Lakerda

Thick steaks of bonito cured in brine for days and then kept under oil, never cooked.

Fish. Not vegetarian — contains fish.

Ingredients

the fish

• 1 large bonito or small tuna, about 2 kg

the cure

• 1 kg coarse sea salt, for the cure -- it is rinsed off and not eaten
• 2 litres water, for the soaking

to keep and serve

• 400 ml olive oil
• 1 red onion, sliced very thinly
• 1 lemon, in wedges

Method

1. IT IS NEVER COOKED, SO THE FISH IS FROZEN FIRST AND THAT IS NOT OPTIONAL. Cured raw fish must be frozen before curing to kill parasites: at -20°C for at least seven days, or -35°C for twenty hours. Salt curing alone does not reliably do it. This is a food-safety step rather than a matter of flavour, it makes no difference to the finished taste or texture, and it should not be skipped whatever the fish cost or wherever it came from.
2. IT IS CUT INTO THICK STEAKS ACROSS THE BONE AND THE BLOOD LINE IS CUT OUT. Steaks three to four centimetres thick, cut straight across the fish. The dark red-brown strip of blood-rich muscle along the spine is cut away and discarded -- it turns bitter and metallic under salt and will taint the whole batch. Thinner steaks cure too fast and go dry and hard right through.
3. THE STEAKS ARE SOAKED IN FRESH WATER BEFORE SALTING. Two or three hours in cold water, changed twice, to draw out remaining blood. The flesh pales noticeably. Salted without this, the cured fish stays dark and tastes strongly of blood.
4. THEY ARE BURIED COMPLETELY IN COARSE SALT FOR FOUR DAYS, IN THE FRIDGE. Not sprinkled -- buried, with salt beneath, between and over, so no flesh is exposed to air. The salt draws out water and will be wet and slushy within a day; it is poured off and replaced. Any exposed surface spoils rather than cures.
5. THE SALT IS RINSED OFF AND THE FISH IS SOAKED AGAIN BEFORE KEEPING. Rinsed thoroughly, then soaked in fresh cold water for two hours, changed once, to bring the saltiness back to something edible. Unsoaked, it is inedibly salty. A sliver is tasted at this point to judge.
6. IT IS KEPT COMPLETELY SUBMERGED UNDER OLIVE OIL. In a jar, with the oil over the top of the fish, in the fridge. The oil excludes air; anything above the oil line will go off. It keeps a month like that and improves over the first week.
7. IT IS SLICED THIN AND SERVED WITH RAW ONION AND LEMON, COLD. Taken out of the oil, the bone and skin removed, and cut into thin slices against the grain.
8. THE FISH FROZEN at -20°C for at least 7 DAYS, or -35°C for 20 HOURS. NOT optional.
9. Thawed in the fridge, then cut into THICK STEAKS 3 to 4 cm across the bone.
10. The dark BLOOD LINE along the spine CUT AWAY and discarded.
11. SOAKED in cold fresh water 2 to 3 HOURS, the water changed TWICE, until the flesh pales.
12. Patted dry and BURIED COMPLETELY in the coarse salt in a non-metal dish -- salt beneath, between and over, no flesh exposed.
13. Refrigerated 4 DAYS. The wet slushy salt POURED OFF and REPLACED after the first day.
14. RINSED thoroughly under cold water.
15. SOAKED again in fresh cold water 2 HOURS, changed once. A sliver tasted to judge the saltiness.
16. Patted dry, packed into a jar, and COVERED COMPLETELY with olive oil.
17. Refrigerated at least 3 DAYS before eating; better after a week.
18. TESTED: the flesh should be firm, pale and sliceable, and salty but edible. Keeps 1 month submerged.
19. Sliced THIN against the grain, boned and skinned, and served cold with the sliced red onion and lemon.

Our own recipe. This one was written for this site rather than taken from anywhere, so there is no source to point you at. The quantities and the order of the steps are choices, not the only way to do it.

Filed under Turkey · All recipes