A marvelously magenta beet-a-licious cured salmon! Deceptively simple to make and exceptionally delicious to eat!
Thinly cured salmon is one of the more elegant fish preparations around! With a price tag to match. I’m about to blow your mind with just how easy it is to make! Save some of that hard earned cash $$$, roll up your sleeves and let’s get our curing game on!
Why this Recipe Works
- Salt heavy cure! Results a perfectly seasoned sweet and salty fish.
- Spices & Herbs! Add complexity and depth of flavor to the cure.
- That marvelous magenta color!
- Weighing the salmon down while it’s being cured! Helps draw out the moisture and infuse the flavors more quickly.
- Recipe is a blueprint for infinite flavor combinations! The spice and herb mixture are easily adaptable to any variation ya want to play with.
Lox, Gravlax, Smoked Salmon… same same but different.
Let me break ‘em down for ya a bit below.
Lox: salt-cured belly portion of the salmon. Made by taking a fillet from the salmon belly and curing it in salty brine.
Nova Lox: Refers to where the salmon is from (Nova) and the style of smoking. It’s cured just like lox then cold-smoked.
Gravlax: Cured but not smoked salmon that’s very similar to lox but also uses spices! That’s cured, un-smoked salmon. The three traditional ingredients are salt, sugar and dill.
Smoked Salmon: similar to lox but can come from any part of the fish (not just the belly) and is smoked (either cold or hot-smoked).
Guess what?! They’re all expensive to buy but super easy to make at home! Don’t let your smoked salmon/lox/gravlax supplier know that I spilled the beans on this secret.
How to Make Beet Cured Salmon
- Clean your fish! Pins can be pulled out with tweezers.
- Trim off any tough cartilage and white flesh.
- Skin it! Place salmon skin-side down and place your hand on top while you run a knife along the skin OR lay it skin-side up and use one hand to pull the skin up while you use your knife to slice it off with the other hand OR ask your fish person to do it or you!
- Toast and grind your spices
- Prep your ingredients: shred beets and mince ginger.
- Get all your equipment together! Do this in advance cause your hands will soon be covered with magnificently magenta beet goodness.
- Rub salt, sugar, lemon zest ,and spice mixture on the salmon. Then rub the beet-ginger mixture on salmon. Cover. Add weights.
- Leave cured salmon in fridge at least 2 days and up to 5.
- Uncover salmon, gently rub mixtures off of it, and slice thinly.
Prep is quick! The secret ingredient is... TIME! So make it, and forget about it! Until it's time to unwrap it and surely impressed yourself!
Please enjoy these step-by-step shots below for easy curing!
clean the fish rub it with salt & spices cover with beets & ginger
wait a few days & while off rub thinly slice & enjoy!
Beet Cured Salmon Serving Suggestions
Wondering what to eat this deliciously beet and ginger cured salmon with? I got you! Check out my beet cured salmon boards below. Think pickles, seedy breads, schmears, veggies. Or simply enjoy the slices over bagels with cream cheese or on a bed of greens for a salad.
Got other serving ideas? I’d love to hear them! Please share in the comments below.
Cooks Tips
- When possible, buy wild salmon!
- For most flavorful results, use whole spices and grind them up yourself!
- If you have a mortar and pestle, now is the time to use it. If you don’t, a coffee grinder works too!
- To save time and elbow grease by using your food processor to shred the beets and ginger.
- Cut the salmon skin off to get the marvelous magenta color over the entire exterior of the fillet.
- Practice patience! The salmon needs at least 2 days to cure properly in the fridge.
- Get creative with weights. Anything heavy works.
Stoked on Salmon? Check out Citrus & Fresh Herb Roasted Salmon, Salsa Negra Salmon, & Salmon Rainbow Party Salad Board recipe too!
Stoked on Purple-licious Food? Check out these Beet Hummus, Beet & Goat Cheese Dip, Purple Sweet Potato Fries, Purple Cauliflower Soup, Roasted Beet Soup, Purple Sweet Potato Pie, and Purple Cheesecake recipes + these Purple Brussels Sprouts + Purple Potatoes posts!
Have ya tried this recipe? I’d love to hear about it and see it too! Please leave a comment below and take a pic and tag it on Instagram with @DanielaGerson. You can also follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to see more colorfully delicious food and all sorts of awesome adventures!
Let's make waves in the kitchen!!!
Beet Cured Salmon
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons pink peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
- 2 teaspoons coriander seeds
- 4 juniper berries
- 1/3 cup kosher salt Diamond Crystal
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest finely grated
- 1 1-lb boneless salmon fillet cleaned
- 1 medium beet raw, trimmed and coarsley grated
- 1 1-inch piece of ginger peeled, coarsley grated
Instructions
- Toast all spices (peppercorn, coriander, mustard seed, and fennel seed) in a dry skillet over medium heat, consistently tossing until very fragrant, about 4 minutes. Let spices cool then finely grind with a mortar and pestle or with a coffee grinder.
