Cured & Smoked Salmon
“I’ve been using this recipe for years and everyone is always amazed at how well the salmon comes out. You can puree it with some cream cheese and use it for smoked salmon mousse canapes (on toasted baguette slices or cucumber wheels), slice it, or whatever you like. One dish I really like making is eggs benedict with smoked salmon instead of Canadian bacon.”
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. 1) Skin and pin bone the salmon. Dry well with paper towels
  2. 2) Mix salt, fennel seed, and brown sugar
  3. 3) Lay out plastic wrap and pour a thick layer of the salt mixture on it
  4. 4) Put the salmon on top of the mixture
  5. 5) Drizzle a little lemon juice and Tangueray on the salmon
  6. 6) Sprinkle some dill and grind some pepper on top
  7. 7) Add a large amount of the salt mixture on top of the salmon (you don’t want to see ANY fish)
  8. 8) Wrap the fish with the plastic wrap and place in a perforated hotel pan. Place that pan in another deeper hotel pan to catch any moisture
  9. 9) Press the fish by placing a hotel pan with added weight in it on top
  10. 10) Refrigerate 2-3 days until the fish has acquired the desired texture you’re looking for (generally a bit firm, yet still pliable)
  11. 11) Rinse all the salt off the fish and dry well
  12. 12) Start your smoker. Put the salmon in when the smoke is at its heaviest point and smoke for 6-8 minutes
  13. 13) Your cured and smoked salmon is complete. It tastes best fresh off the smoker, but will hold 2-3 weeks in the refrigerator and freezes well