Pickled Salmon

Ingredients

• salmon
• 2 quarts vinegar
• 12 blades of mace
• 12 white peppercorns
• 12 cloves
• 2 tsp made mustard
• 3 tbsp white sugar
• 1 pint water (from boiling the fish)

Method

Build the pickling liquor first. Combine the vinegar, water (reserved from poaching the salmon), sugar, and all spices—mace blades, white peppercorns, cloves—in a large heavy-bottomed pot. Bring to a rolling boil and skim the grey foam from the surface; this is coagulated protein and impurities that will cloud your final preserve. Boil for two minutes, then pour into an earthenware or glass vessel and leave overnight at room temperature. The spices need time to fermentation|infuse their flavour fully into the acid base. The next morning, strain the liquor through fine muslin into a clean kettle, pressing gently on the spices to extract their oils—this concentrates the flavour without muddying the brine. Return to the heat and bring to a vigorous rolling boil.

While the liquor heats, cut the poached salmon into uniform pieces: 1½ inches long, ½ inch wide, using a sharp knife and a clean sawing motion. Uniformity matters—smaller pieces cook through in seconds, larger ones stay cold at the centre. Once the pickle boils hard, drop the salmon pieces in carefully. They'll drop the temperature; wait for the liquid to return to a rolling boil—this takes 30 seconds to a minute—then immediately remove the pan from the heat. Overboiling toughens the fish and breaks down the protein structure you need for texture.

Fish the salmon out with a wire skimmer or slotted spoon, moving steadily but without rushing; rough handling shatters the delicate flesh. Pack the hot pieces into hot sterilised jars (dip them in boiling water moments before filling), layering them tightly as you go. Immediately pour the boiling vinegar-spice liquor over the salmon until it overflows the jar—this displaces air and creates an anaerobic seal. Screw the lids on tight whilst everything is at maximum heat; the cooling liquor contracts and seals the jar further. Set the jars in a dark, cool place, ideally below 15°C. The acid preserves, but darkness protects the colour from bleaching. These will keep for six months. The flavour develops over three weeks.