Is it really that easy to make safe cured salmon with a 3 min sugar/salt brine?

Question

The reason for this question is that I live in a landlocked part of the US, thus; the salmon I have access to isn't "fresh off the boat", and there aren't really any places I have access to sushi grade sushi (which I would just eat raw without curing). The recipe originates from this YoutTube video (written recipe here).

In which the process it takes to make raw salmon edible is simply to dunk 1/4 inch thick slabs of salmon into:

• 2 1/2 cups cold water
• 1/2 cup Kosher salt – I used Diamond Crystal brand
• 1/3 cup sugar

The author Chef John claims:

This technique works great with frozen salmon, which apparently kills potential parasites, so that’s one option. Anecdotally, I can tell you I’ve done this, and similar procedures, countless dozens of times with fresh salmon ("sushi grade" from a reputable, local purveyor), and have lived to tell the tale. Good luck.

Do you think it would be safe to do this with average store bought Salmon?

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I'm not all that scared of parasites in the salmon, b/c the process in which the salmon is cut into strips would make it very easy to see if there are little "worms" in the fish. I'm more concerned with the actual bacteria that might be on the fish and whether this 3 minute brine would be sufficient.

Answer 1

There are lots of ways to "cure" salmon. Salt, acid, smoke, etc. Max's comment on going for a longer curing time makes sense. Keeping salmon out of the bacteria temp range, keeping it dry (salt and sugar absorb water, but only salt kills) and verifying it cured properly or cooking thoroughly is your best bet from getting botulism.

http://www.fao.org/wairdocs/tan/x5902e/x5902e01.htm https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2013/12/how-not-to-die-of-botulism/281649/

Answer 2

(note: this doesn't actually answer the question that was asked, but it's rather long for a comment)

Odds are, any fish was shipped in frozen, and thawed before sale. I'd ask wherever you get your fish them if they could just sell you it before it's been thawed. Then you can make sure it goes directly from thawing to cooking, without spending time in a display case or other risky environment

You may also want to treat it like some of the 'less risky' carpaccio recipes -- sear the outside over intense heat while it's still a block to (hopefully) kill whatever's on the outside, then slice it up to serve. I know it works for tuna (search for 'Good Eats S06E01') but I don't know how something as fatty as salmon would hold up.