Recipe

Gravlax

≈ 800 g cured salmon (10 servings) · prep 15 min · cook 48 h cure (no heat)

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• lunch
• nordic
• pescatarian
• preserved

Authored by the maintainer; standard Scandinavian method, slightly less sugar than the Swedish norm.

Ingredients

the fish

• 1 kg salmon side, skin on, pin-boned — Norwegian salmon farm

the cure

• 80 g coarse sea salt — Trapani salt pans
• 60 g caster sugar
• 2 tsp white peppercorns, coarsely crushed
• 1 tbsp juniper berries, lightly crushed (optional)
• 2 tbsp aquavit or vodka (optional)
• Large bunch fresh dill, coarsely chopped (stems and all)

the serve

• Dijon or grainy mustard, for serving
• 1 tbsp honey, for the mustard sauce — Provence lavender apiary
• Small bunch fresh dill for serving
• Dark dense rye bread, sliced thin

Method

1. Pat the salmon dry. Run your fingers along the flesh against the grain to find any pin bones and pull them out with tweezers.
2. Combine salt, sugar, white pepper, and crushed juniper in a bowl. If using aquavit, drizzle it over the flesh side of the salmon first.
3. Lay half the chopped dill on a piece of plastic wrap large enough to wrap the salmon twice. Spread half the cure mix over the dill.
4. Place salmon skin-side down on the dill. Pack the remaining cure mix evenly across the flesh. Top with the rest of the dill.
5. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Place in a shallow tray. Top with a board and a 1 kg weight (cans, a brick, a heavy pan).
6. Refrigerate 36–48 hours. Turn the parcel every 12 hours. Liquid will pool — that's the cure pulling water out of the flesh. · 2880 min
7. Unwrap. The salmon should feel firm and look more orange than when you started. Rinse briefly under cold water and pat very dry. Scrape off the dill.
8. Place flesh-side up on a board. Slice thin and on the diagonal — almost parallel to the board — into 2 mm slices. Stop at the skin (don't slice through it).
9. Whisk the mustard, honey, a splash of the cure liquid (or vinegar), and a small handful of chopped fresh dill into a sauce.
10. Serve gravlax on dark rye, with mustard sauce, more dill, and a wedge of lemon.

Notes

Gravlax means "buried salmon" — *grav* (grave) + *lax* (salmon).
Medieval Scandinavian fishermen buried salted, fermented salmon in
the sand. The modern version skips the fermentation and is closer
to a cure than a preserve.

Keeps 5 days refrigerated once cured, wrapped tightly. Freezes well
if vacuum-sealed. Cure liquid that drains off the fish is potent —
save a tablespoon for the mustard sauce.

Differences from lox: lox is brine-cured (salt only); gravlax is
dry-cured (salt + sugar + herbs). The textures are similar; the
flavour profiles are not.