How to salt chum salmon at home deliciously

Deliciously salted red fish is an indispensable part of holiday feasts; the table without it looks empty. We are usually used to buying salmon, but often the difference in price forces us to pay attention to a more budget-friendly option. Chum salmon belongs to the red fish family, it is tasty, tender, and if it is properly salted at home, it will not be worse.

There are many recipes for salting fish, although at first glance, many of them are similar to each other. But sometimes a very small nuance in the recipe or cooking technology will allow you to have a completely different snack on the table. Chum salmon is salted dry, in brine. Add oil, various seasonings, add onions and beets. As a rule, fillet is used for home cooking, but if you wish, you can use fish steaks.

How to properly salt chum salmon at home

Salting chum salmon is a serious matter; it is important to put all your knowledge into the process, since the taste of the snack depends on it. And here a lot depends on the preferences of the hostess. But the main thing is to maintain the correct proportions of salt and sugar.

Try to use fresh fish. But if this is not possible, take frozen.
To make carcasses easier to cut, do not defrost them completely. Avoid aggressive defrosting; do it slowly, keeping the carcass on the table or refrigerator shelf.
Keep in mind that not all seasonings are suitable for salting red fish. Add spices in moderation so as not to overwhelm the real taste of chum salmon. All types of pepper, nutmeg, cumin, mustard, and coriander are good.
Use only coarse salt, it will help avoid oversalting the fish.
I do not recommend immediately separating the skin from the fillet, otherwise the piece may lose its shape when salted. Do this just before slicing and serving. Although with quick salting, when chum salmon is cut into thin slices, it is more advisable to do this.

Salted chum salmon - table decoration

Chum salmon is a fairly popular species of the salmon family. It is low in calories, rich in vitamins and microelements necessary for health and excellent well-being. It has an excellent taste when salted and will be a chic addition to a holiday or everyday table. To make the fish as tasty as possible, you need to make the right choice of the main ingredient.

Main selection criteria

choose fresh frozen or fresh chum salmon for pickling from trusted suppliers;
It’s better to use whole carcasses, otherwise the appetizer will be overdried;
it is important that the frozen chum salmon has a uniform color, without mechanical damage, and is not covered with a layer of ice or snow;

It is enough to take into account these simple points, and the success of preparing a delicious delicacy is guaranteed. Fish is a short-lived product, and therefore it is so important to be confident in its quality. Our company Frost-Fish supplies fresh fish and high quality seafood from well-known global manufacturers. When purchasing from us, you don’t have to worry about freshness and quality.

Salting chum salmon - a simple recipe using the dry method

The easiest way to get salted red fish as a result. I give the proportions of spices per kilogram of chum salmon - this is the basic recipe. But if you want to make lightly salted, do not use the whole mixture, it’s better to add more salt later.

Take:

Chum salmon – 1 kg.
Salt – 2 large spoons.
Granulated sugar - one large spoon.
Seasonings for salting red fish - a pinch.

Step by step recipe:

Thaw the carcass, but not completely, it will be more convenient to cut the fish.

Cut off the head, fins, tail, remove the insides, and the ridge. Separate the fillet. Go over the fillet, removing all the bones.

Mix salt and sugar in a bowl. If desired, add seasonings for pickling red fish.

Place a handful of mixture in the bottom of the bowl. Place the chum salmon blanks, rubbing the fillets with the mixture.

Press down on top with a plate and apply pressure. Place on the refrigerator shelf for exactly one day. During this time, the small ones will be perfectly salted, but will be lightly salted. Leave large pieces for another day.

Final preparations

Salting chum salmon requires the use of coarse salt. Many people mistakenly think that the main task is to give the fish taste. This is wrong. Its main purpose is to remove moisture. It is precisely due to this that the preservative effect occurs. Coarse salt dissolves slowly; it needs moisture, which it takes from the carcass.

Fine salt speeds up the process, so some fans prefer to modernize chum salmon salting. However, the taste changes somewhat. Salt burns tissues, but does not dehydrate them. As a result, the fish is quickly salted, but not dehydrated.

How to deliciously salt chum salmon - gravlax recipe

Many people think that gravlax, which is a very tasty salted fish with beets, can only be made from salmon. This is not so, a simple and quick recipe for salting chum salmon is in front of you.

