Gravlax Recipe : Bobby Flay : Food Network More Cooking Tips 4.0 4 Paul is, indeed, wrong. The preparation of gravlax, at least if done traditionally, does not involve the use of vodka except, perhaps, as a restorative for the chef. I'm sure that long ago cheesecloth was used but modern materials have replaced it. This recipe is authentic and quite good. Omniryx 2013-10-07T00:18:36Z item not reviewed by moderator and published Paul is simply wrong on this topic. Having grown up in sweden as well as being a professional cook I can say this is as authentic as it gets. The history of gravlax is quite interesting. As with most traditional scandinavian dishes this one is based on a preservation technique. The word Gravlax literally translates to Grave Salmon in swedish. Historically before refrigeration the fish was literally buried in the earth while curing. This gave a constant cool temperature for the curing process. After being cured the fish could be kept for a few weeks with out spoiling. Another Swedish way of preserving salmon is called "Rimmad Lax".

It uses the same basic idea but the curing is much shorter and often does not use dill. After the shoet cure the salmon is cooked. Typically pan fried. This technique also evolved from a need to preserve foods before refrigeration. Paul's suggestion of using vodka in curing seems to be confused with the consumption of flavored vodkas referred to as akvavit or snaps which is often served ice cold with gravlax. Mats H. 2008-08-28T01:57:59Z item not reviewed by moderator and published Great recipe for anyone who would like to try a truly swedish recipe you would find on any smorg?sbord in Sweden. Try it on Wasa Crisp bread with the sauce on top, and you are in for a treat! Madeleine L. 2007-11-01T15:06:42Z item not reviewed by moderator and published Traditional Gravlax curing techniques involve using vodka. Also using cheesecloth instead of aluminum foil would yield better results. This is a recipe for cured salmon and should not be confused with Gravlax. Paul Y.

2007-07-09T11:57:05Z item not reviewed by moderator and published On TV Salmon gravlax - Caroline's Cooking Caroline's Cooking You are here: Home / Appetizer/Starter / Salmon gravlax Salmon gravlax by Caroline's Cooking 6 Comments I don’t think it’s just our family, but we’ve tended to have seafood of some kind as an appetizer on Christmas day. Maybe it’s the Scottish love and wealth of seafood, an unconscious nod to those that celebrate the feast of the seven fishes the night before or Scandinavian influence. Or maybe it’s just that it’s fairly light before the rest of the big meal to come. Whatever the reason, it’s a great choice. Easy to prepare, not to mention tasty. When I was a child, we often had smoked salmon or shrimp. Now and then we had gravlax (also called gravadlax or grav laks), a tasty cured fish dish, most commonly made with salmon, that’s Scandinavian in origin. What is gravlax? Gravlax is fish cured in a mix of salt, sugar, pepper and dill.

It’s easy to make yourself from fresh salmon and the result a little like smoked salmon but without the high cost. It’s a common sight on a Scandinavian Christmas meal table, and makes a great holiday appetizer. You can use gravlax just as you would smoked salmon, it just has a slightly lighter flavor. It picks up the lovely freshness from the dill in the cure, but without it overpowering. How it’s made Making gravlax is, as I say, really easy. You just have to be a little patient for the cure to do it’s work. All you do is mix up the cure, put it between two pieces of salmon then put the salmon in the fridge, weighed down, for a couple days. Turn the fish every 12-24 hours. It takes around 2-3 days to bring out all the moisture from the salmon and for it to firm up and go more opaque. If you look at the picture below, this is the result after 48hours. You can see quite how much liquid has come out and the slight change in the salmon’s texture (particularly the pieces underneath). How long you cure it is a little to taste.

