Nervous about preserving? Take the foolproof salmon cure

Cooks who cure and ferment and preserve seem so confident in the kitchen. Some of them must have started with a recipe like this - easy and foolproof, with stunning results. This version of what is basically gravlax uses Greece's national drink, an anise-flavored aperitif. Reinforced with fennel seed, brightened with lemon zest and combined with salt and sugar, the curing mixture does its thing in a few days' time. Then you'll be able to carve whisper-thin slices for instant hors d'oeuvres and Sunday bagels.