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Nova Scotian “Salmon” Gundy

This tangy herring pickle somehow made its way from northern Europe to Nova Scotia, where you can find it in every grocery store. It’s like roll mops but less sweet. Here the classic preparation is done not with salted herring but with fresh salmon, which we salt the living daylights out of, then desalt and pickle in jars. It screams saltines and mustard. The Nova Scotians will tell you that the name Gundy is Nova Scotian, but the Brits, the French, and the Jamaicans all claim it for their own, too.

Ingredients

1 large piece skinned wild salmon fillet, about 12 ounces (340 g), pinboned
3/4 cup (210 g) pickling salt
1 small onion, sliced
1 cup (250 ml) distilled white vinegar
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
1 tablespoon classic pickling spice, in a cloth bag

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Cut the salmon into 1-inch (2.5-cm) cubes and place in a bowl. Add the salt, toss to mix, cover, and refrigerate overnight.

    Step 2

    Rinse the salmon cubes under cool water to remove the salt, place in a clean bowl, add cold water to cover, and soak in the refrigerator for 2 hours.

    Step 3

    In a large, widemouthed Mason jar or wire-bale canning jar, place a layer of fish, then a layer of onion slices. Repeat.

    Step 4

    In a covered saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, and pickling spice and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and let infuse for 10 minutes. Discard the bag of spices and pour the boiling mix over the fish and onion. Seal the jar, let cool, and refrigerate.

    Step 5

    Give the salmon and onion a day or two to pickle. They will keep in the refrigerator for up to a month.

Cookbook cover of The Art of Living According to Joe Beef: A Cookbook of Sorts by Frédéric Morin, David McMillan, and Meredith Erickson.
Reprinted with permission from The Art of Living According to Joe Beef by Frédéric Morin, David McMillan & Meredith Erickson, copyright © 2011. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Random House, Inc.
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