You will need:

Fish – 500 gr.
Coarse salt – 4-5 tablespoons.
Sugar – 2-3 spoons.
Small beets.
Fresh horseradish root.
Lemon, zest – 1 pc.
Vodka – 50 ml.
Dill - a bunch with umbrellas.

How to do:

Cook the beets in advance and cool. Grate using a fine mesh grater. Grate the lemon zest and finely chop the dill.
Place fillet slices on the board and pour vodka over them.
Mix salt and sugar and grate the pieces.
Grate the horseradish root and spread over the fish. Top with a layer of grated beets.
Sprinkle with lemon zest and chopped dill.
Place the fillets in pairs and wrap tightly in film. Place in a container, cover with weight. Place in the refrigerator for 2 days.
After a specified time, remove the entire coat from the fish and divide it into small pieces, as for sandwiches.

Recipe No. 1. Dry pickling with lemon

You will need:

kilo fillet (with skin);
two tablespoons of salt;
one tablespoon of sugar;
five to six peas of allspice (grind);
two bay leaves;
a few slices of lemon.

Prepare the dry mixture: mix pepper, salt and sugar in a bowl.

Rub the mixture onto the fish. Place the first layer of fillets in a container, skin side down. Arrange bay leaves and lemon slices. Place the second layer skin side up. We close the container, wrap it in film to seal it, and send it to the cold.

Ready – in 6-8 hours.

Chum salmon, salted in pieces in brine

One of the best recipes for salting chum salmon at home. Thanks to the brine, the fish is salted evenly and the taste becomes richer.

Required:

Chum salmon – 1 kg.
Water - liter.
Granulated sugar – 1.5 large spoons.
Salt – 2 large spoons.
Lemon – ½ fruit.
Bay leaf – 2 leaves.
Dill, parsley – a bunch.
Sweet peas – 5 pcs.
Cumin – ½ small spoon.

Step by step recipe:

Boil water in a saucepan, add all the seasonings, wait until the crystals are completely dissolved. Turn off the burner, cool the brine to 30 o C.
Cut the carcass into steaks or fillet pieces of the same size. Place in a glass container.
Coarsely chop the greens and cover the fish on top. Add chopped lemon rings. Pour in the cooled brine.
Let the jar stand at room temperature for about an hour, then put it in the refrigerator.
Lightly salted chum salmon will be ready after 8-12 hours.

Salted fish with butter. Well, very tasty!

Salted fish is often served in oil. Any vegetable is suitable for these purposes. We love to eat fish with flaxseed. It has long been no secret that it has enormous benefits for humans. It contains unsaturated fatty acids omega-3 and -6. The same ones found in fish. In Rus', for a long time, oil was made from a modest northern plant and used in food: seasoned porridge, poured over salted fish before serving.

Flax seed oil has one specific feature: it is slightly bitter. Regardless, it is very beneficial to include it in your diet. It is not necessary to marinate fish in oil.

We add it before serving. Today, I decided to fill one plastic box with fish and put it in the refrigerator. So that the fish is infused, soaked with all the benefits.

Interesting: Your guests will be surprised by the taste of fish in oil. They harmoniously complement each other and enhance the taste sensations. The fish becomes incredibly spicy. And the inherent bitterness of the oil is not felt at all.

Any oil, and especially flaxseed oil, has a slight preservative effect. Lightly salted fish will last much longer in the refrigerator without freezing. And as a result, you will have an incredibly useful product at your fingertips. All that remains is to place the chum salmon pieces on a plate and garnish with lemon slices or onion rings.

If you want to try immediately marinating fish in oil at home, then use this recipe:

Required:

1 kg chum salmon;
100 ml linseed oil;
2 tbsp. l. salt;
1 tsp. Sahara;
black pepper;
Bay leaf;

The salting technology is simple:

Sprinkle the carcass, cut into portions, with spices, salt and sugar. Add oil. You can use any other oil. Mix. Transfer to jars. Lightly compact and pour the remaining oil on top. In a day the snack will be ready.

