You can turn the filet over after about 18 hours, again making sure the exposed skin is covered with salt.
Notes to answer questions:
1. It's unlikely that you will have much in the way of anything left over from this production. If you do, just wrap the skin around the flesh, cover the whole thing in plastic wrap, and store in the fridge. Or pop it back into the glass dish with the lid. It's best if you eat it up within two or three days. The longer you've cured it, the longer it will last.
2. I have never frozen the cured salmon, because there is never that much left over, but I imagine it would be just fine, as our Norwegian friend Astrid in the comments says.
3. A lot of fish sold in the supermarket has already been frozen when it is sold as “fresh.” Freezing kills any parasites. You can ask when you buy it if it has been frozen. If it hasn't and you are worried, just freeze it, thaw it in the fridge, and then proceed. I usually wash my filet before curing it, but the salt will kill any surface bacteria.
___________________________
*It cracks me up when people advise you to use a ziploc bag or wrap the fish well in plastic or somehow make this super complicated in a way that has you ending up with a lot of yucky drippy plastic. Just use a glass dish and cover it.
priestswife says
this really works? Fresh salmon is expensive- but much less expensive than smoked salmon
This would make a good substitution for my daily can of sardines
_Leila says
priestswife — it really, really works. Been doing it for many years!
_Leila says
Also, priestswife, since smoked salmon is about $15 a pound (and not very good), and salmon is around $7 a pound, yes, this is a good value! Even after you've cured it and it's lost some weight. I can sometimes get the salmon even cheaper.
Lisa G. says
How interesting! Do you know how long it keeps? I don't know if I”ll ever try it, because I have a low tolerance for salty anything (hated potato chips, etc. as a child) , but it sure sounds very interesting.
_Leila says
Lisa, it keeps for a couple of days.
Libby says
This seems like a stupid question, but do you have to refrigerate it afterwards? Or seal it in a ziploc? How long does it keep? I once had a lox bagel while I was pregnant and generally when I'm pregnant everything is either yucky or ABSOLUTELY THE BEST THING IN THE WHOLE WIDE WORLD and that lox bagel was definitely the best.
_Leila says
Libby, you have to refrigerate it — I suppose if you were trekking by the fjords you could carry it in your rucksack, but it's better chilled, texture-wise.
Margo says
oh wow, this is mind-blowing. I had NO IDEA you could do this at home! I could go on a diatribe about the knowledge we have lost. . . but I can just say thank you to you, instead, for helping out with the collective memory. THANK YOU for this.
And yes, I'd like to know too: once it's cured, how long can I keep it in the fridge?
I have to say, I make bagels, and a homemade whole wheat sesame bagel piled with salmon. . .. ahhhhhhh. It is going to happen at my house.
_Leila says
Margo, it keeps for a few days! And yes, it's amazing. And easy.
Ann Marie says
Oh my goodness…it looks so yummy. I'm hoping I can find dulse in my town.
_Leila says
Ann Marie, you don't *need* dulse. It's an extra. You just need salmon and salt!
lydiacubbedge says
Heaven! If I could get decent bagels down south I would probably die of happiness from the idea of homemade lox on a bagel, so it's probably good that I can only get mediocre ones. I am making this.
skoots1mom1 says
omgoodness, my mouth watered the entire time i was reading this…so going to do this!
Astrid says
Long time reader, first time commenter. I'm norwegian, and we frequently have smoked and/or cured salmon on festive occasions, and it is one of my favourite foods. We usually serve it with scrambled eggs and bread. Unfortunately, my doctor says nothing raw while pregnant, so it will be a while before I can have any.
When cured, I keep the fish for some days in the fridge, but if I have a lot, I will cut it into suitable portions and freeze. Actually, the advise given in Norway is to freeze all home cured fish, and any other fish which is to be eaten raw for 48 hours at -20 C(-4 F) to ensure that any parasites are killed. However, the authorities in Norway say that Norwegian farmed salmon is safe even without freezing, but I would advise doing your own research on the subject.
Ashley says
This looks amazing. I wish we lived in the NW again, salmon is so much more affordable out there.
Elizabeth says
Thank you thank you for this! A few of my mom's good friends are Jewish, so I was introduced to the bagel with cream cheese and lox through many bar mitzvahs (along with noodle kugel..mmmmmm). I will be dreaming about this until I get the chance to try it.
Gently Led says
YUM! Can't wait to try this! Lox w/ bagels and cream cheese is one of my favorite meals and one I rarely get due to price. Thanks, Aunt Leila!
