Cold Smoked Salmon with a twist ...

[BuyLowSellHigh]

...of lemon.

Weather gave me the chance to do some more cold smoked salmon, so I wanted to try an experiment.  Rather than the Scotch cured I did previously, one filet got a drink of Vodka and a cure that included lemon zest and fresh dill.  This is the same method I used for the Scotch cured, but all the sugar is white granulated, I dropped the bay leaf and added ~ 2 Tbl each of fresh lemon zest and chopped fresh dill.  I guess the cure is a lot like a Gravlax cure.  Everything else is the same.

The cure mix


All together


Smoked -- the smaller filet in the rear is the same Scotch cured treatment I used before


Sliced


The taste difference is subtle, mostly not Scotch and no bay.  Neither the lemon nor dill are pronounced.  But overall the profile is lighter.

The wife tried the new Scotch cured side-by-side with the Vodka-Lemon-Dill cured and couldn't choose a favorite -- say she likes them both equally well.

This is good stuff!

[SamuelG]

Excellent BLSH!  Great post.

The lemon has intrigued me as why the flavor was not more pronounced?  I'm going to give it a try with more lemon and see what happens. 

It truly is amazing!

SamuelG

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KyNola]

I have done the vodka/lemon/dill cured salmon many times.  I like it a lot.  Also have a recipe that uses Cognac in the curing process.  That one rocks too.

[BuyLowSellHigh]

I too am perplexed why neither the lemon nor dill stood out.  The cure wreaked form both, but after cold smoking neither are discernible, although they probably contributed to a clear shift in the whole flavor profile.  They may just be overwhelmed by the combination of the rich salmon flavor and the smoke.  I don't want to add lemon juice as I want to avoid the acidic denaturing that gives a cooked quality.

KyNola- have any ideas ?  I assume you were referring to a Gravlax cure.

[KyNola]

I too am perplexed why neither the lemon nor dill stood out.  The cure wreaked form both, but after cold smoking neither are discernible, although they probably contributed to a clear shift in the whole flavor profile.  They may just be overwhelmed by the combination of the rich salmon flavor and the smoke.  I don't want to add lemon juice as I want to avoid the acidic denaturing that gives a cooked quality.

KyNola- have any ideas ?  I assume you were referring to a Gravlax cure.

Yep, gravlax cure.  As I read your response it dawned on me that when I have done the vodka/lemon/dill cured salmon I have used a Citron Vodka.  That should aid in bringing up the lemon flavor without increasing the acidic denaturing of the salmon.

[BuyLowSellHigh]

Oh that's a good idea. 

And that gives me a good reason to add another bottle of vodka to the shelf!