Hotel Room Salt Salmon, with a shiso leaf.
Hotel Room Salt Salmon (Shiozaki in Japanese) is an easy, elegant and potentially fatal entrée you can prepare anywhere you have access to a mini-fridge, packets of salt and sugar, and a microwave. Why fatal? Because you do need to pay attention to food safety with raw fish. Be sure the salmon you buy is cold and fresh, and that your mini-fridge is set to 39 degrees or lower. If in doubt, microwave it till flaky rather than eating raw. 4 entrée servings.
Ingredients:
1 lb or so very fresh salmon* filet
Salt, approx. 1 T**
Sugar, approx. 1 t
Ziploc bag
Paper towels
Starting the cure.
Method: pat the salmon dry with paper towels. Mix salt and sugar and rub into the salmon on all sides including the skin. Wrap in paper towels, insert in Ziploc bag and cure in fridge 2 days or so. Remove from the bag, wipe off the cure and slice thin to serve, leaving the skin. Very tasty wrapped up in a shiso leaf, if you happen to have some. After the salmon slices are done, crisp up the skin in the microwave for an extra treat.
*If you are near a Trader Joe’s, look for their wild caught Alaskan salmon which is consistently excellent. Wherever you buy, be sure the fish has been kept well chilled.
*We used 1 T Kosher salt but the salt in your hotel buffet shaker is probably finer ground iodized so you’ll use less.