Chum salmon salted in oil with onions

Salting in oil is convenient because it increases the shelf life of chum salmon, since fat prevents the access of air. Plus, you have a ready-made snack right away. Keep the recipe as simple as possible.

Ingredients:

Chum salmon fillet – 1 pc.
Large onion.
Bay leaf – 2 leaves.
Sugar – 2 teaspoons.
Salt – 1.5 tablespoons.
Oil - how much will go in.

Cooking technology:

Divide the fish carcass into fillets. Remove the skin and select all the seeds. Cut into small slices.
Chop the onion into half rings.
Make a mixture of salt, sugar, chopped bay leaf.
Add the pieces to the mixture and roll well.
Add a drop of oil to the bottom of a glass jar. Place a layer of chum salmon, cover with onion rings. Continue layering until you run out of snack ingredients.
Pour oil on top and close the jar. Keep in the cold for exactly 2 days, then take the first sample.

Quick option

If you have guests on your doorstep and you want to treat them to delicious sandwiches, then it’s not at all difficult to do. Quickly take out the chum salmon carcass and defrost it. Salted chum salmon in jars will be ready in just a couple of hours. To do this, the carcass needs to be cut into fillets. Each of them needs to be cut into thin portions and sprinkled with a pickling mixture that contains salt and sugar 50/50. Now all that remains is to place all the pieces tightly in the jar and close tightly. For emergency preparation, you can leave it on the table, and if you have more time, you need to put it in the refrigerator.

Chum salmon salted with steaks

According to this recipe, you will immediately prepare a ready-made snack, with onions, butter, and garlic. When salting at home, a very tasty marinade is used, take note of it, because you can use it to cook any red fish.

Compound:

Chum salmon carcass – 1.2-1.6 kg.
Onion – 2 large heads.
Garlic – 3 cloves.
Salt – 85 gr.
Sugar – 50 gr.
Horseradish root – 50 gr.
Lemon juice – 50 ml.
Sunflower oil – 75 ml.
Mineral water – 150 ml.

How to add salt:

Gut the red fish carcass, cut off the fins, remove the head and tail. Rinse thoroughly and cut into 3cm thick steaks. Be sure to dry the pieces with a paper towel.
Cut the onion heads into thin half rings. Grate the horseradish root on a coarse grater. Crush the garlic cloves with a press.
Place chum salmon steaks in any deep bowl, alternating with onion rings.
In a separate bowl, mix grated horseradish, garlic puree, salt and sugar. Pour in lemon juice and mineral water.
Stir the marinade well and pour it into the chum salmon. Cover with a plate and press down with a weight.
Put it on the refrigerator shelf and be patient for 2 days.

Freshly prepared chum salmon fillet, salted with mustard seeds

Product composition:

Chum salmon in carcass - from 1.2 kg to 1.4 kg;
Mustard in dry seeds - 30 g;
Spring water (mineral) without gas - 1 l;
Bay leaf in leaves - 2 pcs;
Allspice peas - 6 pcs;
Coarse salt - 75 g;
White sugar, granulated - 20 g.

Salting process:

Wash the fish, remove bones and entrails so as to obtain fillets with skin on them;
Cut the fillet into portions (steaks). Their thickness should not exceed 3 cm;
Boil water in a small saucepan. Add granulated sugar and salt to it and let the brine boil for 5-6 minutes;
Place bay leaves and allspice peas in the brine. Remove from heat, cool;
Add mustard seeds to warm (not cold) brine and stir;
Place chum salmon steaks in a form (jar) prepared for salting chum salmon and pour freshly prepared (warm) brine over the fish;
Place the container with chum salmon in spicy brine on the refrigerator shelf for 4 hours.

The cooked chum salmon can be eaten immediately after the specified time has elapsed. When removing the fish from the brine, serve it as an appetizer.

Chum salmon bellies, salted in a jar in mustard marinade

Another interesting option for salting fish. you can marinate fillets in small pieces, thin steaks, not just bellies.

Ingredients:

Chum salmon carcass – 1-1.2 kg.
Water - liter.
Mustard powder - a large spoon.
Peppercorns – 5-7 pcs.
Salt – 3 large spoons.
Granulated sugar - the same amount.
Bay leaves - a couple.

