A Spice Rub that is a Little Sweet and has enough Salt for a Dry Brine
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TRAVELING IN ALASKA
Alaska. A day of whale watching and glaciers and king salmon. It’s only fitting that we discovered a great way to make salmon while traveling in Alaska. Use a salmon spice rub that has enough salt in it to be a dry brine. Leave it on long enough and it makes the salmon moist and flavorful.
We mix up our own spice rubs in batches that will last for several uses, and keep the pantry stocked. The spice rubs include enough salt so that they double as a dry brine. They store easily in any air-tight container, but we find that small tin containers work well for spice rub. A tin of spice rub also makes a great gift.
THE SCIENCE OF USING THE SALMON SPICE RUB AS A DRY BRINE
This spice rub includes salt, sugar and spices. The salt acts as a dry brine. It keeps the salmon moist and flaky by relaxing or ”denaturing” the protein strands in the fish so they don’t tighten during cooking and squeeze the water out. The sugar is added for flavor and better browning. The spices add flavor.
The amount of salt that is needed for a dry brine is about a teaspoon of salt for a pound of fish. Salt makes up about a quarter of the spice rub, by weight, so we use about a Tablespoon of the rub for a pound of fish.
The spice rub for salmon is rubbed into the salmon and left on for 30 to 45 minutes. Because it’s a dry brine instead of a wet brine, we get a crispier skin.
HOW THIS RECIPE FOR SALMON SPICE RUB FITS IN WITH OUR PLAN TO EAT BETTER
The thyme usually comes from our own garden, chopped and dried for a day. Growing herbs is exceptionally easy. They are drought tolerant and don’t take up much room, and it’s convenient having fresh herbs right outside.
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We call this our “no affiliates” statement because we accept no advertising, have no affiliates and accept no payment. We are not paid to mention brands – we just love buying the best, sharing that information and saving the planet at the same time. The effort put into writing and photographing the blog is solely based on our dedication to the cause.
CHOOSING BRANDS:
For certain products, the choice of brand will make a big difference in the outcome of the recipe and in your carbon footprint. So, for those products, we have listed the brand. We are not paid to mention a brand and have no affiliates.
Ingredients
- 100 grams Wholesome organic sugar
- 50 grams paprika
- 50 grams Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 10 grams black pepper
- 10 grams thyme
Instructions
- Measure all the ingredients into a bowl by placing the bowl on the scale and zeroing the scale after each addition.
- Mix all the ingredients together and store in an airtight container.
- Use about a Tablespoon of spice rub for a pound of fish. Rub the spice rub on the salmon 30 to 45 minutes before it will be cooked so the salt has time to act as a dry brine on the fish.
Nutrition
WHY THIS RECIPE IS SUSTAINABLE:
Check out the chart on the blog post to see how food choices affect climate change. This recipe uses responsible brands and items that are lower on the chart and the production creates less greenhouse gas.
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Photos by Tony Fitzgerald Photography