Curing is the oldest preservation method applied to fish and one of the finest ways to prepare trout and salmon. Here are two methods — gravlax and cold-smoke — that require no special equipment.
Gravlax (Salt and Sugar Cure)
Gravlax is Scandinavian cured salmon — fish buried in salt, sugar, and dill. The method works identically on Australian trout, rainbow or brown, and the result is extraordinary: silky, deeply flavoured, firm-textured cured fish that can be sliced paper-thin and served on bread, with eggs, or on its own with mustard and dill sauce.
Cure ratio: 3 parts salt to 2 parts white sugar by weight. For a 600g trout fillet, this means approximately 60g salt and 40g sugar.
Method:
- Pin-bone the fillet carefully — cured fish is sliced thin and a bone ruins the experience.
- Combine salt, sugar, and a generous quantity of fresh dill (or dried dill and fennel fronds). Add cracked black pepper and lemon zest.
- Spread half the cure mix on a piece of cling wrap. Place the fillet skin-side down. Cover with the remaining cure, wrap tightly, place in a container, and weigh down with something heavy.
- Refrigerate for 24–48 hours depending on the thickness of the fillet and your preference — 24 hours produces a lightly cured, almost sashimi-textured result; 48 hours is firmer and more traditionally Scandinavian.
- Rinse under cold water, dry, and slice thinly at an angle against the grain.
Cold-Smoked Trout (Without a Cold Smoker)
A stovetop cold-smoke method requires a large pot, a rack, and a tight-fitting lid. Place wood chips (apple, cherry) in the base of the pot, put the rack above them with the fish on top, seal the lid with a wet cloth to contain the smoke, and place over very low heat — barely enough to smoulder the chips. The chips produce cool smoke (below 30°C) that flavours the fish without cooking it. 45–60 minutes produces a pronounced smoke flavour on a gravlax-cured fillet. Refrigerate and slice thin.
Both preparations keep refrigerated for five days and freeze for three months.