How to pickle:

Make the marinade in advance by boiling water with the addition of spices, bay leaves and pepper. Cool to 50 o C.
Add the mustard and stir well until the powder dissolves.
Prepare chum salmon for salting by filleting and cutting into narrow strips of 2-2.5 cm.
Place the blanks in a jar, but do not compact them. Pour in the marinade.
Marinate for 3-4 hours. Remove the fish and place it in a container. Close the lid and put it in the refrigerator.

How to choose a good chum salmon

You should take the choice of the main ingredient – chum salmon – with particular seriousness. There are several rules:

The ideal option for buying fish is live or chilled. This will give you confidence that the fish is fresh.
Frozen chum salmon should be selected according to the following characteristics: uniform color, no crust of ice or snow on the surface, the skin of the fish should not be damaged. The fish should not have any foreign odors. The gills should not be black.
The fish carcass must be whole (not gutted). Ready-made fish fillets are not suitable for home salting, because during the salting process they can become dry and then the desired result will not be achieved.

Not all spices and seasonings go well with fish. Some spices are ideal only for sea fish, and some for river fish. There are spices that do not go well with fish at all.

Therefore, it is important to take this into account. It is important not to overdo it with the addition of spices. The meat should have a slight spice flavor, the main flavor should be the taste of fish.

Spices that go perfectly with chum salmon

Allspice peas;
Bay leaf;
It is better to use coarse salt for pickling (special for pickles and preserves). It is evenly distributed throughout the meat and it is almost impossible to over-salt the meat;
To prepare chum salmon, you need to take regular beet sugar (large).
Dried parsley;
Coriander;
Caraway;
Nutmeg goes well with chum salmon;
Mustard seeds.

Quick salting of chum salmon fillet

Another great way to quickly salt red fish fillets at home for sandwiches.

Necessary:

Chum salmon fillet.
Lemon.
Salt - a teaspoon.
Granulated sugar – ½ spoon.
Seasoning for fish - a pinch.
Ground pepper.

Preparation:

Thinly, no more than 2-3 mm wide, cut the fillet. Place in a single layer on a flat plate.
Sprinkle with lemon juice.
Mix salt with sugar and other seasonings. Sprinkle over slices. Turn over and season on the other side. Leave for 2 hours, then try.

Chum salmon in salting in a quick way

Products needed:

Boneless and skinless chum salmon fillet (previously fresh frozen) - 750 g;
Coarse salt - 60 g;
Granulated sugar, white - 40 g;
Ripe lemon, fresh - 150 g;
Bay leaf in leaves - 2 pcs;
Allspice, peas - 5 pcs.

Salting procedure:

Cut the fish into thin slices, no more than half a centimeter thick. For this purpose, you should use a wide knife with a sharp blade;
In a bowl, mix white granulated sugar with salt;
Roll the chum salmon slices (one at a time) in the sugar-salt mixture and place them in a container (jar or mold), where the fish will be salted;
Wash the lemons and cut them into halves. Squeeze the juice from each half directly into the fish. Mix it carefully and gently, adding bay leaf with allspice peas;
Cover the container with chum salmon with cling film and leave it for an hour.

You can now eat fish. People living in the North prepare red fish this way.

How to salt chum salmon like salmon

A popular recipe for salting chum salmon is for salmon. It makes a very tasty snack for sandwiches, since cooking the fish in oil makes it tender and fatty, similar in taste to salmon. I don’t give the exact amount of ingredients, the only important thing here is to maintain the correct proportions of spices, and add seasonings to your taste.

You will need:

Chum salmon carcass.
Salt and sugar in a ratio of 3:1.
Bay leaf.
Garlic cloves - to taste.
Peppercorns.
Coriander – a pinch (optional).
Sunflower oil.

Step by step recipe:

Cut the garlic into slices. Mix the remaining seasonings in a bowl. Cut the chum salmon into thin slices.
Place in a container, sprinkling with the seasoning mixture.
Place garlic and bay leaf on top.
Pour in oil and close the lid tightly. Refrigerate for a day.

How to properly pickle chum salmon?

So, the fish has been selected. All that remains is to salt it properly.