It will go a little firmer and drier, and have more of the taste of the cure, the longer it is left in. The cure is traditionally more sweet than salty, although many recipes are the other way round. I like it equal parts of both as I think this gives a more neutral flavor allowing you to really taste the salmon itself. Tips for making gravlax While gravlax is easy to make, one point to note is it’s worth having a piece of salmon that’s as close to the same thickness the whole way through – in other words a centre fillet rather than tail end. If not, it will cure more on the thin pieces and less on the thicker part. The thin part may also go dry. Nearly all recipes call for a piece of fish with skin on but to be honest, having made it both ways I don’t think it makes much difference. Either way, I suggest you remove the skin before slicing as I find it easier to slice the salmon that way. A final tip is use a dish that’s only a little bigger than the pieces of salmon so that as the liquid comes out, it becomes fairly well covered by the brine liquid.

You can wrap it in plastic, but I think being in a dish and weighed down is much better and easier to handle. Homemade gravlax is a very cost-effective way of making something a bit fancier that’s great for entertaining. Put it on top of rye bread with some remoulade sauce (as in my smørrebrød ). Serve it with salad, roll it with cream cheese in pinwheels, on bagels or crackers. The options are as endless as anything you would do with smoked salmon. We had it for lunch over a couple days with rye bread and remoulade. I left the pieces that were on top last in the brine the extra day so it worked out perfectly. We all loved it, including my toddler. It’s got a fantastic flavor and is so easy to make, it’s a wonder it’s not better known. Give it a try and see for yourself how delicious it is. 5.0 from 1 reviews Gravlax - Recipe File - Cooking For Engineers « Prev In Scandinavia, there is a simple (yet amazing) way of preparing salmon that produces an amazing appetizer with clean flavors and a remarkable texture.

This traditional dish is similar (but not quite the same) to lox (cured salmon that has been cold smoked) and is sometimes referred to as Gravad lox. Gravlax in its minimalist form uses only four ingredients: salmon, salt, sugar, and dill weed. I prepare gravlax with a bit of black pepper added to the mix. Gravlax (pronounced "grov-lox") is from the Swedish name for this dish. Norwegians call it gravlaks and the Danish refer to it as Gravad laks. It literally means "buried salmon" and the name refers to the traditional method of preparation for this food: fresh salmon was heavy salted and buried in dry sand to ferment and cure. Related Articles English Toffee Parasites, such as roundworms, can naturally reside in salmon regardless of if it was frozen or fresh. For safety, use salmon that has been commercially frozen or freeze the salmon yourself to at least -10°F (-23°C) for at least 7 days. Alternatively, you can freeze the salmon after you have cured the fish, but make sure you reach those minimum conditions.

My freezer's not set up to go that low, so I buy my salmon frozen when preparing this dish. (The freezing kills the parasites.) Before you begin, thaw the salmon completely. For every pound (450 g) of salmon, prepare 2 tablespoons (about 30 g) kosher salt, 2 tablespoons (25 g) sugar, 2 teaspoons ground black pepper (4.2 g), and a handful of dill. For gravlax, use filet cuts (fish portioned with cuts parallel to the backbone), not steak cuts (fish portioned with cuts going through the backbone). In the example shown, I used a 1-1/2 pound salmon filet (completely thawed), so I set aside 3 tablespoons each of kosher salt and sugar as well as 3 teaspoons of pepper. There are a lot of gravlax recipes out there that uses all sorts of other ingredients to provide additional flavors. I prefer the clean taste of the salmon and encourage everyone to try this recipe first before adding more ingredients. Examine the salmon for bones by visual inspection and by touch. If you find any bones, remove them with needle nose pliers.

Draping the salmon over an inverted bowl or holding the filet up with one hand so it drapes (like a towel over the arm of a maitre d'hotel) will help force the tips of the bones up, making them easy to grasp and remove. Place the salmon on a large piece of plastic wrap (about three to four times the length of the filet) with the skin side down. Put the salt, sugar, and black pepper into a bowl and mix until evenly distributed. Spoon the mixture onto the exposed salmon flesh, making sure to cover as much of the exposed areas as possible. Place the dill on top of the salmon. If the dill is too long to fit on top of the filet, then snap off the stems or fold the dill over. It's best not to chop up the dill. We'll be removing the dill later, so having large pieces makes it easier to work with. How much dill should you layer on? They say, the more dill the better. I don't know how many sprigs I put on the salmon, but, as you can see in the photo, the dill is piled quite high.

