Guaranteed to please, this pickled salmon is perfect as a quick appetizer that can be served on it's own to guests or family. The best part is - it can be made ahead of time and keeps well in the fridge, so you can prep it whenever you have time and have it on-hand for any occasion.
This recipe makes one gallon-jar sized batch but can easily be halved if that's too much for your household. Pickled salmon also takes several days so make sure it's started far enough in advance before you intend to eat it.
DAY 1
3lbs raw salmon (bones out, skin off, cut into 3/4" - 1" cubes)
1 cup pickling salt
6 cups water
Dissolve pickling salt in water. Pour into gallon jar (or whatever other apparatus you might use) and make sure solution is cool before adding salmon. Immerse salmon chunks and stick in the fridge for 24 hours.
DAY 2
Apple cider vinegar (good quality makes a difference here)
- quality can be judged by the presence of what's called the "mother" in the vinegar. The "mother" refers to proteins and healthy bacteria that help make apple cider vinegar and should be left in for maximum health benefits and flavour. It makes the vinegar look somewhat cloudy and may have a few solids in there.
Remove the salmon from its salty brine and rinse well. Rinse the jar and add the rinsed/drained salmon chunks back in. Submerge in apple cider vinegar and return to the fridge for another 24 hours or up to 48 hours.
DAY 3 BRINE:
2 cups water
2 cups demerara sugar
4 cups apple cider vinegar
6 tbsp. pickling spices
Mix together ingredients and bring to a boil. Make sure sugar is dissolved and set aside to cool. VEGGIES: (note that these amounts are all approximate and you can absolutely play around with how much/what kinds of veggies are put in there)
2 red peppers, ribs and seeds removed, sliced thin
3 cups onion, sliced in thin half-moons
3 jalapenos, ribs and seeds removed, sliced thin
6 whole garlic cloves, peeled
Drain salmon and rinse well once more. Add to a large bowl and toss gently with the prepared vegetables until well mixed. Rinse your jar and add all the salmon and goodies back in. When brine is completely cool, pour over salmon mix and return to fridge. The pickled salmon can be enjoyed after another 24 hours but with more time it will develop a better flavour.