Beet and Horseradish-Cured Salmon Recipe From ‘Chocolate & Marrow'
Every week, we’re spotlighting a different food blogger who’s shaking up the blogosphere with tempting recipes and knockout photography. Here, Brooke Conroy Bass of Chocolate & Marrow shares a beautiful account of how she snagged a gorgeous filet for her bright beet and horseradish-cured salmon dish.
The ruby hue of this salmon is courtesy of some colorful beets. All photos: Brooke Conroy Bass
When I first pulled up to the tiny, colorful fish shack that sat in a parking lot directly off of Highway 35, I immediately spotted Doug, its owner. He was wearing sandals and shorts and his long black hair hung in a tri-banded ponytail down the center of his back. As I approached the stand, I noticed him fiddling with a shiny new banner that read: “Wild Columbia Salmon.” He looked up at me, casually passed one of the banner strings to me, and signaled to pull it taut out to the side. Without saying a word, as if we’d known each other forever. His new banner slowly rose up high above the stand as each of us pulled our respective ropes in opposite directions. We tied each side off and marveled at it for a minute.
On the right side of the banner hung the American flag, its stars and stripes clear and crisp. On the left, a lesser-known faded white flag with an arc of feathers lining a mountain, representing his affiliation with the Yakama Indian Reservation and Nation.
I’d read about the tribal fishermen in Hood River who exclusively sell their catch to Doug daily, so I knew he, as a member of the Yakama Nation, had access to some of the best sustainably-harvested fish in Oregon. What I didn’t know before making the one-hour drive west from Portland is that Doug is quite possibly the most warmhearted person in the entire world. The kind of person you could sit and talk to for hours. His friendliness sparkles in his eyes. His kindness seeps out of his pores, only trumped by the tan smile lines that frame his face.
Doug of Wild Columbia Salmon.
I was his first customer on a gorgeous sunny Sunday afternoon, but he was expecting more as the day went on. Windsurfers frequently stop by his shack after a long day of riding the water, looking for the area’s best smoked salmon. Local shop owners come by for their weekly haul of fresh fish. But while I was there, around noon on a Sunday afternoon, when the sun was quite literally sparkling high above us, it was just Doug and me.
We spent some time talking about salmon in the criss-crossed shadows under his hut’s lattice roof. He told me how his fish are caught by the Yakama in hoop nets, as opposed to gill nets, to preserve the quality of the fish. I told him how I planned to cure the fish in beets, as it had been taught to me by the James Beard Award-nominated (!) chef Bonnie Morales. We discussed what kind of smoking process produced the most flavorful smoked salmon. And he told me with a laugh about the off-season “zombie fish,” his term for the fish that survived last summer’s harvest but have some, shall we say, scars that show their age.
Left, the Wild Columbia Salmon stand. Right, beets prepared for the salmon.
When it came time for me to pay for the salmon, I handed Doug enough cash to cover my fish. I didn’t want him to spend his money on me. He gently pushed my hand away and said, “In Native American culture, it’s considered impolite to refuse a gift. Please.” I nodded, feeling a little embarrassed and also hoping I hadn’t offended him, and promised that next time I came out, I’d insist on bringing him something as a gesture of my thanks.
Before parting ways, Doug and I talked about hanging out again sometime with our respective partners. He suggested heading out to his house, which has a river running through the property, where we could fish and cook up whatever we caught. I promised to bring something to contribute from my own roots, perhaps a gumbo or a cornbread dish.
Beet and Horseradish-Cured Salmon
Adapted from a fish curing workshop taken with chef Bonnie Morales of Kachka
Serves 10
2 cups of kosher salt*
1 cup of sugar
1 large beet, grated
1 tablespoon of fresh horseradish, grated (optional)
1 large (about 2 pounds) sushi-grade or fresh caught salmon filet*
Fresh dill, for garnish
Mix together the kosher salt, sugar, beet, and horseradish in a medium-sized bowl. If using your hands, you may want to wear gloves as the beets will temporarily stain them pink.
On a sheet tray, smash a layer of the beet mixture in a shape that is roughly the same shape as your salmon filet. Place the filet on top of the beet mixture on the tray, skin side down. Take another handful or two of the beet mixture and spread it all over the top of the salmon filet. Coat the sides of the mixture until the salmon is entirely covered in the beet mixture. Making sure it’s covered evenly will help the colors set in evenly. You’ll notice, almost immediately, that liquid in the fish will begin to seep out of the filet. This is normal since the curing process is meant to both dehydrate the fish and break down proteins.
Cover tray loosely with plastic wrap and set in the refrigerator for 8-24 hours, turning halfway through. The length of time that it rests in the refrigerator is dependent on the size of the filet; larger sizes require longer. For the 2-pound filet photographed here, I let it rest for roughly 20 hours, but for a smaller one, say 1 pound, you could do it for as little as 8 or as much as 12 hours. The longer it cures, the more flavor and color will infuse into it, but you absolutely don’t want to do it for any longer than 24 hours.
Remove from the refrigerator and rinse the filet under cold water. Pat dry with paper towels. Set the rinsed filet on a wire rack over a baking sheet and place it back in the refrigerator, uncovered, for 1-2 hours. This will allow the surface to become tacky, improving the overall texture of the finished salmon.
Notes: This recipe calls for kosher salt, which is very different in intensity than regular table or sea salt. If you absolutely must use table or sea salt, cut the amount of salt down to ½ cup. Also, the recipe here is for a 2-pound salmon filet. Scale the ingredients based on the size of your filet.
If your filet came with pin bones, pull them out after the cure is finished. Here is a helpful resource on how to remove pin bones.
Once cured, the salmon will last in the refrigerator for up to one week. Just make sure it’s tightly wrapped in plastic wrap and then place it in a ziplock bag.
A word on the importance of fish selection when curing: Because you’re not cooking the fish full through, you need to be choosy about what fish you use. Make sure to use something that is either “sushi grade” or has been caught no more than a day or two before you begin the curing process. Frozen “sushi grade” sushi will work. Fish that has been flash frozen (frozen almost immediately after being caught), as mine was from Doug, will taste much better than one that has sat around for a while before freezing. As a general rule of thumb, if you wouldn’t use it in sushi, don’t use it here. And don’t neglect the power of your nose — if it’s limp and smells fishy, it’s not worth the risk!
How to use all that salmon:
Layer it into a salad for lunch
Have you ever cured your own salmon? Tell us about it below!
