British American Salmon
Ingredients
Directions
Soak and clean
Immerse the salmon in a shallow tub with soft water and coarse sea salt for 24 hours.
Remove one salmon.
Scale side down.
Clean the red side with scalding hot water and a soft brush.
Use a small knife to remove loose films from the belly and vent area.
Turn the fish over.
Brush the skin side until clean, paying attention to the fins and gills.
Wash and dry
Soak the fish in cold water with dissolved washing soda.
Change the water every 12 hours for 36 hours.
Let the fish sit in pure cold water for 6 hours.
Hang the fish to dry for 12 hours.
Brush the red side smooth.
Use wooden splints to keep the back open.
Ensure the fish dries in a free current of air.
Present the fish to the fire if necessary to prevent clamminess.
Transcribed from a scanned cookbook and modernised for today's kitchens. Where the book gave no heat or time, or said "a moderate oven", the temperatures and times here may be modern equivalents rather than the book's own figures.
Explore the science
What each ingredient does
- Salmon
- Forms the main body of the dish, and its flesh and skin are what the curing and cleaning are meant to preserve.
- Coarse sea salt
- Draws water out of the flesh and firms it, which helps preserve the fish.
- Washing soda
- Dissolved in water, it alters the surface of the skin and helps remove residual film and salt.
The step that matters
Drying in a free current of air. Fish that dries slowly or in still air stays damp on the surface, which encourages clamminess and spoilage. Good airflow lets the skin dry evenly and firm up.
“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.
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