Guest Blogger Mark Jenson Shares His Cured Ōra King Recipe

Chef Mark Jenson of Australia’s Salmon & Bear shares his Christmas entertaining favourite; Gin & Sichuan cured Ōra King salmon.

Born and raised in Queensland, Christmas for us means seafood and lots of it. Of course there are King prawns, oysters and even scallops but centre stage of my Christmas spread is always a cured side of Ōra King salmon. Christmas is a time for indulgence so we always go for the best. For one day surrounded by loved ones it is so worth the effort.

This year I decided I was going to mix things up a little. We’ve been trialing Sichuan flavours in many dishes at the restaurant this year so I wanted to see how Sichuan pepper worked with the rich buttery flesh of the Ōra King salmon. And as it is Christmas there is always booze around so why not add a splash (or two) of gin for good measure.

Here I have included my recipe for gin and Sichuan cured Ōra King salmon. It pairs perfectly with a lightly dressed new potato salad and a crisp green salad.  Merry Christmas and Enjoy.

INGREDIENTS

1 side of King salmon, skin on

 

SPICE MIX

1 tb of coriander seeds

1 tb fennel seeds

4 pieces of dried mandarin skin

2 small pieces of cassia bark

2 tsp Sichuan pepper

2 tsp ginger powder

 

90 mls of gin

200 grams of sugar

150 grams of Himalayan rock salt

 

METHOD

Place the salmon skin side down on a chopping board, check and remove any bones.  Once bones are removed place the salmon skin side down in a stainless tray.  Tip: you can cut the salmon fillet in half if you don’t have a big enough tray to fit the whole salmon.

Lightly toast all the spices separately in a frying pan and allow to cool.  Once cooled place the spices in a pestle and mortar and grind to a coarse powder.

Splash the gin evenly over the flesh of the salmon and massage it in.  Next sprinkle the spices over the salmon.

Mix the sugar and salt together then sprinkle it over the salmon.

Place the salmon in the fridge and allow to cure overnight or for at least 8 hours.

Remove the salmon from the tray and rinse clean under cold running water.

Pat the salmon fillet dry with paper towel and place in the fridge until ready to serve.

To serve, slice the salmon into fine slices on the angle and place on a serving platter.

 

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