with the prepared mixture.
- Pour 50 ml of vodka into the bottom of a glass or plastic container and place half of the fish pieces in it, placing them skin side down. Place the remaining salmon on top of them. But this time the pieces need to be placed skin side up.
- The fish must be poured with the remaining vodka. Having tightly closed the container with a lid, you should wrap it with cling film, since it is important that no air gets inside the container during the process.
- Salmon should be left to infuse in a dark place at room temperature for 8-10 hours. Then the fish needs to be sent to the refrigerator.
You can take a sample from the treat immediately after salting. And such a dish is stored in the refrigerator for 20 days. But it is important that the salmon does not come into contact with air at this time, so it should be kept in a hermetically sealed container.
What can I add?
You can add any spices to the list of ingredients, for example, black or white pepper, dried dill or parsley. They will add an additional spicy aroma to the fish.
How to serve a dish
The salted fillet does not need to be washed before serving. Just wipe it with a paper towel, cut it into thin strips and place it on a serving plate.
Salting salmon fillet
Salmon fillet prepared using this method will not leave anyone indifferent, the fish melts in your mouth, and when cut it looks incredibly appetizing and beautiful.
You should take:
- — A kilogram of fresh salmon fillet.
- — Rock salt – 160-170 gr.
- — Sugar – 60-70 gr.
- — Chopped bunch of parsley, dill and mint.
How to pickle salmon with herbs correctly, step-by-step steps for housewives.
- • Cut the fish fillet into large pieces.
- • In a separate bowl, mix chopped herbs with salt and granulated sugar.
- • Rub the resulting mixture onto the fillets on all sides.
- • Place the fillet in a plate with the skins down, and the second layer, if there is one, on the contrary, with the skin up, cover with a saucer, set pressure (you can use a liter jar of water as pressure), leave it right in the room until the fish releases juice ( approximately 5 hours).
- • Drain the yushka, remove the pressure, keep the fillet in the refrigerator for another 12 hours and that’s it, you can eat it, add it to various salads, or serve it on toast.
Now you know how to salt salmon at home deliciously, what seasonings are needed for this, and what is best to serve this dish with. Bon appetit!