Title: Smoked Salmon and Cured Salmon
Categories: Smoke Fish Salmon
Yield: 1 Servings

		Salmon
		Salt
		If wanted, some conjac
		Salpetre

Here is an original recipe from one of the most important salmon farm in Lardal, Vestfold (main part in 'Kjerra-fiske') which my mother got from her mother who was borned on the farm Schjerven. I think it is a very ancient recipe.

It is used both for smoked salmon and for cured salmon (not to be confused with 'gravlaks')

Wash the uncleaned, whole fish and scrape away slime from head to tail. Be careful so shells are not removed. Then wash once more. Cut of the lower tail part. Then put it on a table with back turned to you. From tail slice the fish with a sharp knife and let the knife follow the bone throughout the head.

Then put it flat and take away the pluck (intestine etc) and gut and cut away the bone of the other part. Cut of head and put it over boil with bones and tailpart to make a soup. Dry carefully away any blood with a moist cloth (have it boiled and cooled before this to make it free of bacteria). Smooth the meat nicelay. Then put it on a board with skin down with a smooth layer of salt below and above. (How much is not mentioned but should not be difficult to determine). Put it away on a cool place (IMPORTANT!!!) with a boiled cloth over it. Next day lay a board above the fish, maybe with some weight on it. The third day increase weight if the fish is big. If you want it to stay nice and red, wash it after about 2 days with some cognac with a little salpeter dissolved. (not necessary). During summer it is cured during 4 or 5 days. Test for salty.

If you want to smoke it, keep the fish flat with some small sticks and let them hang for a few hours then smoke with juniper twigs for 2 or 3 hours. Heat is not needed. Should never be allowed to be stored above ca. 5 deg. Celsius.

From: alf.christophersen@basalmed.uio.no (Alf Christophersen)

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