How to cut salted fish. The best ways to serve salmon as a cold appetizer

• — Lax, gravlax and smoking —

  To begin with, it’s worth figuring out what features each of the methods of preparing fish fillets we have chosen has, since each of them has its own name. It's not that complicated.

  The so-called laks (lox) is nothing more than the name of red fish, literally translated from Yiddish, the fillets of which are usually prepared by simply soaking in a simple brine for several days. The second method, gravlax, has the word “lax” in its name for a reason, because all its difference from the first comes down to the more complex composition of the brine, in which you can find dill, horseradish, and sometimes juniper berries with vodka. Smoked salmon, in addition to the obvious addition of the smoking process itself to the recipe, is distinguished by a wider use of fish meat, and not just fillet from the abdominal region.

• — Lax in a three-day brine by Matthew Dillon —

  Ingredients:
  Salmon or halibut - 700 gr
  Cold water - 3 cups
  Kosher salt - 0.3 cups
  Dill - 1 tsp.
  Anise seeds - 1 tsp.
  Coriander seeds - 1 tsp.
  Dill - 6 sprigs
  Parsley - 6 sprigs
  Cilantro - 6 sprigs
  Garlic, chopped - 4 cloves
  Shallot, chopped - 1 piece

  For the sauce:
  Fresh lemon juice - 0.5 cup
  Garlic, finely chopped - 3 cloves
  Shallots, chopped - 2 pcs.
  Chopped parsley - 0.5 cup
  Chopped mint - 0.5 cups
  Chopped dill - 0.5 cups
  Chopped chervil - 0.25 cup
  Lemon zest, grate - 1.5 tsp.
  Anise seeds, crushed - 1 tsp.
  Red pepper - 1 tsp.
  Grapeseed oil - 1 cup
  Salt, pepper - to taste
  

  Preparation:
  1. Rinse and dry the fish. Place the fillet in a deep baking dish. In a large bowl, mix water and salt, then add dill seeds, anise seeds, coriander seeds, herbs, garlic and shallots. Pour the brine into the mold, and cover the fish with a clean towel on top so that it is slightly moistened. Wrap the pan in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 days, turning the fish over and changing the towel after the first 36 hours.
  2. Drain the brine and clean the surface of the fish from adhering particles. Place the fish, skin side down, on a baking sheet and place in the refrigerator to dry for another 2 hours.
  3. Mix lemon juice with garlic and shallots in a bowl and let sit for 20 minutes. Add parsley, dill, mint, chervil, lemon zest, anise seeds, pepper, add oil, salt, pepper and stir.
  4. Carve the fillet on a work surface, separating small pieces from the meat and skin. Serve them with the sauce, adding sour cream, gherkins, black bread and mustard if desired.

• — Gravlax by Andrew Zimmern —

  Ingredients:
  Salmon fillet with boneless skin - 700 gr
  Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp.
  White pepper - 2 tbsp.
  Kosher salt - 0.5 cup
  Sugar - 0.5 cups
  Brown sugar - 0.25 cups
  Chopped dill - 2 cups
  Chopped parsley - 2 cups
  Red pepper - 1 tsp.
  Lemon zest - 1 tbsp.
  Scandinavian alcoholic drink “aquavit” - 3 tbsp.
  Bagel, cream cheese/pancakes/scrambled egg for serving

  Preparation:
  1. Mix crushed spices in a bowl with salt, sugar, dill, parsley, zest and alcohol.
  2. Place the fillet in a glass or ceramic container, skin side down, and spread the spice mixture evenly over its surface. Wrap the dish in plastic and put it in the refrigerator for 2-3 days. The dish can be served as soon as the fish is saturated with flavor and the edges of the fillet are slightly dry.

• — Smoked salmon with orange zest from Jason Alley —

  Ingredients:
  Processed salmon fillet - 800 gr
  Brown sugar - 2 tbsp.
  Ground coriander - 1 tsp.
  Grated zest of 1 large orange
  Vodka - 2 tbsp.
  Kosher salt - 2.5 tbsp.