First you need to let the carcass defrost. After this, cut it crosswise into two parts. We separate the ridge and large bones. Mix 1 tbsp. salt with 0.5 tbsp. Sahara. Add spices and peppercorns to the mixture to taste. Coriander and bay leaves add a particularly piquant taste to the fish. Sprinkle the fish pieces with the spicy mixture and place them in a container, skin side up. Salt for 2-3 days. Salted chum salmon will become more elastic and tender if you sprinkle it with cognac. For 1 kg. Fish takes 2-3 tbsp.

Another recipe is salted salmon. Cut the fish into pieces 2-4 cm thick. Prepare the brine. In 1l. add 2 tbsp of water. l. salt, 1 tbsp. l. sugar, bay leaf, 5 peppercorns. Heat and let cool. Pour brine over chum salmon. Leave in a warm place for 2-3 days. Transfer to the cold for 4-5 days.

To salt fish fillets, it is best to use the following method.

Compound:

Chum salmon fillet - 1 kg.
Salt - 3 tbsp.
Sugar - 2 tbsp. l.
Ground pepper - 1 tsp.

Preparation:

Remove scales from the fish, if any. Cut into two parts: cut along the ridge towards the tail.
Divide the chum salmon into two halves, trying to leave the ribs on the backbone. The fillet should remain on the skin.
Dry the chum salmon meat and rub with the salt mixture. Place the fish in a plate or tray, skin side down. Place the second part on top. Both pieces of chum salmon should lie fillet to fillet.
Place in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.

Chum salmon salted whole fillet

Another cool way to prepare delicious lightly salted fish yourself, at home.

We take:

Chum salmon – 1.5 kg.
Granulated sugar – 50 gr.
Coarse salt – 150 gr.
Vodka (cognac) – 50 ml.
Black pepper – a large pinch.

Step-by-step preparation:

Cut the carcasses into fillets. Do not remove the skin, but carefully examine and remove the seeds.
Sprinkle the pieces with vodka or cognac.
Drop a handful of salt and sugar mixture into the bottom of the container. Place the preparations, sprinkling with spices.
Place in the refrigerator for 12 hours. After taking it out, drain the resulting brine. Return the workpiece to the cold for another 8 hours.

Chum salmon, salted using the salmon method, with the addition of vodka

Fresh fish - chum salmon - 1kg;
Coarse salt - 30 g;
White sugar in sand - 20 g;
Vodka - 50 g;
Dried dill powder - 20 g.

Cooking sequence step by step:

Wash fresh chum salmon, gut it, separate it from all bones and head, remove the skin and cut it into fillets;
Prepare a mixture of dried dill powder with salt and granulated sugar;
Add vodka to the spice mixture and stir. The result should be a mushy mass;
Coat the chum salmon liberally with this “gruel”, using it all up;
Transfer the prepared fillet to a plate, covering it with film;
Place the plate with the fillet on a shelf in the refrigerator for 72 hours;
So you can eat it. The taste of chum salmon is delicate and “melts in your mouth.”

How to salt chum salmon caviar at home

If you get at least a little caviar, do not miss the opportunity to salt it. Preparation will not take much time and will not cause any difficulties.

Ingredients:

Caviar – 400 gr.
Salt – 2 large spoons.
Water - liter.
Sugar - a teaspoon.

Cooking technology:

Clean the yastyk (bag with caviar) from the film. I have already told you how to do this more than once, be sure to read it, and at the same time you will learn how I salt trout caviar .
Prepare the brine. To do this, boil water, add spices, and wait until the crystals are completely dissolved. Cool to 40-50 o C.
Place the prepared caviar in a saucepan and fill with brine.
Lightly salted caviar will be ready in a quarter of an hour. If you want a brighter taste, keep it for half an hour.
Then carefully drain the brine. If you wish, you can add a little vegetable oil to keep the caviar longer. Caviar without oil can be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 2 days.