- Transfer spices to a small bowl and mix in with salt, sugar and lemon zest.
- Toss beets and ginger in a bowl to combine.
- Lay salmon, cut skin off side off down, on a large sheet of parchment paper set on a large rimmed baking sheet. Have your spice mixture, beet mixture, and plastic wrap near by because things are about to get real messy.
- Pack spice cure on both sides of fish, pressing to adhere. Then pack the beet-ginger mixture on both sides, also pressing to adhere. Fold sides of parchment over salmon, then wrap tightly in plastic. Set another baking sheet on top of salmon and weight down with cans, cast iron skillets, or anything heavy you have on hand. Chill at least 2 days and up to 5.
- Unwrap salmon and wipe off aromatics and cure (but don't rinse!). Thinly slice to serve.
Notes
- When possible, buy wild salmon!
- For most flavorful results, use whole spices and grind them up yourself!
- If you have a mortar and pestle, now is the time to use it. If you don’t, a coffee grinder works too!
- To save time and elbow grease by using your food processor to shred the beets and ginger.
- Cut the salmon skin off to get the marvelous magenta color over the entire exterior of the fillet.
- Practice patience! The salmon needs at least 2 days to cure properly in the fridge.
- Get creative with weights. Anything heavy works.
Just WOW! From the colors to the photograph to the recipe... Absolutely gorgeous! I would never thought to do this. This would stand out on any table as "this is what you need to eat first!"
You are too kind Lori!!! I absolutely adore making dishes that have that WOW factor big time :)! Thanks so much for the sweet words!
Wow! This recipe is a show stopper. It would be perfect for dinner parties or date night.
Yes exactly Sharon! I love making it when I entertain and having the salmon board ready when the guest walk in for that WOW factor! It's def a show stopper and I get so much awesome feedback when I make it... hope ya make it too :)!
This Beet Cured Salmon looks so deliciously good. I wish I could eat that right this minute!
Thank ya so much Maggie! I'd happily share with pleasure! It's actually super easy to make but you'll def need to plan more than a minute in advance :).
Wow, this is SO COOL! Not only does this beet cured salmon looks absolutely stunning, but those spices you've chosen sound amazing together! My husband is a huge beet / salmon fan, so I'll be making this for him for sure, probably for fathers day. Thanks for sharing!
Absolute pleasure Aleta!!! Super stoked on your super sweet feedback! And def let me know what the hubby thinks of this salmon... would absolutely love to hear :)!
Omg what!! This is the most gorgeous salmon I have seen to date! Definitely going to try this when beets are in season!! 🙂
So super stoked to hear that Cathleen! Beets are in season pretty much year round by me in Cali... hope ya get some into season near you too! And please let me know your thoughts after ya make them... I'd absolutely love to hear :)!
This is an amazing recipe! And the colors are insane. So beautiful!
Really appreciate the sweet feedback Vanessa! I'm all about the insanely colorful food :). It's so easy to make too!
Omg! That is the kind of the thing I could snack on all day!! The colour is so gorgeous!!
Thank ya so much Nicolas! Yes its the salmon recipe thats good for brunch, lunch and dinner :)! Really appreciate your feedback! Thank ya and I hope you make it!
I love salmon. It's my all time favorite fish but I've never seen/heard of beet cured salmon!! Wow - the steps and pictures are so helpful! I'm absolutely going to be making this recipe!! Delish!
So super stoked to hear that Amanda! Thanks so much for the super sweet feedback! And def let me know how it goes after ya make it... I'd absolutely love to know :).
Super cool! Love the color the beet gives the salmon, I used to do a fair bit of curing salmon while in culinary school, but haven't done so in years now. I'll have to give it a go! I actually have some fresh beets growing in the garden, perfect for this recipe!
That's so rad that you can make this salmon with beets you're growing yourself in your garden :)! And thanks so much for the sweet feedback! Stoked for you to make this!
I am not seeing the Coriander Seed in the list of ingredients but I see it in the steps. How much should I add?
You are so right Tiffany! Many apologies about that and I just updated the recipe :). It's 2 teaspoons and I'm super stoked to hear you're making this!!! Please let me know how it goes after!
i just made my first batch - when the curing is done do you rinse the salt off the fish? what is that step? thanks!
Sooooooo stoked to hear you're making this and it's curing! Wipe everything off that will easily come off (with a the back of a spoon/knife/spatula/your hand but don't rinse the salmon! Will update the directions to make this part more clear + ENJOY :)!
Should we be grating raw beets or boiled beets?
Raw! Will update recipe to explicitly specify :). So stoked to hear you're making this Mike!
Hello ! Should I roast juniper berry with the spices (peppercorn, coriander, mustard seed, and fennel seed) ? Thank you !
Yep! Will clarify it in the recipe + stoked to hear ya making this! Lemme know how it turns out :).