Recipe 5: To Salt Ham

I live in an apartment and don't think my neighbors would appreciate a ham hock hanging from the ceiling in the basement, which is why I made a different salt-cured food - Gravlax. It is one of my favorite foods. I love it on bagels with cream cheese or rye bread with dill sauce. Making Gravlax involves covering salmon with salt to draw out the moisture - preserving and allowing for extended storage without spoiling. Although the purpose of curing Salmon is to extend its shelf life, I wouldn't recommend keeping it for more than a week. The curing process takes just a few days with very little effort.

Ingredients: 

• 2 -1lb pieces of skin on Salmon which are approximately the same size
• 1/4 cup salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• A large handful of dill

Combine the salt and sugar. Roughly chop the dill.

Place the salmon skin side down. Rub the salt mixture on the flesh side of both pieces.

Make a salmon and dill sandwich with the skin of the fish on the outside.

Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and place in a dish that has at least 1inch sides. As the Salmon cures the moisture will seep out, you do not want fishy water all over your fridge.

Refrigerate immediately. Flip the fish every 12 hours for 3-5 days.   

Unwrap the salmon, rinse off the dill and salt. Slice thinly.

 

Serve with Mustard Dill Sauce.

Mustard Dill Sauce

• 1/4 cup dijion mustard
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoon chopped dill

Mix mustard, sugar and vinegar. Whisk in oil until incorporated, stir in dill.

Recipe 4: Baked Fish in Fig Leaves

Chapter 4 is dedicated to Archestratus, who tasted his way around the world, poetically recording his findings. He preferred simply prepared dishes made with the freshest ingredients and had strong opinions, preferring seafood over meat and despising rich sauces. He poured his knowledge and passion into one of the earliest cookbooks created, Life of Luxury.

Baked Fish in Fig Leaves is a recipe out of his cookbook. Having no idea where to get fig leaves, I decided to wrap the fish in parchment paper (also referred to as en papillote). The key to successfully steaming the fish is to tightly seal the edges so the paper puffs while cooking. The bonus of cooking this way is that you can add vegetables and herbs to flavor the fish. I chose leeks and mushrooms, but you can use any flavor combination you want. Another great option would be peppers, onions, cliantro and lime or tomatoes, basil, lemon and white wine. 

Ingredients:

• 2 pieces of firm white fish
• 1 leek, sliced
• 8 oz mixed mushrooms
• herbs de provence 
• 1/2 cup white wine

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Saute the sliced leeks and mushrooms in a tablespoon of olive oil for about 5 minutes They don't need to be completely cooked since they are going in the oven. Add the wine and herbs de provence, cook for 1 minute.

Rip off a large piece of parchment paper, you want to be able to fold the paper enough times to tightly seal in the fish. Lay down the sauteed vegetables (including cooking liquid) and place the fish on top. 

Wrap as tightly as you can, crimping and rolling the edges.

Place on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.