Wrap the salmon, salt, dill sandwich up, tightly, in the plastic wrap. Take a second sheet of plastic wrap and wrap again. Place the package in a baking dish or container. You won't be baking this -- the container is there to catch the juices that will inevitable flow from the package during the curing. We'll be placing this in the refrigerator. Refrigerate the salmon for at least two days. Continued refrigeration in the package will intensify flavors. Usually, I can't wait longer than three days. At this point, remove the container from the refrigerator, open the package, remove the dill, and rinse in water. In short, just wash the gravlax. If any pieces of salt or pepper are stuck to the flesh, just wipe it gently off. Dry with a paper towel. I should probably mention, at this point, that many recipes call for the use of bricks or heavy weights to be placed on the salmon package. Some recipes also call for turning the package over every twelve hours to redistribute the juices. Both of these steps seem to be unnecessary. It may be blasphemy to say so, but you can achieve perfectly cured gravlax without the weight and without the turning.

Use a sharp knife to cut the gravlax. (Filet knives, boning knives, and Japanese sashimi knives work well for this role.) Position the gravlax so you will be cutting from the tail end (the small end) first. The gravlax should be sliced thinly on the bias (at an angle). Each slice should be detached from the skin. The gravlax can be served by itself, on top of toasted bread, crackers, or any other way you would serve a smoked salmon appetizer. A squeeze of lemon juice or a slice of lemon (especially Meyer lemon) can also be a welcome touch. Gravlax (recipe can be scaled) 1 lb.

(450 g) frozen salmon filet thaw completely & remove bones Gravlax GRAVLAX Salt-cured raw salmon We Nordic people, to whom salmon has almost always been common everyday food, cannot help but smile or stand aghast at the ridiculously high pricing of various gravlax products sold in gourmet shops, delicatessen counters or airport "luxury" food shops in some countries, as gravlax is one of the simplest and easiest dishes in the world to be prepared at home, if you only have access to good-quality, fresh salmon. Using this same curing method, you may prepare the traditional Finnish freshly salted powan , salt-cured raw whitefish. one fillet or a piece of fresh salmon fillet with skin coarse-grained sea salt  3 - 4 tbsp per 1 kg of fish *) sugar  4 tbsp per 1 kg of fish large bunch of fresh dill Choosing the right type of fish: The salmon must be absolutely fresh and kept properly chilled. Also trout or rainbow trout may be used instead of salmon.

Frozen fish should not be used, especially when making freshly salted fish, as freezing worsens the texture of the above mentioned oily fish species (see the note printed in bold below). In countries where salmon and other trout fish do not occur naturally and are only available as imported, frozen products, it is best to seek a good-quality speciality fishmonger selling sushi-grade fresh salmon and other fish. However, after seeing outside Finland, that for example in countries like Ireland the fresh fish sold to consumers is often positively infested with sealworms/codworms (Pseudoterranova decipiens) or other types of parasites, I think in most countries it is never absolutely safe to eat raw fish without freezing it first. To avoid any risks, follow the guidelines issued by your local food safety authorities. Curing the fish: Place the salmon fillet skin-side down on a large piece of clean parchment paper. Run your fingers on the surface of the fillet to feel any bones and remove them by pulling them out using fish tweezers (or use regular tweezers). Make sure your hands and all the utensils you are using are clean  it is a good idea to wear disposable, thin plastic gloves.

