Pickled Salmon with Buttered Pumpernickel

Pickled Salmon with Buttered Pumpernickel

Pickled salmon is a study in balance — delicate yet bold, bright yet savory. Thick-cut king salmon steaks are trimmed into even chunks, salted, then gently poached until just set. The fish absorbs a fragrant brine of vinegar, shallot, dill, rosemary, and jalapeño, creating layers of flavor that are clean and complex. The texture remains tender but firm, each piece glistening in a lightly aromatic oil-and-vinegar marinade.

Served chilled with buttered pumpernickel, the pairing brings contrast and depth — the bread’s dark, slightly sweet notes underscore the salmon’s gentle acidity and herbal lift. Each bite captures the essence of coastal simplicity — clean, briny, and deeply satisfying.

Pickled Salmon Recipe

Ingredients

• approx. 14 oz. king salmon steak
• 1/3 c. coarse salt
• 1 c. cold water (plus more for poaching)
• 1 c. white vinegar
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 large shallot, sliced
• 2 T. sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 large rosemary sprig
• 1 large dill sprig
• 1 jalapeño, quartered lengthwise
• 2 T. pickling spice (in spice bag)

Method

Remove spine and pin bones from the salmon steak. Cut into bite-sized chunks. (It is easier to leave the skin on. Once poached, the skin simply slides right off).

Place the chunks in a glass container and toss with coarse salt. Let sit at room temperature for 45 minutes, then rinse.

Place salmon in a pot and cover with cold water by 2 inches. Bring to a low simmer over medium heat. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes, then drain and slip off the skin. Place skinned salmon pieces in a glass container just large enough to hold the fish and the pickling liquid in order to submerge the chunks of salmon.

Add water, vinegar, olive oil, shallot, sugar, garlic, rosemary, dill, jalapeño, and pickling spice to a small pot. Bring to a boil over medium heat, simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, then cool.

Remove the spice bag. Pour cooled pickling liquid over the salmon. Making sure the ingredients are completely cooled—cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. Then enjoy within the next 5 days.

Notes

Salmon Steaks

Salmon steaks are great for this recipe because they can easily be cut into uniform bite-sized chunks. Fillets can sometimes be too thin for pickling, especially near the tail end. A salmon steak is a cross-section cut through the fish with the bone in the center, while a salmon fillet is a lengthwise cut from the side of the fish.

Pickling Spice

Years ago, I ingested a sharp little piece of cracked bay leaf in a stew, and it lodged in my throat. It landed me in the emergency room. Since most pickling spice blends contain little shards of dried bay leaf, I always wrap the blend in a spice bag so it can be removed after cooking.

To Serve

• sweet onion, sliced thin
• jalapeño, sliced thin
• fresh dill
• olive oil

Remove the pickled salmon from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature, uncovered, for 30 minutes for best flavor.

Then remove the salmon from the pickling liquid with tongs, set aside. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve. Discard solids.

Place the salmon in a clean serving bowl. Layer with sweet onion, jalapeño, and dill. Pour strained liquid over the top. Drizzle with olive oil. Garnish with more snipped dill on top. Serve chilled but not cold. And serve flaky sea salt on the side.

Note

Since I remove the entire spice bag, sometimes I will simmer a small amount of the pickling liquid with black peppercorns and mustard seeds and let it cool before adding to the brine for more visual texture. (Definitely optional).

There is no better accompaniment to this pickled salmon than fresh pumpernickel bread and butter.