One of the benefits of working for a creative publishing company is the fact that we often publish some really quality cookbooks that I get to work on and often, cook from.

This hot pink salmon was from one such cookbook that immediately caught my eye. I thought of making it in time for mother’s day brunch, but then my mom and I ended up going out for a day in Oakland instead. Full disclosure: I’d never cured anything in my entire life and was feeling a little bit nervous about it. You basically slather the raw slab of salmon with toppings and a little vodka, and somehow it magically becomes “cooked” and ready to slice up and eat.

But the idea of hot pink beet salmon was too enticing to pass up, so I made it anyways, and also posted it up on our company blog here!

The recipe calls for horseradish, and as soon as I popped open the can, my eyes were watering. However, don’t let this scare you, because after 5 days of sitting in the fridge, the strength of it dies down a little bit and you’re left with a slightly spicy-sweet cured fish. I don’t normally like anything that calls for copious amounts of horseradish, but this recipe is now definitely an exception.

Things I learned from curing salmon:

You really have to glob on the toppings. And that’s ok.
- You’ll scrape it off at the end anyways, but it’s totally normal to have a centimeter thick topping over your salmon.
It will leak.
- No matter how many layers of cheesecloth and plastic wrap you use to cover up the salmon for the days it needs to cure, the juice still finds its way out and leaks.
You have to eat it pretty soon.
- Long story short- since I was planning on posting this blog on the company website, I had to take pictures with the book in it, and forgot and left the book at work. So I waited a week after it was fully cured to take pictures the next weekend. By that time it smelled pretty fishy and so I didn’t get to eat it. I recommend making this in advance for a party with multiple people you can share it with, and finish it up quickly after it’s cured.
It might take a while in the fridge, but overall, it’s not too much work.
- I think the wrapping process is what actually took me the longest in prepping the salmon. Mostly, you just combine the ingredients, slather them over the salmon, cover it all up, and let it sit for a while, turning it over occasionally. Pretty easy!

From Salmon by Diane Morgan (Chronicle Books, 2016)

Beet and Horseradish Cured Salmon Gravlax

Ingredients

1/2 cup [100 g] coarse sea salt, such as La Baleine
1/2 cup [100 g] firmly packed golden brown sugar
One 3- to 4-lb [1.4- to 1.8-kg] salmon fillet, skin on and pin bones removed
8 oz [230 g] raw beets, peeled and grated
1 cup [240 g] prepared extra-hot horseradish
1/4 cup [60 ml] vodka
Finely snipped fresh chives; thinly sliced green onions, including green tops; brined capers, drained, rinsed, and blotted dry; minced shallots; and/or English cucumber, thinly sliced, for garnish
Thinly sliced pumpernickel or other bread for serving

Instructions

Select a rimmed baking sheet that is the same length as the salmon or nearly so. Place a wire rack that is just slightly shorter inside the baking sheet. Cover the rack with a double layer of cheesecloth, allowing enough to overhang the sides and ends of the rack to fold over and cover the fish completely.
In a small bowl, stir together the salt and brown sugar. Spread half of the salt mixture on the skin side of the salmon, packing it into place. Lay the salmon, skin-side down, on the cheesecloth. Gently rub the remaining salt mixture over the flesh side of the fillet.
In a medium bowl, combine the beets and horseradish and mix well. Spread the beet mixture over the top and sides of the salmon fillet. Slowly drizzle the vodka evenly over the top, being careful not to rinse off the beet-salt cure.
Bring up the sides of the cheesecloth and wrap them snugly around the fish. Fold the overhanging ends toward the center. Now seal the entire fillet in a large sheet of plastic wrap. Once tightly wrapped, arrange the fillet, flesh-side up, on the rack. Rest a slightly smaller rimmed baking sheet or other flat, rimmed vessel on top of the fish. Put something that weighs about 3 lb [1.4 kg] on the top baking sheet. (I use full beer bottles set on their sides.) Place the weighted salmon in the refrigerator for at least 2 days, or up to 5 days. Flip the salmon once a day, being sure to return the weighted baking sheet to the top of the salmon after each turn.
Remove the weighted baking sheet. Remove the fillet from the wrappings and scrape the cure off of the flesh side. Skin the fillet and then cut crosswise (against the grain) into thin slices. Arrange the slices on a platter or on individual plates and garnish as desired. Serve with the pumpernickel.
Cook’s Note: If not serving the cured salmon right away, it can be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Or, wrap it in plastic wrap and then in a double layer of aluminum foil and place in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.

Beet and Horseradish Cured Salmon Gravlax

Ingredients

Instructions

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