Mix together the salt and sugar and sprinkle evenly on the fillet. Some people also like to add just a hint of freshly grated or coarsely crushed white pepper in the mixture. Distribute the dill sprigs, with their stems slightly crushed with a back of a spoon, on top (see the pictures below). Do not use chopped dill, as the small leaves will only get soggy during curing and become difficult to remove afterwards. One can never use "too much" dill to season gravlax! Note: when making traditional gravlax, only salt, sugar and dill are used to enhance the delicious, natural flavour of raw salmon flesh. Adding all kinds of "exotic" spices on the salmon or drenching it in liquors, like vodka, aquavit, cognac or brandy, will completely adulterate the unique, delicate flavour of this dish (for example, curing salmon with cognac may produce a turpentine-like off-flavour).

Of course you can use whatever "unorthodox" ingredients to cure your salmon  just don't call it gravlax, as it would be a bit of an insult toward this ancient dish and the Nordic culinary heritage :-) Piece of fresh salmon fillet Sprinkle with salt and sugar How to Make Gravlax How to Make Norwegian Salmon Gravlax posted by Lori Lange This post brought to you by Norwegian Salmon . All opinions are 100% mine. I’ve always been a lover of salmon… a big-time lover of salmon. I love it simply grilled, I love it baked in a light sauce, I love it in fish tacos, I love it smoked, and now I love it when it’s cured to produce Gravlax. Today, I’m using sustainable salmon from Norway to show you a modern take on what Norwegians have been preparing for centuries. Norway hopes to educate American seafoodies about the great amount of skill and care that goes into the way they raise and harvest their salmon. Here’s a little information about salmon from Norway… with the recipe and step by step preparation of Gravlax following at the end of the post.

For thousands of years, generations of Norwegians have been making a living as highly skilled salmon craftsmen. Their passion for the sea, deep respect for nature, dedication to responsible fishing and a cultural pride in being the best is what contributes to Norway’s success as being one of the world’s largest suppliers of both wild and farmed seafood. Norwegian Salmon is farmed in the chilly, clear, arctic waters of Norway by people who have been doing this their entire lives. Norway is the origin of premium, ocean-farmed salmon, pioneering salmon farming way back in the 70’s. Norwegians take great care to do the right thing when it comes to farming, and there are all kinds of systems in place to make sure that things are safe and nature- friendly. The salmon are slowly grown in a fish hatchery on land for about a year before they are considered strong enough to be transferred to spacious and protected ocean pens. Every aspect of the salmon development is watched closely. There are laws in Norway that prevent overcrowding of the farmed fish, they are fed an all-natural diet, and they have monitors in place that alert the farmers and veterinarians to when the salmon are full so that their feeding device can be shut down.

Nice to know that they aren’t fattening them up with anything and everything as quickly as possible, isn’t it? And isn’t it fun to think that there are salmon veterinarians? Who knew?! I hope to put on my warmest down jacket and snuggly winter boots, brave the cold and head to Norway in the spring to find out more about this salmon-farming business and see it all up close and in-person. I’m crossing my fingers and toes that the Norwegian salmon farmers would be interested in educating a Swedish Recipe Girl. This is Aino Olaisen, owner of Novo Sea– a 35 year old salmon farming company started by her father in 1972. As you can imagine, Aino takes great pride in her company- she enjoys playing an important role in so many people’s lives by providing them high quality, best tasting salmon. Olaisen grew up in the business, worked summers on the farm as a teen, was educated in fishery science and traveled for a number of years. Eventually she was drawn back to the farm, and hopes to pass down traditions of salmon-farming to her own family. Aino was asked in a recent interview why Americans should choose Norwegian salmon.

She explained that Norway has a long history with salmon farming and a culture that is strongly connected to the sea. The salmon they raise is sustainable and healthy and it’s raised in a safe environment. It contains omega-3 fatty acids, which are so healthy for the human body. It’s no wonder Norwegians are such a healthy bunch! Since the USDA recommends at least 2 servings of fish per week, heart-healthy and protein-rich fish like salmon is an ideal choice for incorporating into your weekly rotation. There are so many different ways to prepare it! Here’s the (very simple way) you prepare it as Gravlax: Start with some fresh salmon. Rinse it well, remove any bones with some needlenose pliers, and then pat it dry. Prepare the curing mixture: salt + sugar + pepper. Mix it together in a little bowl. Sprinkle half of the curing mixture in a 9×12-inch glass pan. Top the salt mixture with fresh dill. Place the fresh salmon on top- skin-side-down. Rub the remaining salt mixture on the top part of the salmon. Top it with the rest of the dill. Use your hands to pat the dill and the salt mixture lightly into the salmon.

