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What Are You Preserving, and How Are You Doing It? (2016–)

Anna N

By Anna N
in Cooking

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YvetteMT

YvetteMT

Posted
Posted

Back here I shared my smoked salmon technique. I've got another batch started today with all of the FTPeck kings,  no alaskan fish.  With that, I'm trying a dry brine as was suggested in hopes of a firmer fish. Fingers crossed. 

I'll give them a shake every few hours.  In 6 hours or so, I'll pull them out and set them up on racks in the fridge to dry overnight. Tomorrow, smoke. 

 20250418_085427.thumb.jpg.79026ebe381f338ff9babd65e2b1b48a.jpg20250418_085442.thumb.jpg.45e22658155afeeac9340db6b5076d6b.jpg

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Hunter, fisherwoman, gardener and cook in Montana.

TicTac

TicTac

Posted
Posted
49 minutes ago, YvetteMT said:

Back here I shared my smoked salmon technique. I've got another batch started today with all of the FTPeck kings,  no alaskan fish.  With that, I'm trying a dry brine as was suggested in hopes of a firmer fish. Fingers crossed. 

I'll give them a shake every few hours.  In 6 hours or so, I'll pull them out and set them up on racks in the fridge to dry overnight. Tomorrow, smoke. 

 20250418_085427.thumb.jpg.79026ebe381f338ff9babd65e2b1b48a.jpg20250418_085442.thumb.jpg.45e22658155afeeac9340db6b5076d6b.jpg

 

If I may offer one observation/suggestion based on my experience making gravlax - the salt and sugar exudes a lot of liquid from the fish.  Only concern is that the ones on the bottom will soon be swimming (sorry, had to!) - so perhaps consider a single layer or better yet, a rack.

 

I am sure it will be great, regardless!

 

 

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YvetteMT

YvetteMT

Posted
Posted

Appreciate it @TicTac. I'll keep it in mind for next time.  If these start doggy paddling, I'll try and get some of the liquid out.

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Hunter, fisherwoman, gardener and cook in Montana.

YvetteMT

YvetteMT

Posted
Posted

Already looking promising- fish firmed up a great deal. Fingers crossed!

Another 18ish hours for the pellicle and then, smoke. 

20250418_161320.thumb.jpg.fa4481ddc4742348ffc0ab1685c3b995.jpg

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Hunter, fisherwoman, gardener and cook in Montana.

TicTac

TicTac

Posted
Posted
14 hours ago, YvetteMT said:

Already looking promising- fish firmed up a great deal. Fingers crossed!

Another 18ish hours for the pellicle and then, smoke. 

20250418_161320.thumb.jpg.fa4481ddc4742348ffc0ab1685c3b995.jpg

Cool rack system!

 

;)

 

 

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YvetteMT

YvetteMT

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, TicTac said:

Cool rack system!

 

;)

 

 

I can honestly say that I've never put a loaf of bread on my cooling racks!

 

Onto the Traeger this morning with a smoke tube.  Traeger is still off at this point, we like a little extra smoke on our salmon so the smoke tube first for a couple hours and then hot smoke.  I'm going to forgo basting these with maple syrup this time since i don't know how sweet they'll be with the 3 to 1 dry brine.  Maybe I'll do the belly strips only. 

 

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Hunter, fisherwoman, gardener and cook in Montana.

YvetteMT

YvetteMT

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, ElsieD said:

@YvetteMT. Do you ever cold smoke your salmon?

And leave it at just cold? No. I'm the only one that likes it cold smoked. 

 

So,  I start all my salmon with cold smoke.  (Right now it's 40F, breezy, and the smoke tube creates minimal heat). Once the tube burns out, I'll get to hot smoking.  

 

With alaskan salmon I usually inhale a piece (or3) after the cold smoke. I'm the only one that eats it and it's my "cooks treat" on smoking day. 

These are hatchery fish, still wild fish as they aren't farmed, and live their entire lives in fresh water in Montana.  My initial experience with these is that the flesh is soft, nearly mushy to me, and borderline unpleasant, so I won't be trying these as cold smoked. 

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Hunter, fisherwoman, gardener and cook in Montana.

YvetteMT

YvetteMT

Posted
Posted

After 3.5 hours in hot smoke, out and cooking off.

 

 

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And since the smoker was going anyway, I added a pheasant (breasts and legs) that will be going into gumbo tomorrow. Pheasant is by no means cooked and spent an hour in the smoke, the legs will get braised, the breasts chopped up and added near the end.

Should add a nice lil smoke to the gumbo. 

20250419_151650.thumb.jpg.b8911f0e44d1368f9a95e60122a986ca.jpg

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Hunter, fisherwoman, gardener and cook in Montana.

  • 3 weeks later...
Shelby

Shelby

Posted
Posted

The cilantro that comes up every year has been especially good for some reason but it's already starting to flower and bolt.  I wish it would last longer.  Yesterday I picked a huge bunch to freeze.

 

IMG_7424.thumb.jpeg.4f7fbd5c7764408e464d506e3da6b5ae.jpeg

 

First I blanched the bunch in boiling water for 10 seconds.  Then I put it in the salad spinner to get it dry-ish.  Next I spent forever picking the leaves off (I'm sure a bit of stem got in there too but that won't matter).

Then I whizzed it up in the food processor with some olive oil.

 

IMG_7425.thumb.jpeg.e776dc1e5043f627fd511403342fb612.jpeg

 

Froze it overnight in this bendy ice cube tray

 

IMG_7426.thumb.jpeg.f2ee7c73d9c73ec068ee2269409208ae.jpeg

 

Vac packed just now and back in the freezer.

 

IMG_7429.thumb.jpeg.12f1c83c5a742a8b24a137410f580f15.jpeg 

 

I can throw a cube in whatever and then seal the bag back up.

 

I thought that bunch would make a lot more but I was wrong!  Oh well.  

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rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted

@Shelby

 

Fine work !

 

I dont think the smaller stems matter much when processed  but that might just be me.

 

when you run out , try these :

 

w.thumb.jpg.4dfa2a1601a0cc2fe22526a869af7706.jpg

 

r.thumb.jpg.c4e26839d7d6e9219bff2b32e4da1d29.jpg

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rotuts

rotuts

Posted
Posted

used to be only Tj's carried them .  now Tj's no longer caries the basil , just the garlic

 

https://dorotgardens.com/products/

 

all the major supermarkets here carriy some of the series.

 

MarketBasket has Basil // Cilantro //Garlic / onion / sometimes ginger.

 

they keep forever in the freezer .  I use 3 - 4 basil(s) , one garlic  for my daily pasta dish

 

I micro them in EVOO until warm and let sit while I do the rest for the linguini.

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ElsieD

ElsieD

Posted
Posted (edited)

I used to get those Dorot products and I often look for them but I haven't seen them in years.  Too bad too, as I really liked them.

Edited by ElsieD
Fixed typo (log)
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