Salt Cured Egg Yolks
These salt cured egg yolks are a concentrated savory finishing ingredient. Grate them over fresh pasta, warm rice, or salads exactly like you would a block of hard Parmesan cheese. The active preparation takes minutes, while the salt and sugar cure safely extracts the moisture over a week.
Servings 12 yolks
Ingredients
- 12 (12) eggs - yolks separated form whites
- 200 grams (⅔ cup) salt
- 200 grams (1 cup) sugar
- 50 grams (3 tablespoon) fish sauce
- 4 grams (2 teaspoon) Black pepper
- 4 grams (2 tablespoon) Lemon zest
Instructions
- Combine the salt, sugar, fish sauce, black pepper, and lemon zest in a mixing bowl. Stir until it forms a homogeneous, wet cure mixture.
- Spread two-thirds of the cure into a glass or ceramic container. Use the back of a spoon to press four deep indentations into the mixture. Leave at least one inch of space between each indentation.
- Separate the egg yolks from the whites using your hands. Carefully place one yolk into each indentation.Cover the yolks completely with the remaining cure mixture.
- Cover the container tightly and refrigerate for exactly 7 days.
- Remove the yolks from the container. The cure will have turned into a wet slush. Discard this used cure mixture.
- Rinse the yolks under a gentle trickle of cold, drinkable water to remove the salt. Pat them completely dry with a paper towel.
- Preheat the oven to 175° F (80 °C), then turn it off. Place the yolks on a wire rack and set them in the warm oven for exactly 5 minutes.
- Rub the dried yolks with a drop of neutral oil. Store them in an airtight container in the fridge.
Video
Notes
- The Science of the Cure: The 200g of sugar is a structural requirement, not a sweetener. It mitigates the harshness of the salt and keeps the final grated texture pliable instead of brittle.
- Spacing is Critical: If the yolks touch while buried in the cure, they will fuse together as they dehydrate. You will rip them open trying to separate them later.
- Substitutions: Swap the Thai fish sauce for soy sauce or dried shiitake mushroom powder to maintain the necessary umami profile. You can substitute the white sugar for brown sugar to introduce a dark molasses flavor. Do not use iodized table salt; it leaves a bitter aftertaste.
- Storage: Store the fully dried yolks in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 month. You can freeze them for 6 months.
- How to Use: Treat this exactly like a block of hard Parmesan cheese. Use a microplane to grate it finely over hot carbonara, Caesar salads, or warm rice. The residual heat from the food melts the yolk fat to incorporate it into your dish.
Nutrition
Serving: 15grams Calories: 59kcal Carbohydrates: 1g Protein: 3g Fat: 5g Saturated Fat: 2g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 194mg Sodium: 86mg Potassium: 21mg Fiber: 0.03g Sugar: 0.3g Vitamin A: 260IU Vitamin C: 0.1mg Calcium: 24mg Iron: 1mg
Keywords:bottarga substitute, cured egg yolks, salt cured egg yolk
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