Gravlax (Salmon Marinated in Dill)
Submitted by lunarlady
Gravlax, the Scandinavian cured salmon: fresh fillets buried in salt, sugar, dill and white pepper, weighted and cured for days until silky. Sliced thin and served with mustard-dill sauce.
YIELD
12 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
12 hrsREADY
12½ hrsGravlax is Scandinavia’s elegant answer to smoked salmon, except there’s no smoke and no cooking at all. The fish is cured, buried between layers of fresh dill, salt, sugar, and crushed white peppercorns, then left to work its magic in the fridge for several days.
The technique is mostly patience. You sandwich the seasoned salmon, weigh it down with a heavy plate and some cans, and refrigerate it for three to seven days, turning and basting every 12 hours. The salt and sugar draw out moisture and firm the flesh into something silky and translucent, while the weight presses it evenly and the dill perfumes it through and through. The longer it cures, the firmer and more intense it gets.
When it’s ready, scrape off the dill, pat it dry, and slice it whisper-thin on the diagonal off the skin.
Serve it the Swedish way as part of a smorgasbord or appetizer, with mustard-dill sauce, toast, and lemon. Use the freshest, best-quality salmon you can find, since it’s never cooked.
Chef Tips
- Use very fresh, top-quality salmon, ideally previously frozen, since the fish is cured raw rather than cooked.
- Weight it down well. The pressure firms the texture and helps the cure penetrate evenly.
- Turn and baste the salmon every 12 hours so both halves cure uniformly in the brine.
- Cure longer, closer to seven days, for firmer, more intense gravlax, or less for a milder result.
Variations
- Add a splash of aquavit, vodka, or gin to the cure for a Nordic note.
- Mix citrus zest, juniper, or grated beetroot (for ruby gravlax) into the seasonings.
- Serve on rye or pumpernickel with capers and red onion.
Ingredients
Directions
Cut the salmon in half lengthwise and remove the backbone and the small, freebones, as well, or ask your fish dealer to do it for you.
Leave the skin on.
Place half of the fish, skin side down, in a deep glass, enamel or stainless steel baking dish or casserle.
Wash and then shake dry the bunch of dill and place it on the fish.
In a separate bowl, combine the salt, sugar and crushed peppercorns.
Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the dill.
Top with the other half of the fish, skin side up.
Cover with foil and set a heavy plate or platter on top of it, slightly larger than the salmon.
Weigh it down with cans or jars and refrigerate for at least 3 days, up to 7 days.
Turn the fish over every 12 hours or so, basting with the liquid marinade that accumulates, separating the halves a little to baste the salmon inside.
Replace the platter and weights each time.
When the gravlax is finished, remove the fish from it’s marinade and scrape away the dill and seasonings.
Pat dry with paper towels.
Or leave the dill and seasonings in place.
Place the separated halves skin side down on a carving board and slice the salmon thinly on the diagonal, detaching each slice from the skin.
Gravlax is served as part of a smorgasbord or as an appetizer and is usually accompanied by a mustard-dill sauce (see recipe).
When gravlax is presented as a main course, it is garnished with lemon wedges as well as the mustard-dill sauce and served with toast and perhaps a cucumber salad.
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