Wrap the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Here’s where the “curing” is going to take place. It will take your salmon 3 to 4 days to be completely cured. All you have to do during the curing process is peel back the plastic wrap and turn the salmon over once each day. I cured mine for 3 1/2 days. The classic recipe I’m sharing with you today from my Norwegian friends instructs you to scrape the curing mixture off of the salmon and then slice it. I preferred to rinse it. Just rinse it off and then pat it dry with paper towels. The flavors of the cure and the dill still come through beautifully. When you’re ready to serve it, slice it as thinly as you can with a very sharp knife. Sample. And then sample again. You may not be able to stop sampling!! I love salmon in every way, shape and form. I fully expectd this to taste exactly like smoked salmon, and this doesn’t really taste anything like smoked salmon. It’s quite unique. The flavors of salt and dill and just wonderful, and fresh fish too. Perfect.

Fill up your whole platter with thinly sliced Gravlax (which you now know is “cured salmon.” Norwegians traditionally eat Gravlax on open-faced sandwiches or with stewed potatoes and gravy (which I included a recipe for below). I chose to serve it up appetizer-style instead… on toasted baguette slices with a small dollop of creme fraiche, a sprinkle of capers and a garnish of dill. These were devoured at a holiday party I went to recently. Literally devoured. Folks enjoyed hearing the background behind the salmon and the Norwegian’s passion for salmon-farming, and they were very interested in the process of curing the salmon. Such a simple and pretty appetizer, right? So even though this took four days to make, it really was effortless, and it actually worked out quite nicely. I started curing the salmon on Wednesday, my party was on Saturday, and it was so darn easy to assemble on the day of the party. Impressive little bites too!

Recipe: Gravlax : NPR Gravlax Email March 21, 201212:53 AM ET Gravlax is a kind of Scandinavian cured salmon that gets its flavor from dill and a bit of liquor (if you abstain, water also will work). Plan to start curing the fish at least three days before you want to eat it so it becomes fully infused. 2 tablespoons ground black pepper 1 tablespoon maple syrup 3 tablespoons cognac, vodka or white wine 1⁄2 bunch dill, chopped 5 sprigs from a fennel top Mustard dill sauce, optional, for serving (recipe below) Combine salt, sugar, pepper and maple syrup in a bowl and stir well to combine. Remove any bones from the salmon and place fish skin side down on a piece of parchment paper in a large baking dish. Pour the salt mixture over the fish and rub into the flesh, then sprinkle cognac, vodka or wine over it and arrange the dill and fennel on top of the salmon. Wrap the salmon tightly in the parchment paper, then place a slightly smaller baking dish directly on top and weigh it down with unopened cans or a book.

Refrigerate for 3 to 4 days. After the salmon is cured, remove from parchment, rinse in cold water and pat dry with paper towel or clean dishcloth. Thinly slice fish before serving. Mustard Dill Sauce Gravlax :: Gourmet Traveller Gourmet Traveller Search The summer issue Our summer-packed January issue is out now - featuring our guide to summer rieslings, strawberries and seafood recipes, as well as a look at the best of Bali.

