Good stuff: Just Cured

by julie on June 19, 2008

Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this topic.

I mentioned that I had bought some Just Cured salmon last week– great, subtle flavors and it’s local! Val over at Cincinnati Locavore did a great post on his process. Go and check it out, and check him out at Findlay Market this weekend!

Cin Twin1

I want to know what you do with the salmon you get this weekend! I need some ideas instead of eating it from the paper it came in! I am amazed to find that his prices are at or better than what I can find in the grocery store.

I ate 1/2 lb in one sitting one time! That was supposed to last me a week…..

My hubby who doesn’t eat sushi asked me if the salmon was cooked when I tried to give him a bite of it. Would you called this “cooked”?

I emailed Michael and wanted to know when he would be adding other products to his smoking line. I think he may have found his niche.
Julie

It’s so hard NOT to just eat it out of the paper. I would not consider it raw! I’d love to see Michael pop in and explain “cure” vs. “cook”; curing is a preservation method–like cured ham isn’t “cooked” but is not raw– but I’m sure he could go into more detail.

I’m thinking about doing eggs Benedict with the salmon and some homemade hollandaise, or perhaps some canapes of cucumber, wasabi creme fraiche and the salmon. I’m not sure yet. We’ll see!
Michael

Julie and Twin,

Cold-smoked salmon is not cooked in the traditional sense as it has never been exposed to a temperature above room temperature. It is certainly, however, cooked in the technical sense. The curing process alters the nature of the raw salmon in very much the same way that cooking with heat does.

That said, most people who do not like raw foods such as sushi object to the texture. The Just Cured smoked salmon has a texture that is still quite similar to that of raw fish.

Enough explanation?

Michael
Cin Twin1

Perfect! Thanks for the info, Michael!
Julie

Thanks, Michael.
WestEnder

Technically speaking I believe “cooking” means denaturing protein bonds, i.e. breaking them apart and reassembling them differently. This can be done with heat but also chemically, such as with citrus juices. I’m guessing smoking is a type of “chemical cooking.”

BTW, this is the reason high fevers are dangerous, because body proteins start to denature. Your insides literally get cooked.
Julie

Ceviche is cooked because the proteins are denatured– makes sense. Pickles, too!
valereee

Julie, thanks for the shout out!