  Preparation:
  1. Place half a cup of small hardwood chips in a deep frying pan (preferably a wok). Place a layer of foil on top and make sure that the lid seals the pan tightly enough, otherwise prepare a couple more layers of foil instead of a lid.
  2. Place the frying pan on the fire in a well-ventilated area and as soon as smoke begins to rise from the wood chips, place the salmon fillet skin side down on the foil, and then cover tightly with a lid or several layers of foil. Keep the pan closed over the fire for 30 seconds and then remove from it for the same amount of time.
  3. Place the fillet in a glass dish, skin side up. Mix salt, sugar, coriander, orange zest, spices and vodka in a separate bowl, and then rub the fish with the resulting mixture. Cover the container and refrigerate for 3 days.
  3. Rinse the fillet and dry with a paper towel. Using a sharp knife, cut the salmon at an angle into thin pieces. Can be served.

In order for the fish pieces to turn out thin, it is better to freeze it a little first. And of course, you can’t cope with such a difficult task without a sharp knife. It is better to divide the fish into two fillets, completely removing the ridge. When the bones are removed, the parts of the fish must be placed on the board, skin side down, and begin cutting off thin slices with a knife at an angle of 20 degrees. You should not leave parts of the fillet on the skin, because this is where the most delicious and fatty pieces are located.

If you have a fish steak for slicing, but it is very thick, then before serving, you can wrap it in cling film and place it in the freezer, and then cut it into thin slices.

Frozen fish fillets do not fall apart when slicing, the thickness can be adjusted, and the pieces turn out incredibly smooth and neat.

For an appetizing fish platter, you can choose several types of product at once: salted, smoked, in oil, and even sprats. The easiest way is to cut all types of fish into thin plastics and beautifully distribute them in layers on a plate. The top of the slices can be decorated with lemon slices, olives, and various herbs.

With this serving of sliced ​​fish, each guest will be able to put the piece they like on their plate or make a sandwich. To do this, it is better to place sliced ​​bread and butter in a special container next to the assorted fish.

Such thin plates can be placed on a plate or rolled into roses, envelopes, rolls, which should be combined with olives, pickled onions, lemon and fresh vegetables, red caviar, even currants, lingonberries or cranberries. It turns out incredibly beautiful and appetizing.

Serving snacks in the form of canapés is very popular; for this, the fish must be cut into small squares and strung on a skewer. Pieces of fish can be combined with vegetables, lemon slices, and shrimp.

When it is not possible to freeze the fish, you can simply cut it into small circles, and the ridge does not need to be removed. In addition, this cutting method is appropriate when the fish is smoked, because in this case it is undesirable to expose it to low temperatures. Yes, and this method of serving would be appropriate if you plan to serve the fish as a side dish in the form of rice or baked potatoes. Fresh herbs and pickled onions will perfectly complement the picture.

But not only salted and smoked fish can be beautifully cut. The baked dish can also be served in a rather unusual way. For example, if you bake a whole fish carcass, then before serving you just need to cut the fish lengthwise into rings. At the same time, to make the serving more impressive, you should insert lemon slices, onion rings or vegetables between the cut pieces of fish.

The New Year is getting closer, and every housewife begins to think about the holiday menu, both directly for New Year's Eve and for subsequent holidays, when a series of meetings with friends and relatives begins at a large table filled with all sorts of goodies.

1. Salmon rolls with curd filling

These wonderful rolls, despite their simplicity, are incredibly elegant and tender. Another important advantage of this recipe is that such an appetizer is prepared very quickly, and on the table it looks very festive.

Ingredients:

• Lightly salted salmon 120 g
• Cottage cheese50 g
• Cucumber100 g
• Garlic 1 clove
• French mustard10 g
• Salt, pepper to taste

Cooking method:

1. Place the cottage cheese in a bowl and mix it with mustard.
2. Finely chop the cucumber. Crush the garlic with the flat side of a knife and add these ingredients to the curd mass. Pepper and salt. To stir thoroughly.
3. Place a little filling on the edge of the salmon slice, roll it into a roll and secure with a small skewer or toothpick.