Print You'll need 500 gm coarse sea salt 400 gm white sugar 1 cup finely chopped dill 60 ml (¼ cup) gin or vodka 2 tbsp juniper berries, coarsely crushed 1 (about 1kg) salmon fillet, skin on and pin-boned To serve: Sour cream, rye bread and lemon wedges Dill cucumbers 3 Lebanese cucumbers, thinly sliced diagonally 1/3 cup (loosely packed) dill sprigs 110 gm (½ cup) white sugar 250 ml (1 cup) white wine vinegar 1 tsp yellow mustard seeds Mustard sauce 30 gm (¼ cup) hot English mustard powder 110 gm (½ cup) caster sugar 300 ml pouring cream 1 tbsp olive oil 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar Method 01 Combine salt, sugar, dill, gin and juniper berries in a bowl.

Place two sheets of plastic wrap, long enough to envelope salmon in, overlapping by half, on a work bench, spread with half of salt mixture, place salmon skin-side down on top, cover fish with remaining salt mixture, wrap tightly in plastic, then place on a large deep tray. Top with a smaller tray or board and weigh down with food cans and refrigerate for 12 hours, then remove weights, turn over, replace tray and weights and refrigerate for another 12 hours. 02 For dill cucumbers, layer cucumber and dill in a bowl. Heat sugar, vinegar, mustard seeds, ½ cup water and 1 tsp sea salt in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until sugar dissolves, bring to the boil, then pour over cucumber and cool. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. 03 For mustard sauce, combine mustard, sugar and 1 tsp sea salt in a small saucepan, add cream and whisk until smooth, place over medium heat, add olive oil and cider vinegar and whisk to combine.

Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to low and cook, stirring frequently, for 15-20 minutes or until sauce is golden and thick. Cool, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month. Makes 1 cup. 04 To serve, unwrap gravlax and wipe clean of salt mixture. Using a thin, sharp knife, thinly slice gravlax and serve with dill cucumbers, mustard sauce, sour cream, rye bread and lemon wedges passed separately. Note You will need to begin this recipe 1 day ahead. Recipe: Emma Knowles Gravad lax is a dirty word. It means 'buried salmon' in Swedish. It refers to the medieval custom in Scandinavia (where the dish is more commonly called gravlax in Sweden and also gravlaks in Denmark and Norway) of burying lightly salted salmon and other types of fish in the ground or barrels covered with a bit of birch bark for either a few days (the result being similar to modern preparations of gravlax) or many months as a way of preserving fish for winter.

The fermented fish produced from long-term burial was of a lovely, buttery texture, powerfully sour and, as you would imagine, quite malodorous, too. By the 18th-century gravlax was no longer fermented, notes Harold McGee in On Food and Cooking, simply salted and weighted for one to two days. It's unclear when fresh dill became the standard pairing but McGee suggests replacing dill with pine needles for a taste of the old ways. Story: The Elements of Great Gravlax, the Easiest Luxury Food You Can Make at Home | Serious Eats The Elements of Great Gravlax, the Easiest Luxury Food You Can Make at Home Gravlax might be the easiest and more inexpensive of luxury foods. [Photographs: Vicky Wasik] Get the Recipe Gravlax With Caraway, Coriander, and Mustard-Dill Sauce When I think of luxury foods, I think of things that are expensive enough that I'd only buy them in very small quantities as an occasional indulgence, if at all. White truffles? No thanks. Caviar? Lemme grab a really small spoon. Cured fish like lox and sable?

I'll get three-quarters of a pound of each—oh wait, that's $17.99 per quarter pound? I'll just get a quarter pound of the lox, thanks. That's why I love gravlax, Scandinavia's dill-flavored cured salmon. It seems like just as much of a treat as lox, but, because it's so easy to make, there's no reason to pay for the cost of someone else's labor—just make it yourself. For the price of a nice fresh fillet of salmon and a very short two- or three-day wait, you can serve a beautiful spread of hand-sliced gravlax as an hors d'oeuvre or light appetizer. Plus, because you're making it yourself, you can customize its flavor with the aromatics of your choice. The whole process is ridiculously easy, which is cool because gravlax continues to be one of those dishes that manages to impress people. (No joke: The hardest thing about making your own gravlax is slicing it.) It's so easy, in fact, that testing this recipe was as simple as figuring out the best ratio of salt to sugar in the cure, plus a couple other variables, and I was done.

