Easy 4-Hour Salt & Sugar Cured Costco Salmon
Stop spending thirty dollars at sushi bars for a few meager slices of salmon. Grabbing a fresh, farmed Atlantic salmon fillet from Costco and giving it a simple 4-hour dry cure draws out excess moisture, firms up the flesh to a buttery sashimi texture, and completely eliminates fishy odors. It takes five minutes of active prep, cuts your protein costs dramatically, and gives you a massive batch of high-protein, omega-3 rich fish ready for your weekly meals.
📊 Macro Summary
⚖️ Serving Size : 150g cured salmon (Makes roughly 6–7 servings from a ~1,100g raw fillet)
🔥 Calories : 310 kcal
💪 Protein : 30.0g
🌾 Carbs : 0.5g (0.5g Net Carbs)
🥑 Fat : 20.0g
🛒 Ingredients
Salmon Base:
🐟 1,100g fresh farm-raised Atlantic salmon fillet (Costco skin-on or skinless fillet, ~2.5 lbs)
Dry Cure Mixture:
🧂 50g kosher salt (or coarse sea salt)
🍬 50g granulated sugar (or granulated allulose if you want absolute zero-sugar contact)
Rinse & Finish:
🧊 Cold running tap water
🧻 Paper towels (for thorough drying)
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
Prep the Salmon : Remove the salmon from the packaging and pat the entire surface completely dry with paper towels. Inspect the fillet and use clean tweezers or pliers to pull any lingering pin bones along the center line.
Mix the Cure : In a small bowl, combine 50g kosher salt and 50g granulated sugar until evenly blended.
Coat the Fillet : Place the salmon flesh-side up on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a wire rack (or a glass baking dish). Generously sprinkle the salt and sugar blend across the entire fillet, coating all sides evenly.
Cure Uncovered in the Fridge : Place the baking sheet uncovered into the coldest section of your refrigerator for 4 hours. Do not cover with plastic wrap; leaving it uncovered allows the refrigerator's convective airflow to dehydrate the surface while the cure draws out deep tissue water.
Rinse Thoroughly : After 4 hours, the cure will have pulled a significant puddle of liquid from the fillet, leaving the flesh firm and translucent. Rinse the salmon thoroughly under cold running water to wash away all surface salt, sugar, and extracted fishy oils.
Dry & Slice : Pat the fillet completely dry with paper towels on every side. Transfer to a cutting board, slice thinly across the grain for sashimi, or portion into thick cuts for meal prep.
💡 Macro Tweaks & Meal Prep Ideas
High-Volume Poke Bowl : Weigh out 150g of sliced cured salmon (30g protein) over 150g cooked jasmine rice and 100g chopped cucumber, edamame, and seaweed salad for an easy fat-loss meal prep bowl under 500 calories.
Lower the Carbs Entirely : If you follow a strict keto or carnivore protocol, swap the 50g table sugar for 50g granulated allulose or erythritol in the dry cure; it pulls moisture out through osmosis just as effectively without any sugar uptake.
Storage for the Week : Wrap individual portions tightly in parchment paper followed by cling wrap, and store in the coldest part of your fridge for up to 4–5 days for fast grab-and-go protein lunches.
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🍳 Equipment Spot
Want the exact setup I used here? Curing salmon without leaving the bottom soaking in pooled brine requires proper elevation and airflow. I use a Stainless Steel Wire Rack and Half Sheet Pan — the elevated grid allows liquid to drip cleanly into the pan while cold air circulates underneath the fish, ensuring an even, firm cure every time.
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