2. Sandwiches with salmon and cream cheese

Also a very simple and quick recipe for an appetizer with salmon, although very original. Delicate cream cheese and lightly salted salmon create the perfect combination, complementing each other. And look how beautiful such compact sandwiches look on the table, especially if you decorate them with fresh herbs.

Ingredients:

• Rye bread 8 slices
• Lightly salted salmon 16 slices
• Cream cheese 100 g
• Dill several sprigs
• Green onions several feathers
• Ground pepper to taste
• Lemon 1/2 pcs.

Cooking method:

1. In a small bowl, mix cream cheese with chopped herbs, then lightly pepper.
2. Cut out circles from the bread with a glass and spread cream cheese and herbs evenly on them.
3. Place the salmon on top, twisting each slice nicely. Garnish with dill and lemon zest.

3. Potato appetizer with salmon

Taking an idea from the national cuisine of one country, you can prepare a dish that fits perfectly into the national cuisine of another. Like, for example, such an appetizer, prepared in the style of sushi, although, it would seem, the set of products is originally Russian. But keep in mind that this dish is quite filling and might be better suited for a holiday dinner on January 1st.

Ingredients:

• Small young potatoes 12 pcs.
• Lightly salted salmon 150 g
• Dill small bunch
• Sesame oil 1 tsp.
• Sesame seeds 1 tsp.
• Green onions 12 feathers
• Pepper to taste

Cooking method:

1. Wash the potatoes thoroughly and steam for 15-20 minutes. Cool.
2. Cut the potatoes a little from the top and bottom, pepper, sprinkle with chopped dill and wrap the potatoes in small slices of salmon, securing with green onions.
3. Add literally a drop of sesame oil to each potato for flavor and lightly sprinkle with sesame seeds.

4. Pancakes with cream cheese and smoked salmon

Even a familiar snack can be prepared a little differently. We recommend trying these mini pancakes. By the way, this is how red fish is often served in France, calling these mini-pancakes with the Russian word blinis.

Ingredients:

• Buckwheat flour 200 g
• Wheat flour 60 g
• Chicken egg 2 pcs.
• Butter 25 g
• Dry yeast 2 sachets
• Milk 250 ml
• Lemon 1/2 pcs.
• Salt, pepper to taste
• Cream cheese 200 g
• Smoked salmon 180 g
• Cherry tomatoes 100 g
• Olive oil as needed

Cooking method:

1. Pour the yeast into warm milk and stir.
2. Separate the whites from the yolks. For now, put the whites in the refrigerator, and mix the yolks with two types of flour, add milk and yeast to the resulting mixture, knead the dough and leave it for an hour, covered with a clean towel.
3. Beat the egg whites until stiff and gently fold them into the dough. Add 25 grams of melted butter, salt, pepper and grated zest of half a lemon.
4. In a frying pan heated with olive oil, fry small-diameter pancakes for about 1 minute on each side.
5. Spread the pancake with cream cheese, place a piece of smoked salmon on top, cover with another pancake, spread another layer of cheese and place a piece of salmon. Cover with the third pancake and secure with a toothpick and half a cherry tomato. Repeat with the remaining canapés, following the given sequence.

5. Salmon with avocado mousse

This is, perhaps, a snack for real gourmets, which will require a little tinkering in the kitchen. But if you want to surprise your guests or just treat yourself this holiday season, try this amazing salmon recipe. A classic combination in a new form is what you need.

Ingredients:

• Avocado 2 pcs.
• Lime 1 pc.
• Cream 100 ml
• Gelatin 1 sheet
• Smoked salmon 100 g
• Salt, pepper to taste

Cooking method:

1. Cut the salmon into small cubes, sprinkle with lime juice, pepper and add a little zest. Mix everything thoroughly and put it in the refrigerator.
2. Soak the gelatin sheet in cold water. Whip most of the cream into a strong foam, and heat the rest in a saucepan, and then dissolve the gelatin in the warm cream.
3. Mash the avocado pulp with a fork, add lime zest, salt and pepper and mix with warm cream. Next, carefully add the whipped cream so that the foam does not settle.
4. Place the avocado mousse into suitable glasses and top with salmon. Serve the appetizer chilled.

