Beet-cured salmon

I'm serving some beet-cured salmon as a starter for xmas dinner. All the recipes I see call for skin-on fillet, and some say to skin the filet after you cure it..I don't want to serve it with the skin but I also don't have a fish knife to skin it afterwards. My question is why do all the recipes call for a skin-on filet? wouldn't it be easier to buy the fish already skinned? or is there some technical reason the skin must stay on for the curing process?

thanks

CanadaDan
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2 Comments

CanadaDan
CanadaDan December 15, 2014
i'm fine with the filet turning red/purple, only looks better IMO. And yes I was planning on slicing it at the table with my chef's knife...i want to put the beet cure on both side (top & bottom) of the fish so I'm thinking i'll just buy it skinned so both side will get some of the cure, but want to make sure i'm not screwing this up since all the recipes (except the one you linked to) say to buy it skin on...and i've never cured anything before
 
inpatskitchen
inpatskitchen December 15, 2014
Hi Daniel! Here's a recipe using a skinless salmon filet:
http://www.lcbo.com/content/lcbo/en/holiday-2014/recipes/beet-cured-salmon.html
My only concern is that the entire filet might turn "purple" on you. If you have a sharp knife you can cut slices off the filet when ready to serve (no need for a filet knife). And if you do purchase a filet with the skin on, try to get one that hasn't been scaled. It makes for much easier slicing.
 
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