Carne Salada Cruda
Carne salada cruda is an Alto Garda speciality of lean beef dry-cured with juniper and aromatics, sliced paper-thin and served raw with olive oil and lemon.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 0 min
- Total
- 20 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Calories
- 240 kcal
Equipment
- •Kitchen scale
- •Pestle and mortar
- •Glass or ceramic curing dish
- •Weight or clean heavy jar
- •Sharp carving knife or meat slicer
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 240 kcal
- fat
- 11 g
- carbs
- 1 g
- fibre
- 0 g
- protein
- 33 g
- calories
- 240 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Trim all remaining silver skin and fat from the beef topside.
- 2
Crush the juniper berries, black peppercorns, and bay leaves coarsely in a mortar.
- 3
Mix the coarse salt, crushed spices, chopped rosemary, and bruised garlic in a bowl.
- 4
Rub the curing mixture firmly and evenly over every surface of the meat.
- 5
Place the beef into a snug glass dish and rest a weighted plate on top.
- 6
Cover tightly and refrigerate at 2 to 4 degrees C for 10 to 12 days.
- 7
Turn the beef daily inside the dish so the released juices bathe all sides evenly.
- 8
Lift the beef out, pat completely dry with paper towels, and brush away loose herbs.
- 9
Slice the cured meat paper-thin across the grain with a sharp knife or slicer.
- 10
Arrange the ruby-red slices in a single overlapping layer across chilled plates.
- 11
Drizzle with delicate olive oil, add a light squeeze of lemon, and serve immediately.
Chef's tips
Maintain strict refrigerator temperatures between 2 and 4 degrees C during the entire curing period for safety. Slicing the meat semi-chilled makes it much easier to achieve translucent, delicate sheets. Use a mild, fruity extra-virgin olive oil such as Garda DOP so you do not overpower the spiced cure.
Ingredient substitutions
- beef topside (fesa) → beef silverside (sottofesa) or rump, trimmed lean
- Garda DOP olive oil → any light, fruity extra-virgin olive oil with low bitterness
Storage
Keep the whole cured block tightly wrapped in greaseproof paper in the coldest part of the fridge for up to two weeks, slicing only what you need.
Reheating
This dish is served raw and chilled or at cellar temperature; do not heat.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Using meat with surface fat or connective tissue, which impedes even curing.
- •Slicing the beef too thickly, which makes the cured muscle chewy rather than melt-in-the-mouth.
- •Drowning the delicate cured beef in too much acidic lemon juice before serving.
Serving suggestions
Cooked Carne Salada Cruda?
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