Beetroot Cured Salmon
This is the most impressive thing you can make with almost no actual cooking involved. A side of salmon gets buried in salt, sugar, grated beetroot and dill, then left in the fridge for two days while it firms up and takes on the most extraordinary colour. At the end you rinse it, dry it and slice it.
I love smoked and cured fish, and I have a bad habit of nibbling at it while I am cooking, so a whole side sitting in the fridge is a real test of willpower. The beetroot does not make it taste particularly earthy. It mostly stains the outer edge a deep magenta, so every slice ends up with a bright ring around it.
You want a very fresh piece of salmon here, so buy it from a fishmonger on the day you plan to cure it and tell them what you are doing with it. Ask for a centre cut piece if there is one going, as it will be an even thickness and will cure at the same rate all the way along.
Once it is cured it keeps in the fridge for about five days, wrapped up tightly. Slice it as thinly as you can manage with a long sharp knife, holding the blade almost flat to the board. Rye bread, creme fraiche and a spoonful of horseradish are all it needs.
Beetroot Cured Salmon
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Cook Time: 48 hours
Total Time: 48 hours 25 minutes
Serves: 8 people
Serving size: 104g
Calories per serving: 198
Fat per serving: 11.9g
Ingredients
- 700g very fresh salmon fillet, skin on and pin-boned
- 200g raw beetroot, peeled and coarsely grated
- 100g caster sugar
- 100g coarse sea salt
- Large bunch of fresh dill (roughly chopped)
- 2 tsp black peppercorns, crushed
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Creamed horseradish and rye bread to serve
Method
- Mix the grated beetroot, caster sugar, sea salt, dill, crushed peppercorns and lemon zest together in a bowl until you have a wet, deep purple paste.
- Lay a large sheet of cling film in a dish and spread a third of the beetroot mixture over the middle. Sit the salmon on top, skin side down, and pack the rest of the mixture over the flesh.
- Wrap the cling film tightly around the salmon so the cure stays pressed against it. Sit a small plate on top and weigh it down with a couple of tins.
- Refrigerate for 48 hours, turning the parcel over once a day and pouring off any liquid that collects in the dish underneath.
- Unwrap the salmon and scrape the cure away with the back of a knife, then rinse it briefly under cold water and pat it completely dry.
- Slice as thinly as you can on a shallow angle, working from the tail end and leaving the skin behind. Serve with rye bread, creme fraiche and horseradish.