6. Puff rolls with smoked salmon

Literally 30 minutes in the kitchen - and an amazing appetizer made from puff pastry in the form of rolls is ready. This dish will perfectly decorate the table on New Year's Eve, and the next day it will be a pleasant addition to soup - for example, to a simple vegetable or rich fish soup.

Ingredients:

• Puff pastry 1 layer
• Cream cheese with herbs 100 g
• Smoked salmon (or trout) 100 g
• Poppy 1 tbsp. l.
• Egg yolk 1 pc.
• Pepper to taste

Cooking method:

1. Roll out the dough into a circle. Cut the circle into 16 equal parts (triangles).
2. Brush each piece with herbed cream cheese and place a small piece of salmon on the widest part of the triangle. Lightly pepper.
3. After wetting your hands in water, roll the triangles into a roll and place them on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Brush with egg yolk and sprinkle with poppy seeds.
4. Bake in an oven preheated to 180 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown.

7. Appetizer of salmon with zucchini

Another great recipe for red fish appetizers is zucchini rolls. Pleasant and slightly crispy zucchini squash in combination with tender salty salmon create a unique taste, and the beautiful presentation of the dish will please the eye and lift your spirits.

8. Potato pancakes with salmon

The most delicious dishes are always obtained at the intersection of simplicity and sophistication, as in this case. Seemingly ordinary potato pancakes turn into a great appetizer if you add smoked salmon or trout, as well as sour cream and red onion. Very tasty and festive. Plus, if you don't add the onions, these hash browns make a great brunch for the holiday season.

Cooking method:

1. Peel and grate the potatoes, then squeeze them thoroughly, mix and squeeze again. Peel the onion, chop finely and add to the potatoes.
2. Lightly beat the egg and add it to the potatoes along with the flour. Add salt, pepper and mix thoroughly.
3. Place the pancakes flat on a frying pan heated with vegetable oil and fry for several minutes on each side until golden brown. Place the finished pancakes on a paper towel to remove excess oil.
4. Serve the pancakes with sour cream on top, followed by red onion cut into half rings and pieces of red fish.

Which table will be rated higher: the one where everything is delicious or the one where everything is beautiful? Without a doubt, the beauty of serving and original decorations makes even the simplest dishes more delicious! Therefore, we take into account current trends and recommend that you pay attention to various techniques for decorating dishes and cuts. The highlight of the fish plate will be roses made of red fish (salmon, salmon, etc.), made to decorate the table. So let's talk about how they can be made.

Sliced ​​salmon in itself becomes a table decoration, but if you arrange thin slices of fish in a special way, then your treat will be remembered for a long time by everyone without exception! And you will experience a feeling of real gastronomic satisfaction!

Moreover, you can use such an unusual presentation not only for a romantic dinner or a festive feast, but also for an everyday family lunch! Don't your loved ones deserve to celebrate every day?

Step-by-step execution

1. Using kitchen scissors, cut 2 cm strips of salmon. Rosettes of this size will look great on sandwiches and canapés.

To decorate salads or plates with sliced ​​fish, you can make larger roses (salmon strips will be 3-4 cm).

2. We begin to fold the strip.

3. Having gone 2/3 of the way, we turn the strip a little to the bottom, as shown in the photo (as if opening a petal) and continue to fold it to the end of the strip.

4. If you have already prepared sandwiches, then immediately glue the rosette to the butter. If you decide to make rosettes and only then decorate your dishes, it is better to secure them with toothpicks or kitchen skewers.

Salmon roses in a single strip

In the video, the master shows how to roll pieces of salmon into “rosettes” and place them on a plate of rice, decorated in the style of Japanese sushi.

