[Gore]

Can't really tell by looks as all salmon are different and color varies greatly. It should be noticeably darker than it was before the cure and it should be much stiffer and sticky, rather than slimy -- you should be able to pick it up and it not seem like a raw fish (slippery, slimy and floppy). The amount of cure is highly variable. I've had it range from very salty to almost no salt. We have refrigeration now, so it's not used purely for safety, but for taste preference. Many, many cultures have different methods for curing/smoking salmon. I've done it more times than I care to count and it always turns out great.