Go to the Article: Tips & Tricks: Dry-Cure for Perfect Fish
Thanks for sharing your results with us! I think there are likely two things going on here. First, the Tip & Tricks section isn't as precise as it could be for all types of fish. To get more consistent results, I'd recommend measuring the cure based on the total weight of the fish rather than applying it by eye.
A good starting point is a 1% cure. For example, if you have about 1 lb (450 g) of fish, measure out 4.5 g of cure, season both sides of the fillets evenly, let them cure for 20 minutes, then rinse and cook. If you find the fish isn't seasoned enough, increase the cure to 2% while keeping the cure time the same. This approach makes it much easier to dial in the seasoning regardless of the type of fish you're using.
The second factor is the type of fish itself. In the video, Grant is using salmon fillets, which are both much fattier and significantly thicker than red mullet.
Fat slows the diffusion of salt and sugar through the flesh, so fattier fish generally require more seasoning to achieve the same perceived saltiness. Thickness also plays an important role. A thick salmon fillet has much less surface area relative to its volume than a thin mullet fillet, which means less of the fish is in direct contact with the cure. As a result, a thin fillet like red mullet will absorb the cure more quickly than a thick salmon fillet over the same amount of time.
I tried this on red mulet filets for 20 min and 2 rince cold baths but they came out much too salty. Any idea why? Too long? Salt/sugar ratio? Thank you for your input.
It’s all in the video!
@Lance This isn't a recipe. There are several items in this section that aren't recipes, just tips and tricks: Like it says in the title. Additionally, if you're trying out your free studio pass trial, why are you browsing through the free section? This is accessible regardless of ones membership level status. Seems like you're just looking to whine about something. Kinda sad.
I tried to rate this recipe .... but it cut me off before I could. I don't know about anyone else .... but THERE IS NO RECIPE.
It says ..... WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
Salt
Sugar
Your favorite fish!
And that's it. Where is the recipe? I am on day 1 of my 12 day trial and I'm pretty sure that I'll be cancelling if this is what you are providing .... essentially nothing.
Sugar and salt are both curing agents so the ratio doesn't really matter. If you want a salter fish use more salt than sugar, sweeter fish, more sugar than salt. I use 3 to 1 sugar over salt. This works fine for me. And by the way, the blue box works fine for me.
Would appreciate the instructions in narrative form; not always wanting to watch/transcribe a video. Thx.
Ttrehalose salt can be good for single serve portions of fish and white meats. 10:3 salt to trehalose about 1/8 of a teaspoon for each piece would be enough - though would need a longer cure time
The app says 1:4 mixture of sugar to salt
Remember Grant uses only Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt…not the blue box.
3 parts salt and 1 part sugar
It should be dependent on the thickness of your fish. A thick king salmon will be 10-20 min as he states. But a thin snapper should only be about 5 min I would think.
I tried doing this with red snapper. When it was finished, the saltiness took the top of my head off. In the video with the salmon, he really cakes it on. Now that I've tried that, I'm assuming you should cut back quite a bit with other fish? Is it supposed to be coarse sea salt, or what? 'Cause man, there is no way this is right. (Currently drinking a gallon of water.)
Does anyone have a salt/sugar ratio that they find works well? Thanks
The actual instructions are missing from this page (July 2021) which left me no alternative but to watch the cringey video.
Thanks! Making it tonight.
For sure!
Would this work with scallops?
la mi-cuit e una cosa il salmone marinato al sale è un altro discorso, vuole piu tempo e piu stopposo
Watch the video.
Is it me that doesn't see the method of brining or they didn't post it? I just see the salt and the sugar
Yes, and it will be better from a texture standpoint
I really want to try it, does it also work for a defrosted frozen salmon?
would this help previously frozen fish to hold it's shape and not loose it's moisture?
I have tried it. It is fabulous. Tastes different then grilled only
i will try in this way.. thanks dear
Can I make sushi with the fish after dey curing it or will it alter the flavor?
Love the fact you are combining techniques with sous vide cooking. Keeps my old brain busy trying to keep up.
I still get albumin every time after curing and I have tried this for more than 10 times.
Can I use this method as a replacement for the 45 minute brine in the salmon Mi-Cuit recipe??????
Where do you get those white plates?
This technique is wonderful when cooking salmon sous vide. It prevents the (white stuff) albumin from oozing out of the fish and makes for a much nicer presentation as well as a better texture and taste.
yes, it would. I did yesterday, and it made a difference.
You can possibly up the amount of sugar and decrease the amount of salt. You're using osmosis to pull the water out of the fish, and any crystalline spice could work. A tiny spoonful of vinegar on the final product would reduce how salty it would taste.
You could also try baking powder? I use it in my dry brines (the video is a dry brine) as it lowers the pH, increasing the amount of browning on the final product (decreasing the activation energy needed for the Maillard reaction). I've read it can leave a metallic taste, but I've never had that experience.
It specifically calls that out in the description, so, I hope so!
Would this also apply if you are going to sous vide the fish?
rainbow trout suprêmes? Have a link--sounds nice.
It looks like some ceramic pans we have.
I recently made this and used very little salt but even after rinsing well, the fish was too salty. How can I make it less salty?
I've been doing this for years with our northwest salmon. Start the BBQ a few minutes after putting the salt & sugar on the fish. Throw a few smokewood chunks on the BBQ just before you start to rinse & dry the fish. Place fish on alder or cedar board and cook indirect until it just starts to flake. Serve warm, at room temp, or chilled - you'll love it!
This method is to be done when the fish is raw, so remember to do that *before* you smoke it. :-)
It's the salt and sugar that does the curing work. Once it's rinsed off, the curing process slows down rather quickly. After rinsing, pat off excess surface moisture with a clean tea towel, to get rid of as much of the dissolved remains of sugar and salt as you can. Then, it will definitely hold until the next day. :-)
once you rinse the fish, will the fish hold till the nest day or does it continue to cure?
Slightly irrelevant but what type of pan, pan-coating, are you using in the chefsteps kitchen
If I just want to use the fish AS sashimi/sushi, do I slice it straight out of the ice bath?
Hi Travis. Absolutely! You can definitely add pepper as there is none in the rub but we consider it already seasoned with salt at that point.
Hello all -- my first post! Question: do you season the piece of fish as you would normally with salt and pepper after the dry cure is done? Or is it ready to go?
Tomorrow I will dry this with my smoked salmon over spaghetti with garlic confit on the spaghetti.
Yay, my first ChefSteps post!
I tried this on salmon and it turned out great! Thank you so much! I'll be sure to do this every time I cook salmon.
I'm going to try it tonight on rainbow trout suprêmes and see how it turns out.
I've done this and it works well. It also works well when, after dry curing, putting the fish on a rack in the fridge for 1-3 days. It's like homemade sashimi!
