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YIELD: ABOUT 12 SERVINGS FROM EACH HALF SALMON Although smoked salmon of excellent quality is widely available in markets, if you want to prepare your own, this recipe is fun to make for a large party. You can use a conventional smoker if you have one, following the manufacturer's instructions, or you can concoct a smoker, as I did, out of an old refrigerator or a metal locker. This smoked salmon should be prepared at least a day ahead, since it is easier to slice if it has had time to set. It can be served plain or garnished wwith cucumber salad and asparagus, as in the recipe below. 1 salmon- head off and gutted, about 7 pounds (yielding a total of 4 1/2 pounds of flesh from both fillets after boning) The Salmon Dry-Cure 2/3 cup kosher salt 1/4 cup sugar 1 tablespoon corn or sunflower oil Cucumber Salad 2 medium cucumbers. peeled. split, seeded, and cut into thin slices (about 3 cups) 2 teaspoons salt 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped dill 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/3 cup sour cream 2 teaspoons lemon juice Garnishes 3 hard-cooked eggs12 long chives dropped in boiling water for a few seconds to wilt, and then refreshed under cold water, for use as a "string" for tying up salmon "packages" About 24 asparagus spears, peeled, cooked, and split (see illustrated asparagus preparation, page 97, Jacques Pepin Celebrates) About 1 tablespoon lemon juice 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil Follow the technique for boning out salmon in Jacques Pepin Celebrates (p. 85), and leave the skin on. For the dry cure: Place each salmon half on a piece of plastic wrap. Mix the salt and sugar together, and divide it between the fillets, rubbing it on both sides of each. Wrap the fillets in the plastic wrap and then in aluminum foil, and set aside, refrigerated, to cure for at least 6 hours and up to 48 hours, turning the packages a couple of times so the salt (which will transform into liquid) runs through the salmon. When the salmon is cured, you will notice that there is practically no liquid remaining, because the salt has been transformed into liquid and has been absorbed into the salmon, and the salmon has firmed up considerably. At this point, rinse the salmon briefly under cold water, and dry with paper towels. It is ready to smoke. Using a large flowerpot and an electric barbecue starter, push the starter into the pot and fill the pot with wood chips. To transform an old refrigerator into a cold-smoker, make a hole with a hacksaw through one of the sides, toward the bottom of the refrigerator (low enough so that the flower-pot can be positioned directly under it on the floor). The hole should be large enough to hold an elbow downspout (available at a hardware store). Fit the downspout into the hole, and push aluminum foil around it so it fits tightly. Plug in the barbecue-starter, and position the flowerpot under the downspout. Place a piece of aluminum foil around the top of the pot, and wrap the foil around the pot and down-spout, so that most of the smoke from the smoldering chips in the pot will go into the refrigerator. (If left open in a draft, the wood would eventually ignite and burn, whereas it should smolder.) Place each salmon fillet on a wire rack in the refrigerator, and close the door tightly. Plug in the smoker for 5 minutes, and then unplug it. During the 5 minutes the smoker is plugged in, smoke will fill the refrigerator. The smoke will remain in the refrigerator, seeping out slowly through the natural crack surround-ing the door. After an hour, plug in the smoker again for another 5 minutes, then unplug it and, again, leave it for 1 hour. Do this a third time. The salmon should get approximately 15 minutes of smoking, 5 minutes every hour, and remain in the smoker- refrigerator for a total of about 3 1/2 hours. Remove the salmon from the smoker, and arrange on a tray. Rub the top of the fillets with the corn oil, and refrigerate for at least 1 day before slicing. To cut the salmon into the large slices needed for the recipe, use a long, thin-bladed knife, and cut thinly (a little less than 1/24 inch) on the bias, slicing almost to the bottom of the flesh but still keeping the slice attached at the base. Then cut another slice, next to the first, but cut it through, so that the two thin slices are attached at the base and when opened create one large, thin butterflied slice of salmon. Repeat until you have twelve butterflied pieces. Line a small ovenproof glass bowl with one of the butterflied salmon pieces to make the salmon easier to stuff. For the cucumber salad: Mix the sliced cucumber with the salt in a mixing bowl. Let the cucumber macerate for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse lightly in a strainer under cold water, and pat dry. Transfer the slices to a clean bowl, and add the chopped dill, pepper, sour cream, and lemon juice. |
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