Another variation, Halibut Gravlox

Started by gstours, May 26, 2020, 03:19:59 PM

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gstours

 This is a cold fish that I have available so why not try it?  It's simple to make and uses common pantry and spices.   It cures a little faster than salmon and absorbs salt easier similar to smoking halibut.

gstours

The ingredients are simply salt, sugar,olive oil, black pepper, fresh garlic, lemon and lime zest, lime juice coriander, dill fresh and dry dill seeds, and dry fennel seeds.
   Every thing goes in a food processor and mixes,  after trimming the fish to equal size PCs slather on some of the mixture on the butcher paper and lay the fish on the bed , place in a shallow pan and using the rest of the mixture evenly spread it on,
  Fold top of paper, place a flat board or tray on the fish, add a weight of maybe a milk carton or ? And weight in the refrigerator, turn over once a day and it's ready in 2-3 days.    Mmmmmmm.👌

gstours

This is a great summer time snack as the cold fish is good alone, or paired with your preference of cheese,wine , crackers or 🍻 any time afternoon.😸
   Use 1/2 course salt to the ratio of sugar (1-2) as most people complain "it's too salty ". 
        Wish I could serve you some today to try.?    Thanks for your thoughts! 🎣

El Pescador

Quote from: gstours on May 26, 2020, 03:41:54 PM

        Wish I could serve you some today to try.?    Thanks for your thoughts! 🎣

Gary,

we can resolve this, and YES I will offer my tasting services to your Halibut Gravlax.

I'll PM you my FedEx number.

You know what to do!!!!

Wayne
Never let the skinny guys make the sandwiches!!  NEVER!!!!

gstours

Yes, I can see you now,  contractor Jim, neighbor Gill on the back deck impatiently waiting for Dom continuing to cut slivers off shrinking the offering into miniature when someone asks where isthecorkscrew 😉
  This stuff is amazing good,  cold cuts from Alaska.😽

gstours

It's something new,  of coarse I've got no company,  and no complaints,  if's we were planning going fishing tomorrow.   Varsity is good,  as long as its somebody else.   Eat your fish.   Wish you were here.🎣🐠🐙🤷‍♂️.   Great tides tomorrow.   🎣

jigmaster501

Just be sure to properly freeze for parasite control and do a surface pathogen elimination before salting
Looks good.

Dominick

Quote from: jigmaster501 on May 27, 2020, 05:35:39 PM
Just be sure to properly freeze for parasite control and do a surface pathogen elimination before salting
Looks good.

What is the proper freeze length and temperature?  Dominick
Leave the gun.  Take the cannolis.

There are two things I don't like about fishing.  Getting up early in the morning and boats.  The rest of it is fun.

jigmaster501

For the average person's freezer you need to go to -4F until hard frozen and then stay  at that temp or below for 7 days.

It is critical to get down to temp quick and defrost quickly to minimize cellular degradation.


Dominick

Quote from: jigmaster501 on May 27, 2020, 11:32:37 PM
It is critical to get down to temp quick and defrost quickly to minimize cellular degradation.

I find this interesting.  I was under the impression that fish should be defrosted slowly in the refrigerator.  What say you?  Dominick
Leave the gun.  Take the cannolis.

There are two things I don't like about fishing.  Getting up early in the morning and boats.  The rest of it is fun.

Brewcrafter

I have always had good results following the methods recommended by Fisherman's Processing.  Wrap in paper towels and defrost overnight on a rack in the fridge; change out the towels if they become soggy.  One thing I learned from my neighbor at work (Quality and Safety has his office right next to mine) is to NEVER defrost in the package.  Anaerobic bacteria...

jigmaster501

Freezing and thawing when done wrong are very destructive forces.

Rapid freezing allows for small round ice crystals with no sharp edges. Rapid freezing also minimizes the time that the cell membranes are exposed to concentrated minerals which can degrade cell membranes. (Pure water freezes first and the concentrated minerals will freeze at lower temperatures, the longer the freeze, the longer these minerals are in solution causing destruction). Once cell membranes are damaged, they release the contents of the cell. This water loss causes quality loss and can exacerbate histamine development (in histamine species under temperature abuse conditions) upon thawing.

This occurrence generally takes place between 32F to 23F which is called the Critical Freezing Zone. You obviously need to freeze to lower temperatures but you need to get through this temperature zone ASAP (Critical Freezing Rate). Also you want to get you fish down to a specific temperature, generally freezing is 0F to -5F (-4F or less for parasite destruction)and hold it at that temperature consistently during freezing. Heavy fluctuations in freezing temperature can cause ice crystals to become sharp and puncture cell membranes during freezing. You generally want to get your fish hard frozen at home within 2 hours. I usually put one package in at a time until it is hard frozen and then put the next one in after that (holding the unfrozen packages in the fridge).

Thawing when done over long periods can have the same degrading effects of improper freezing, just in reverse order.

Yes, thawing in vacuum packages bags can allow for toxin formation of Clostridium botulinum. I don't recommend people do it at all unless they follow specific guidelines. Defrost 1 bag at a time in running COLD water in a bowl in the sink. Once the fish becomes soft, IMMEDIATELY take the fish out of the bag and place in the refrigerator until use. Should be no longer that 30 minutes. You do not want any part of the fish to reach an internal temperature of 38F or above. Once you go above this temperature in an anaerobic environment, the clock starts ticking for the toxin formation. Botulism is deadly. The higher the temperatures, the faster the toxin forms. I can post charts but it is easier to just do it the above way. If you have lots of fillets that you need to defrost at one time, I would suggest cutting each piece out of the vacuum package and then putting in a large food grade bag. Place the bag in a large bowl in the sink with the edge folded over the side of the bowl. Now fill with cold water and let the cold water slowly drizzle in the bowl in the sink. This will work quickly and once soft, place in the refrigerator. The goal is to defrost as quickly as possible to an internal temperature of 32F as fast as possible without exposing the fish to dangerous temperature conditions that will allow for pathogenic bacteria to grow and spore forming toxins to produce toxins that likely will not be destroyed during cooking (if cooked). Going up 23F to 32F is the "destructive zone" on the way up.

Eugene


Dominick

Eugene, my refrigerator will go to -2.  However, if I set it that far down the ice maker freezes up and the interior of the refrigerator gets too cold.  So I keep the freezer at 0.  Do parasites die at 0 if kept for longer times?  Dominick
Leave the gun.  Take the cannolis.

There are two things I don't like about fishing.  Getting up early in the morning and boats.  The rest of it is fun.

jigmaster501

Parasites won't die at 0F.

If you are having issues within the fridge, it is likely a circulation issue. Make sure to keep a space at the back of the fridge for air to circulate.

If that doesn't work, your best bet would be to buy species that are not known for parasites (see FDA Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance- March 2020- Chapter 3- look for your species and see if parasites are checked) or buy farm raised fish which are fed a pelletized feed.

Generally salmon, trout,  char, tilapia, etc are fed pelletized feed.

You would just need a surface pathogen elimination step.