Unearthing Gravlax: What is it? Very simply, gravlax is salmon that's been cured with salt and sugar and infused with the flavor of fresh dill and sometimes other aromatics and spices. Unlike the lox that we eat on bagels, gravlax is not cold-smoked. The grav- part of its name comes from the Scandinavian word for "to dig" (it shares the same root with our ward "grave") and -lax, which just means "salmon." In essence, the name is telling you that it's "buried salmon," which is how gravlax was apparently originally made: buried in sand on the beach until fermented . Sometimes it was wrapped in birch bark and pine needles before being buried . Today, the only burying that goes on is in heaps of dill and the dry brine* of sugar and salt, and there's not really any significant fermentation to speak of these days—there are no funky flavors to develop a taste for, just the clean, mildly salty flavor of lightly cured salmon and dill.

* For the food geeks like me out there, you might be interested to learn that there's a wet-brine counterpart to gravlax called lenrimmad lax. The Dry Brine Ratio Because gravlax is an inherently simple preparation, the biggest question was simply what ratio of salt to sugar to use in the dry brine. Existing recipes are all over the place on this one, with some using more sugar than salt, others using more salt than sugar, and everything in between. On a technical level, what both the salt and sugar do is draw moisture out of the fish through osmosis. This decreases the moisture level of the fish, which in turn makes it less hospitable to microbial life. The salt, meanwhile, also helps ward off bacteria that would otherwise hasten spoilage. This extends the edible life of the salmon, but only for a short amount of time—gravlax is not cured in any long-term sense of the word. Ultimately, the ratio of salt to sugar is a question of personal taste. If you prefer a sweeter flavor, more sugar should go into your cure. If you have a more savory palate, you'll want to go heavier on the salt.

That said, I still wanted to do side-by-side tests, have my colleagues taste them, and see if there was a consensus or not. I whipped up three batches of gravlax, one with a 1 part salt to 1.5 parts sugar; one with equal amounts salt and sugar; and one with 1 part sugar to 1.5 parts salt. My ratios were all based on weight, since volume measurements of salt and sugar can be misleading—not only do salt and sugar have significantly different weights by volume, but different brands of salt can weigh different amounts as well. The differences were easy to detect and exactly as you'd expect: the sugar-heavy cure produced a sweet-tasting gravlax with very little saltiness; the 1:1 cure was the most bland, neither sweet nor salty; while the salt-heavy cure produced gravlax with a pleasant level of saltiness that was rounded out by a very subtle sweetness. The saltier cure also helped firm the salmon more, while the sweeter ones retained more of the salmon's sashimi-like raw-fish texture. Interestingly, my Serious Eats colleagues were unanimous in their preference for the salt-heavy cure, which was also the one I preferred.

Unless you're certain you want a sweeter flavor, I'd recommend leaning towards that salt-heavy ratio, since it seems to be the crowd favorite. Cure Time and Shelf Life One of the important things to understand is that gravlax is lightly cured, so the fish's shelf life is extended only a little, not a lot. Gravlax will go bad on you. Exactly how long it lasts will depend on just how pristine the fish was when you bought it (no matter what, it should be sushi-grade—make sure to tell your fishmonger that you're planning on eating it raw), as well as how it has been stored and handled. On average, my samples started smelling a little fishy after about five days or so, not including the curing time itself. As a general rule of thumb, I'd plan to eat the gravlax within a few days after it's been cured, and stop eating it if you start to detect any off odors. Adding Flavor Beyond the salt and sugar, you have options for other flavors in your gravlax. Dill is essential for the classic gravlax flavor, and white pepper is very common.