Mrs Nesbit says
I was so relieved to read this headline. Thank goodness the salmon has been cured! I had been quite worried for it, but it sounds like it has pulled through. At home, no less! No need for a stay in hospital. Congrats on a job well done! Huzzah, the salmon is cured! Long live salmon!
Lela says
Well Auntie Lela, I am eating my home smoked salmon. I used rock seal salt and liquid smoke, it is delicious and very firm. We usually only have it around the holidays because of the cost but now it will become much more of an “everyday treat”!
Martha says
Is it a big deal if it doesn't start forming a brine? Is my fridge too cold?? There has been no brine forming…so I'm a bit worried!
_Leila says
No, it's not a big deal, Martha — the important thing is the amount
of time. Often mine just makes a little brine at the bottom of the
dish.
rayna@blog says
Thank you for this recipe! Not only is it frugal, it's waaaay healthier than the supermarket lox. Just for fun, I read the ingredients today: nitrates and all manner of Red #s 2 through 6 and some Blue Lakes thrown in for good measure. I now have two pounds of salmon sitting in my fridge, and here I go to cure it! (P.S. I am in love with your blog.)
wanderingsue says
Oh, I love you (could it be?) more than ever.
Lori says
Well, I'm sitting here nibbling on my first-ever cured-by-myself salmon on toasted pumpernickel bread with a thin layer of butter (no dairy except butter for me for the next two weeks, so no cream cheese). I made my salmon according to your instructions with some chopped fresh dill from the herb garden and a good sprinkle of brandy. I didn't have any liquid smoke, so I skipped that, and I intended to put some lemon, but I forgot, so I intended to squeeze a little over it before trying the first serving, but I forgot THAT, and in spite of all of those “goofs,” it is DELICIOUS. That is the true test of a keeper recipe for me — one that lends itself to the vagaries of life in the household. Thank you ever so much for explaining how to do this so encouragingly; it is a great “recipe” to have in one's pocket.
Camille says
Just put my first batch in the fridge! My husband was raised Jewish on Long Island. He loves Lox and I hoep he loves this!
Cindy says
Is there a way to “pin” this on Pinteret?
_Leila says
Cindy, you could repin mine: http://pinterest.com/pin/221520875394638707/
Andy says
When you re-use the brine, do you just pour it over the new salmon? It doesn't matter that it has so much water in it? Or do you cook it down first? Or add more salt? Thanks so much!!
_Leila says
Andy, if it's thick (only a little salmon juice has gotten into it), I just re-use as is. If it seems thin, I chuck or add more salt.
Since you are using so much salt, even the liquid is preserved. It really is brine. Only if the concentration of salt got very low would you have bacteria problems — but then, you might not have used enough salt in the first place.
Tamara says
I've been reading up a lot on how to cure salmon at home. However, my purpose for curing it was to make sushi. This type of curing doesn't seem to be curing the salmon to sushi grade. How can I cure it so that it is free from parasites and other contaminants and still be fresh for sushi type dishes?
_Leila says
Tamara, curing it cures it — so it won't be fresh. Sushi grade, as I understand it, means here in the US that it has been frozen, which the salmon I buy has been. That's all I got 🙂
Katie says
Wanted to let you know that I’d had this salmon post on my mind for a long time, and I finally went for it! We loved it. Once my husband made the mental switch from “cured fish” to “delicious lox and cream cheese and bagels,” he was as eager as I was for it to be ready. =) We timed it for Sunday breakfast, and in true save-a-step fashion I even managed to have leftover mashed potatoes and chives on hand and whipped up some potato pancakes. You’re right, it does go fast, but I socked away the thin, final slices in the freezer and look forward to using them for a dip or spread as a future treat. And thanks again for the recent pizza advice; planning to make dough today!
Jennifer says
I have five gallons of Norwegian salted salmon and have no idea what yo do with it…thought about pickling some. Can I smoke it and then can it too?
Annie says
I tried this for the first time at New Year’s and it worked perfectly despite poor planning on my part. At the supermarket yesterday, I spied – on manager’s special – what looked like salmon but was actually steelhead. After some internet research, I decided to stick it in the freezer and try curing it for Easter. I have high hopes!!
Mrs. Badger says
Just discovered this post. I should know by now that when you promise I can do something “with ease” you really mean it. Not like some blogs out there that tell you something is easy and then you still have to buy marzipan and crush spices with a mortar and pestle and brown your butter and use a candy thermometer, before a 24 hour stint in the fridge. I much prefer just the 24 hour stint in the fridge! Excited to try this, especially after I put smoked salmon on the grocery list and my husband brought home regular salmon, after seeing the prices per relative weight.