Enjoy!

Roses from several strips of red fish

A quick and easy sandwich snack that can be made in minutes! Great for small lunches, meetings and parties.

You can create a rosette-shaped rosette from various types of fish, the main condition is to cut it thinly. It can be any type of red fish or a simple herring.

With such a masterpiece you can decorate a finished dish (shuba fish salad, salted cakes), decorate a plate with sliced ​​fish, or make a festive version of sandwiches (salmon, butter and caviar).

Decorating holiday dishes with salmon roses

Fish dishes, and especially salmon, are not only extremely tasty, but also beneficial for health due to their healing substances. Red fish contains unsaturated fatty acids Omega-3, which are not synthesized by the human body, but are involved in many metabolic processes. Salmon is also rich in vitamins and mineral salts, and other fatty acids. Therefore, you will not only improve the presentation, but also increase the nutritional value of the treat!
Bon appetit!

Today you won’t surprise anyone with red fish, but this culinary delight must be present as an appetizer on the “fish plate”.

To serve on a festive table, sliced ​​red fish must be decorated with all the artistic taste available, because delicacies should be served in a particularly beautiful way. And what original compositions can be implemented on a platter - our tips and examples with photos will tell you, with which your feast will be chic.

If you are organizing a buffet, then our tips on decorating vegetable, meat, fish, cheese and fruit selections will be very useful to you.

Thin slicing of fish and its decoration

To decorate the slicing, it is best to take fillet that has already been cut into thin slices. It is not always possible to create such an even and really thin cut, which is called carpaccio, with your own hands at home.

However, there are several rules for cutting whole fillets into slices like this:

• Before slicing, a piece of fish can be slightly frozen.
• The slicing knife should be very sharp with a long blade.
• The slice should be cut at an angle and in one motion, directed towards you and downwards.

• In order to enrich the taste of the fish, the bottom of the dish (before arranging the slices) can be sprinkled with lemon juice and olive oil.

Our website presents a huge selection of master classes on classic and original cutting of various products for the holiday, as well as a huge selection of educational photo instructions on carving.

Cutting red fish carpaccio is the most popular, and it can be used to make truly magnificent compositions.

Even if you simply lay the slices overlapping in a circle on a plate and decorate with lemon slices and sprigs of dill or rosemary, the dish will look complete, bright and beautiful.

We fold each slice crosswise and in half, then place them on a dish in a row side by side, and overlap the first row with the second row. The result is a very beautiful “airy” composition.

This method of laying cuts can also be used in assorted fish, alternating red fillet with balyk, herring, smoked fish and seafood.

You can also make original “buds” from such thin slices, placing them on a dish in the form of a bouquet and decorating them with greens. “Buds” are made very simply.

We roll each slice into a funnel - and the “flower” is ready. Let’s add a grain of caviar to the design and the “picture” will sparkle with new colors.

“Roses” from salmon are quite often used to decorate salads and appetizers with fish, including for decorating “fish plates” and tartlets.

Making a “rose” is very simple:

• Take one long thin slice of fish or several slices and lay them out overlapping along the length in one row.

• Roll the entire row (or one long slice) of fish into a roll.

• We fix the “rose” with toothpicks and straighten the “petals” on top, giving it a more natural look.

On our website you can learn a master class on making “roses” from salmon and herring.

Slicing salmon for the holiday table

To create “fish plates” you can use not only different types of fish, but also any seafood, “sea snacks” and vegetables.

And even if you can’t afford such an expensive product, then an analogue of algae caviar will fit even into the most modest budget.

An excellent option for serving sliced ​​fish is in segments. On a dish, each type of fish or seafood should be laid out in overlapping “scales”, allocating a certain part of the plate for each item.

This assortment can also include crackers or croutons, canapés or mini-tartlets, vegetables, sauces, and caviar.

Slicing red fish for a holiday table, even with a simple design, will look festive and elegant. And with our tips, a fish dish will become a real work of culinary art.