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Home Smoked and Cured Sockeye Salmon
I grew up in the 70?s and 80?s (wow, am I really that old?), well before the current food revolution and age of celebrity chef stardom. And, I have to say, am a bit jealous of the youth of today (now that just made me sound old, didn?t it?). Not so much the celebrity chef craze (although I am a big fan of Top Chef), but the exposure to so many types of food and ingredients that are now so readily available (for instance, sushi, didn't even know what it was until my early 20s, razor clams, dandelion greens, Japanese eggplant). Furthermore, I did not grow up in a family that was "into" food (not even a little bit). My parents, second generation Americans, did not retain much, if any, of their Eastern European ancestors? culinary traditions. We grew up typical suburbanites on a diet of frozen dinners and chain restaurants (cruel and unusual punishment, okay, maybe that's going a bit far). In fact, I did not even like food growing up, a point that my family never ceases to raise whenever they get the chance. My response, "It wasn't that I didn't like food, just not the food that I was exposed to." It wasn?t until after I graduated from college and was living in Washington, D.C., a melting pot of flavors and culture, that I started to really enjoy food (cooking did not come until much later). But, what really opened my eyes, was my first trip to Europe in 2001. This is how it all began? One late night in Washington, D.C., with some soccer buddies, at the third or fourth watering hole of the evening (lost count), I had mentioned to a fellow teammate ("P") that I wanted to backpack across Europe. He responded ?we should go,? to which I replied "okay, let?s go.? [Not really thinking anything would come of it; we didn?t really know each other at the time, and did I mention that we had already consumed more than our legal limits). A few days later, P called and said ?Let?s meet to plan our trip to Europe.? Me: ?Okay, where?? So we met at a Brazilian restaurant, The Grill from Ipanema, in Adams Morgan (over moqueca and wine). P showed up with several maps and we began to plot our odyssey. A few months later, having cashed out most of my savings to purchase a plane ticket, I was headed to Europe for a month-long excursion: first Paris, next down to the south of France (Cassis, where I had the best bouillabaisse ever) and Nice, then to Italy (Cinque Terrre, Siena, Florence, Rome, and Venice), and finishing up in Greece (Athens, Santorini, and Naxos). Came back completely broke (and had to call my parents to ask for money; needless to say, they were not the least bit happy), but it was completely worth it. Wow, what a whirlwind trip that forever changed my life. From that point on, the travel bug got me good. As I traveled more and was exposed to new foods home and abroad, I started cooking, visiting farmers' markets, seeking out new ingredients, experimenting in the kitchen some more?I gradually became mesmerized by food. I want to taste it all and attempt to cook everything I taste. I even applied to culinary school (wow, so expensive), a long time dream of mine. For now, am left to my own devices, experimenting in the kitchen, and having fun along the way, with usually more hits than "misses" (okay, my attempt at kimchi was not a complete success -- a bit too sour. Help.) And now 10 years later, am planning my seventh trip abroad (with the same travel companion). That brings me to today?s post, home smoked and cured salmon. One of the few Eastern European traditions that I was exposed to as a child and still love today. Even better on a good New York bagel. Uhhh (or should I say oy vey), a subject for another post. What have "they" [the likes of Einstein Bros., Panera, etc.] done to the humble bagel??? For home smoked and cured salmon, all you need is... Spice Rub 3 tablespoons brown sugar 3 tablespoons sea salt 1 1/2 tablespoons hot smoked paprika 1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper Note: you can vary up the spices (as long as the sugar salt ratio stays the same); I've seen recipes that called for cumin, coriander, even bonito flakes. 1 pound center-cut wild salmon. I prefer sockeye to coho and king. It has a bit of a stronger flavor. I started by smoking the salmon in a Cameron stovetop smoker to impart a mild smoky flavor. If you do not own a smoker you can omit this step. For those of you who have a smoker, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of wood chips (hickory or alder) in the smoker over medium heat. After a few minutes, when smoke rises from all sides, put the salmon on the rack, skin side down. Cover and smoke for 30 seconds. Move off the heat; smoke for 30 seconds longer. Next, spread out a piece of cheesecloth. Sprinkle 1/3 of the rub, roughly the size of the salmon. Place the salmon, skin side down, and spread the rest of the rub over the top of the salmon.   Wrap the cheesecloth over the salmon and then wrap with plastic wrap. Place the salmon (skin side down) in a shallow plate and refrigerate for 48 hours (you can put a plate and then a couple of cans on top of the plate to help weigh the salmon down, to help remove some of the moisture). Two days later... Unwrap the salmon.  Rinse the salmon under tap water to remove the remaining salt and sugar. Pat dry with a paper towel. You can reseason with black pepper, paprika or even a little dried dill. Using a sharp knife, slice the salmon into paper thin slices.   Enjoy on its own, or on a homemade multigrain bagel, or in some buckwheat crepes...     related searches : Home
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