Recipe with vodka

There is another option, and as a result you will get delicious salted chum salmon. The recipe is somewhat unusual, but this does not affect the final result at all. Moreover, this option allows you to get the most delicate fish that melts in your mouth. So, the fish needs to be filleted. The skin can be removed or left in place, as you wish. No need to cut into pieces. Now mix 2 tablespoons of salt, 1 tablespoon of sugar and a little vodka. There is no need to pour too much, the gruel should not be too dry or, conversely, wet. You should spread the fish with this mixture and fold the fillets flesh to pulp. Now wrap the fish in linen and put it in the refrigerator. The fish will be ready in 12 hours; no pressure is required. If it is very large, then you can wait a day.

If the fish is intended for direct consumption, then you can limit yourself to the described actions. But for those who want to preserve the fish longer, a piece of advice: after a day, unwrap it and clean off the excess salt. Now you need to wrap the fish in linen again and put it in the cold. This way it can be stored for a very long time. Although it usually goes away almost instantly, especially if guests are planned.

Rules for preparing chum salmon for salting

High-quality fish implies 70% success. However, in addition to this, you need to properly defrost, cut, and select the right spices so as not to interrupt the natural taste of the fish.

We recommend: How to pickle bream

Defrosting

Thawing of fish should occur naturally at room temperature or on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.

To make it easier to fillet the fish, the carcass should remain slightly frozen.

Cutting

It is important to have a very sharp, thin knife. First, the head and tail are cut off. Then the fins are removed with scissors. By making cuts from head to tail, the entrails are removed. Only then, using cuts to the right and left of the ridge, the fillet is carefully removed. The skin does not need to be removed. Small bones can be easily pulled out with tweezers. Next, the fillet is cut into pieces if necessary.

The smaller the pieces, the faster the fish will salt. A whole carcass is salted much longer, more unevenly, and cutting the finished carcass is more difficult.

Spices

They are of no small importance. Each type of fish has its own taste. Different varieties require different spices. For chum salmon, the best choice would be: allspice, cumin, bay leaf, coriander, nutmeg, parsley, dill, mustard.

Beetroot sugar is better, and coarse salt (less “chance” of over-salting).

If the fish turns out to be over-salted, you can soak it in water for 1-2 hours and dry it.

Rules for choosing fish

In stores and fish markets you can find very beautiful fillets of bright, juicy color. However, beauty does not always indicate quality; in addition, one cannot be 100% sure that this is the right type of fish.

It is advisable to buy a whole carcass and fillet it yourself.

Frozen carcass

It should be even in color, free of ice and damage, dark gills and foreign odors.

Fresh fish

It has pink gills, clear, not cloudy eyes, a clean skin without mucus, in addition, high-quality meat always returns to its place after pressing the carcass with a finger.

Live

This is ideal for pickling. However, you should not buy fish from tanks that are very densely filled with fish. Unscrupulous sellers often sell sick fish, which, as a rule, floats “like a herring in a barrel.” It is important to carefully examine the individual for the presence of plaque, white gills, visible damage and growths on the abdomen, indicating fungal diseases and parasites.

How to cook sagudai from chum salmon?

Compound:

Chum salmon fillet - 500 gr.
Medium onion – 2 pcs.
Vegetable oil - 3 tbsp. l.
70% vinegar - 0.5 tbsp. l.
Water - 100 ml.
Salt, pepper, bay leaf - to taste

Preparation:

Cut the fillet into small pieces. Cut the onion into half rings. Salt and pepper the fish, add bay leaf. Fill chum salmon with oil.
Prepare the marinade: mix water and vinegar. Add it to the fish.
We put chum salmon in the refrigerator under pressure. Readiness is determined by the color of the fish - it should turn slightly white.

Salting fish using brine

If you constantly use the recipes suggested above, but want to try something new, then we offer you another method. In brine, fish cooks faster and its taste becomes more intense. The classic version of brine (as it is correctly called) is prepared quite simply. Take 3 tablespoons of salt and one tablespoon of sugar. You can take raw water, but if you plan to store the fish for a long time, it is better to boil it.

The main secret is worth mentioning here. If you cook fish using brine, then add mustard powder to it. If it is not there, then put it already ready. This will add an amazing aroma, and the process itself will go faster. But remember that you must cool the brine to 50 degrees. After the solution is ready, you just need to pour it over the prepared carcasses. If the fish is salted whole, then leave it for 2-3 days. And the fillet will be ready in five hours, this is the fastest option.