Tequila And Lime Cured Gravlax

I made this for the Thanksgiving party we had at work today. The first time I had this was at a cookin' a few years ago with some of the participants from the newsgroup rec.food.cooking. This is one of the signature dishes of Terry Squeaks Pulliam Burd.

I started Sunday evening with the dry cure.

I don't have a jelly roll pan like the recipe suggests so I used this little square one with one and a half inch sides. It worked very well.

Salmon tucked away in the dry cure

The pieces of plastic wrap that I lined the pan with weren't long enough to completely wrap the salmon and the rub securely. So I gingerly with help, lifted the salmon out of the pan and put in one of these plastic bags I bought at Daiso. I love these bags and I use them a lot.

The recipe says to place another pan on top and place 5 lbs of cans or other heavy weights on top. I don't use a lot of canned goods so I was bereft of something to weight it down with. I thought I'd use my good ol' Molcajete for this. The shelves in my refrigerator are too close together and not adjustable so this just didn't work.

After scrounging around I found the weights I needed.

After day one I needed to get the wet cure ready.

I placed the salmon in the wet cure along with some of the dry cure saved from day one.

Unveiled on day four. It was a big hit at the party and I only had this little piece left. That's because this is the piece I didn't take to the party.

Slice thin and serve on crackers. I prefer mine without crackers.

Tequila And Lime Cured Gravlax

appetizers, seafood

      ----For the dry cure: ----
1 1/2 pounds side of salmon (sushi grade)
  unsliced, skin on
1 1/2 cups kosher salt
3 cups light brown sugar
      ----For the liquid cure----
1/2 cup tequila
1/2 cup fresh lime juice
  zest of 1 lemon -- colored part of; peel - only
  zest of 1 orange -- colored part of; peel - only
2 teaspoons whole coriander seeds
3 sprigs fresh dill -- with stems
3 sprigs fresh mint -- with stems
3 sprigs fresh basil -- with stems

Day One - The Dry Cure: Mix the salt and sugar together and reserve
1/3 of it for Day Two. Next to the salmon, place a plastic-wrapped
jelly roll pan and, forming a bed 1/4' thick along the length and
width of the salmon, spread the cure. Turn the salmon over and lay it
flesh side down on the cure. Scatter leftover cure along the sides and
ends of the fish, and then pull the plastic up so it wraps around the
fish securely and will capture extruding juices. Place a board or
another pan on the fish and set 5 pounds of cans or other heavy
objects on the board to weigh down the salmon. Refrigerate for 24
hours.
Day Two - The Liquid Cure: Pour the tequila and the lime juice into a
bowl and stir in the zests. Place the coriander seeds in a plastic
bag, lay it on your work surface, and crush the seeds with a rolling
pin or the bottom of a heavy pan; pour them into the bowl, then chop
the herbs roughly and stir them in. Pour the tequila marinade into a
second plastic-lined jelly roll pan, spreading the zests and herbs out
so they are evenly distributed on what will be the length and width of
the fish. Sprinkle the reserved dry cure over the liquid, again
reserving a bit for the ends and sides. Remove the salmon from the
refrigerator and lay it flesh side down on top of the cure, scattering
the dry ingredients along the sides and ends of the fish. Wrap the
plastic around it, replace the board and weights, and refrigerate for
at least another two days and up to four.
Slice the salmon into thin, long, wide, handsome pieces, using smooth,
long strokes with your very sharp, long knife, and that you leave the
skin on the cutting board. Cut only as much as you plan to eat. Store
the salmon in its cure, but it need not be kept weighted down. Cured
salmon will keep for at least 10 days in the refrigerator.

NOTES : From the cookbook,_ In Julia's Kitchen with Master Chefs_,
this makes a spectacular appearance and tastes even better than it
looks.
Recipe By     : Monique Barbeau
Serving Size  : 25   Preparation Time :0:00

Contributor:  Squeaks on rfc

Comments

[Nate]

Excellent post, and great pics too. Is the Sauza a gold tequila, or a reposado?

[koko]

It's a gold tequila. According to the label it's "Extra Tequila Gold" it also states "Elaborado Con Agave Azul" Which according to my limited Spanish it's enhanced with Blue Agave.
Not exactly a sipping tequila like Tres Generationes.

[Caleb]

I found your food blog going through a few links. Glad I ran into it. Didn’t know that the food blog/recipe community was so big online. I love your posts!

I was wondering if you would like to exchange links. I’ll drop yours on my site and you drop mine on yours. Email at ramendays@yahoo.com or stop by my site and drop a comment. Let me know if you would like to do a link exchange.

Cheers,
Caleb
http://www.ramendays.com