RCP: Wine cured salmon sashimi

[Jenise]

I found a piece of white king salmon in the freezer this morning that's been there for about a year. Were it not caught by a friend and vacuum packed at the peak of freshness, I'd throw it out on the beach for the gulls. But even though I may not find it fresh enough to cook outright (I hate frozen fish, ANY frozen fish) I think I have a reasonable chance of turning this into something wonderful using this recipe from Jean-Pierre Moulee, a Frenchman who was the downstairs restaurant chef at Chez Panisse for many years. His recipe, titled Jean-Pierre's Cured Salmon, is in Alice Waters' Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook. I've made this recipe many times, and Bob and I have always loved to eat it as we would sashimi. We've also sliced it thinly and served it like gravlax. It's always been a hit with guests.

The recipe names precise quantities of various herbs and spices; however, consider those a mere guideline. Almost any combination of herbs and seed/berry type spices will do--just don't be shy. Fennel seed, mustard seed (both brown and yellow), dill seed, black onion seeds and khala jeera also work quite well.

1 side salmon
1 pound rock salt
1/2 bottle sauvignon blanc
1/2 c EVOO
3 large shallots, diced fine
2 tblsp thinly sliced chives
2 tblsp chopped parsley
2 tblsp chopped chervil
2 tblsp white peppercorns, coarsely cracked
3 tblsp whole coriander seeds
More herbs for garnish

Method: Remove pin bones with needle nosed pliers or tweezers. Scrape scales away from the skin. Place the fish in a shallow glass or stainless steel pan, skin side down. Cover the flesh side with rock salt. Refrigerate for at least six hours--overnight's best. Rinse well, pat dry, and return to a shall pan, this time skin side up. (The recipe presumes it's an advantage to leave the skin on--but at this stage, I'll remove it.)

Prepare the marinade ingredients (everything remaining). Pour over the fish, cover and refrigerate for at least eight hours but preferably overnight. Strain the marinade through a fine sieve, reserving the seeds.

Slice the salmon thinly on an angle and arrange a few slices per person on cilled plates. Spoon a little of the marinade over each and garnish with reserved seeds and chopped fresh herbs.

I found a piece of white king salmon in the freezer this morning [...] Jean-Pierre's Cured Salmon

Jenise, I understand your aversion to frozen fish (though for me flash frozen deep sea fish are OK) but sashimi would be the last use I would put a frozen fish to. To me, the texture is what suffers the most with freezing, so I'd think that cooking it would be far preferable. Different strokes, of course.

Mark Lipton

[Jenise]

To me, the texture is what suffers the most with freezing, so I'd think that cooking it would be far preferable. Different strokes, of course.

Mark Lipton

My aversion is both texture and flavor. It tastes fishier to me, and the texture's just downright unacceptable. The only exceptions for me are orange roughy and catfish. But since I would freeze salmon I intend to serve raw for parasite-prevention purposes anyway, I'm hoping that the overly long rest won't make that much difference, especially since I'm rehydrating it with wine and good olive oil. Either way, we'll see and I'll report back.