Beet- and Horseradish-Cured Salmon
- Total Time
- 30 minutes, plus 3 days' curing
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 6ounces horseradish, grated fresh, or prepared, well drained
- 1salmon fillet, about 3 pounds, skin on
- 1pound red beets, raw, peeled and grated, juice included
- 1large bunch fresh dill, roughly chopped
- ½cup plus 2 tablespoons/5 ounces granulated sugar
- 1cup plus 2 tablespoons/6 ounces kosher salt (See note.)
- ¼cup/1 ounce cracked black pepper
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
176 calories; 5 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 1 gram monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 27 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 23 grams sugars; 8 grams protein; 251 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
If using fresh horseradish, peel, cut into chunks and process in a food processor, using the steel blade. Do not grate it by hand; the fumes will be overpowering. Drape the food processor with a damp towel and carefully crack the lid, under the towel, to absorb the fumes.
- Step 2
Remove pin bones from salmon and set aside. In a large stainless steel or glass bowl, combine horseradish and remaining ingredients, wearing gloves to avoid turning your hands purple.
- Step 3
Choose a nonreactive pan that is just large enough to hold the salmon fillet or line a pan with plastic wrap. Drizzle a little of the beet mixture on pan and place the salmon, skin-side down, on top. Cover the flesh with remaining beet mixture, making it thinner on tail and belly section and thicker everywhere else.
- Step 4
Cover with plastic wrap, place another pan on top, and weight with cans. Cure in refrigerator for 3 days.
- Step 5
Gently scrape off beet mixture and discard. Cut salmon in thin slices and serve. Whole fillet, well wrapped in plastic, will last 1 week refrigerated.
- Kosher salts are made through different processes, and as a result differ in weight. The kosher salt tested was Diamond Crystal; Morton weighs almost twice as much, so use less, about ⅔ cup.
Private Notes
Comments
I've been making a simpler version of lox for a while now, usually a one pound piece cut from the middle of the fillet so it's of equal thickness throughout. 1 cup sugar and 1 cup salt distributed as in this recipe, then fronds of dill on top. Wrap in plastic wrap and cure as above. Once cured, after rinsing, remove the skin (very yummy roasted separately) and leave the rewrapped salmon in the fridge for another day. It dries out a bit more and makes slicing on the diagonal easier.
The fattiness of the salmon in the photo makes me think it's Atlantic salmon (the standard for lox in NYC), which is softer and lighter in taste and color than Pacific, and nearly always farmed. Thanks for posting this; I would have tried it with wild Pacific salmon (I live in Seattle) but will probably stick to my usual gravlax recipe (salt, sugar, dill, pepper & allspice, similar to what others have mentioned here).
Almost all salmon sold in the US is flash frozen at sea at very low temps, which kills parasites & bacteria (and keeps the fish very fresh until it's sold). Ask at your supermarket or fish shop, if not marked. Here in Seattle they're marked "previously frozen." This may not have been as common in 2008 when the Ruth Reichl article came out.
Depending on the thickness, three days is on the long side for this. The longer, the more cured and harder. For softer, try 2 days or even 36 hours.
I used Yukon River Keta salmon from Alaska with this preparation and it was so incredible! This will definitely be a family holiday tradition! Excellent recipe!
I'm also in the PNW. I did this with steelhead. It worked OK but I don't think the beets added much besides color and the mess and effort involved with using them (both before and after) wasn't worth it. It was pretty for sure. The salt was too heavy after scraping the cure away, but rinsing it in cold water and patting it dry loved the problem.