Cure Salmon For Sashimi (2024)

Do you love salmon sushi and sashimi? Do you find it expensive to order it at restaurants? If you do, use this recipe to cure salmon for sashimi, sushi, and poke bowls at home!

Why I love this quick and easy method to cure salmon?

Eat sashimi at home I have always been a huge fan of sashimi. Any kind of sashimi. However, I find that it is extremely expensive to order this at Japanese restaurants. And after a horrible food poisoning experience after eating from a food court Japanese stall, I am very picky on where I get my sashimi now! I find the safest and most economical way I can satisfy my sashimi craving is if I make it at home. And the best part? Because it is so affordable, I can eat as much as I want! YAY!

Quick and easy This recipe is extremely easy to make! You will literally only need about 10 minutes to work on this dish. The rest of the time, you can catch up on whatever you need to do around the house (or take this time to just chill) while your salmon is curing in the fridge!

Back up meals Since having my baby girl, sometimes I find that I do not have the time to go out to do my weekly grocery shopping. When I run out of fresh meat and vegetables, I tend to reach for instant noodles as my back up meals. I love that I can have some cured salmon in my freezer for times like these. Instead of automatically going for the instant 2-minute noodles in my pantry, I love that I have this healthy option to use in my back up meal! So far, I’ve made some sushi and poke bowls with my cured salmon.

What you will need

• Salmon fillet
• Salt
• Rice wine vinegar
• Water
• Ice cubes

How to prepare raw salmon for sushi, sashimi, and poke

Start off by patting dry your salmon fillets with a paper towel.

Place the salmon pieces onto a tray lined with baking paper, and sprinkle some salt over it. Flip the fillets on the other side and do the same. Let the salmon rest in the fridge for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, take the salmon fillets out of the fridge place them in a container. This container should be large enough so that all the salmon fillets fit snuggly, and not overlap each other. You may also use a deep tray or casserole dish.

Place some ice cubes on the salmon fillets. Then, fill your container with rice wine vinegar and water until the salmon fillets are just submerged. The ratio between the rice wine vinegar and water should be approximately 3:1. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

After 1 hour, take the salmon fillets out of the container. Lay them on some paper towels and pat them dry. Once they are dry, cling wrap the individual salmon fillets and place it in the freezer immediately.

Keep the salmon fillets in the freezer for at least 48 hours before taking it out to eat. To prepare the salmon for eating, simply defrost the salmon by taking it out from the freezer and placing it into the fridge. After a few hours, your salmon should be defrosted. To prepare the cured salmon for your sushi, sashimi, or poke, simply unwrap the plastic wrap and place it on a clean cutting board. Using a clean and sharp knife, gently trim around the fillet of salmon (I like to start with the skin side first). Basically, you need to remove the parts of the salmon fillet that has been exposed to salt and rice wine vinegar mixture.

Can I use cured salmon for sushi and sashimi?

Raw salmon typically does not need to be cured to be used in sushi and sashimi. However, if your salmon is not sashimi-grade, I highly recommend curing your salmon if you are going to eat it raw. This process of curing will provide additional protection against parasites, making it safer to eat.

Is it safe to eat cured salmon?

As we would not be cooking the salmon, we need to make sure that we prepare the salmon properly so that it will be safe to eat raw.

Salmon can pick up worms as it lives in both fresh and salt water. There are two crucial steps to ensuring that salmon will be safe to eat raw. First, the curing process will kill bacteria present in the salmon. Second, freezing the salmon for at least 48 hours will kill parasites present in the salmon.

Additionally, when cutting the raw fillet of salmon, make sure that your cutting board and knife are extremely clean. I like to sanitise them by running them under some boiling water.

Can I eat supermarket salmon as sashimi?

Yes, you can. However, make sure that the salmon has been previously frozen. You should also look for the freshest. To tell if your salmon is fresh, press your finger on the piece of salmon, and the flesh should spring back immediately. If the piece of fish is mushy and does not spring back, do not use it for this recipe. Your piece of salmon should also have a vibrant colour.

Is cured salmon healthy?

Yes, you can. However, make sure that the salmon has been previously frozen. You should also look for the freshest. To tell if your salmon is fresh, press your finger on the piece of salmon, and the flesh should spring back immediately. If the piece of fish is mushy and does not spring back, do not use it for this recipe. Your piece of salmon should also have a vibrant colour!

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Cured Salmon For Sushi/Sashimi At Home

5 from 1 vote

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See Also

Pink Salmon Species Profile, Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Curing Time 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, Main Course, Side Dish, Salad, Pantry

Cuisine Japanese

Servings 3 fillets

Ingredients

• 3 salmon fillets
• ¼ cup salt
• 3 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 cup water room temperature or cold
• 1 cup ice cubes

Instructions

• Start off by patting dry your salmon fillets with a paper towel.

• Place the salmon pieces onto a tray lined with baking paper, and sprinkle some salt over it. Flip the fillets on the other side and do the same. Let the salmon rest in the fridge for 1 hour.

• After 1hour, take the salmon fillets out of the fridge place them in a container. This container should be large enough so that all the salmon fillets fit snugly, and not overlap each other. You may also use a deep tray or casserole dish.

• Place some ice cubes on the salmon fillets. Then, fill your container with rice wine vinegar and water until the salmon fillets are just submerged. The ratio between the rice wine vinegar and water should be approximately 3:1. Chill in the fridge for 1 hour.

• After 1hour, take the salmon fillets out of the container. Lay them on some paper towels and pat them dry. Once they are dry, cling wrap the individual salmon fillets and place it in the freezer immediately.

• Keep the salmon fillets in the freezer for at least 48 hours before taking it out to eat.

• Keep the salmon fillets in the freezer for at least 48 hours before taking it out to eat. To prepare the salmon for eating, simply defrost the salmon by taking it out from the freezer and placing it into the fridge. After a few hours, your salmon should be defrosted. To prepare the cured salmon for your sushi, sashimi, or poke, simply unwrap the plastic wrap and place it on a clean cutting board. Using a clean and sharp knife, gently trim around the fillet of salmon (I like to start with the skin side first). Basically, you need to remove the parts of the salmon fillet that has been exposed to salt and rice wine vinegar mixture.

Notes

Disclaimer: Use the proportions I used as an estimate. The amount of ingredients will depend on how big your salmon fillets are, and what container you are curing your salmon in.

Did you make this recipe? Mention @therumblytummy_ and use the hashtag #therumblytummy !

Keyword Sashimi at home, raw salmon at home