For those who don't like the pungent taste of white pepper, black pepper works well too. Great gravlax is possible with salt, sugar, white pepper, and dill alone. If you want to add even more dimension, spices like caraway seed, coriander seed, and fennel seed are all good options. My recipe includes caraway and coriander, because I love those flavors and think they play well with dill, but there aren't really any right or wrong rules here. You can also supplement the dill with other herbs, like tarragon or fennel fronds. If you can get your hands on some pine needles, like Douglas Fir, that might even be a cool throwback to the way they did it in the Middle Ages. Some people add citrus to the mix. I'd strongly advise against using actual wheels of citrus or the juice, which some recipes call for, since the acid will cook the fish like a ceviche, toughening the fish's exterior in an unpleasant way. If you want citrus flavor, add zest instead. It's also common to see alcohol, like aquavit and brandy, in gravlax recipes.

I prepared a test using my salt-heavy cure along with a few tablespoons of aquavit (on a 1/2-pound piece of salmon), and found that it didn't significantly alter the flavor or texture of the fish. Some liquors like brandy might have a bigger flavor impact, but I'd say if you want to taste caraway—the spice used to flavor aquavit—you're better off just using the spice itself. The Sauce If you're eating gravlax the traditional way, you'll want to serve it with hovmästarsås, the mustard-dill sauce typically spooned on top. Most recipes make this as a fairly sweet sauce with a healthy dose of sugar. Maybe it's because I have a palate that leans towards salty things, but I don't understand why anyone would want to spoon such a candy-like sauce on their fatty cured salmon. My version, while adhering to the basic sauce in terms of its ingredients—dill, Dijon mustard, white vinegar, sugar, and oil—is much less sweet. I add only enough sugar to round out the sharp edges of the vinegar and mustard in the sauce, but not so much to make it overtly sweet.

The vinegar and Dijon mustard shine through, cutting the richness of the salmon while adding a blast of fresh flavors. Step-by-Step I start by giving the skin-on salmon a 10 minute bath in salted water (I just salt it to taste, then drop the fish in). This isn't a required step, but it can help wash off any juices on the surface of the fish that might develop off aromas prematurely. I pat it dry when I take it out of the brine. Then I rub half my cure mixture onto the skin side of the fillet. It may not stick to the skin all that well, but do your best to get even coverage and it'll be fine. Next, I arrange some big tufts of dill in the bottom of a baking dish, and set the salmon on it skin-side down. I rub the remainder of the cure all over the top and sides of the fillet, sprinkling any extra cure all over and then pack more dill on top of that. I cover the fish in plastic, then set something on top of it to weigh it down.

This could be a smaller baking dish, or a flat plate roughly the size of the salmon, with some heavier things like cans of beans on top. This will help press even more moisture out of the fish as it cures. I put the whole thing in the fridge and let it cure for one day. Then I flip the fish over so that it's skin-side up, wrap with fresh plastic and return the weight on top, and let it go one to two days longer. Two days will give you a slightly lighter cure, while three days will cause the fish to become just a tiny bit more firm. Carving gravlax is arguably the only hard thing about it. You absolutely must have a sharp knife. Sorta sharp just won't cut it, literally. Gravlax is delicate and will tear under the force of a dull knife. Ideally, you should reach for a thin slicing knife, since the reduced surface area of the thin blade means there's less of it for the salmon to stick to as you slice. If you feel comfortable with the sharpness of your knife and your skills wielding it, you can cut beautiful wide slices from the entire fillet.

Try to work on a bias so that the slices don't come out as skinny little strips. If you don't, you may find it easier to divide the fillet in half lengthwise along its natural division, and then cut each fillet half into smaller slices. Some folks are bothered by the brown-colored blood-line that runs along the middle of the fillet on the skin side. You can get rid of it by sliding your knife between the pink salmon flesh and the skin, trimming off the bloodline as you go. Then you can cut your skinned, blood-line-free portion into slices. You can eat the gravlax straight, or drape the slices on pieces of pumpernickel. Then spoon some of that sauce on top. Now tell me that's not luxurious! Get the Recipe

Question: What sort of fish is in the Scandinavian dish called gravlax?
Answer: Salmon