Salmon Gravlax Recipe - Fish for Breakfast
Yes sometimes I like to eat fish for breakfast!
What is gravlax ?
Gravlax (Swedish: [ˈgrɑ̂ːvlakːs]) or graved salmon is a Nordic dish consisting of salmon that is cured using a mix of salt and sugar, and either dill or sprucetwigs placed on top, and may occasionally be cold-smoked afterwards.
Gravlax means that the salmon has been cured with a mix of salt and sugar and lox is salmon that has been cured in salt. Lox tastes predominantly salty, while gravlax has more of a mild fish taste similar to sashimi. There is no smoking involved so if you’re like me and you don’t like smoked salmon, then gravlax is for you!
Smoked salmon and gravlax are actually quite similar in flavour and texture in that they both have a moist, silky texture that is “raw-like”, rather than hard like jerky or cooked. But the big difference is that smoked salmon is made by smoking raw salmon at a low temperature which infuses the salmon which smokey flavour which gravlax does not have.
Ingredients
1/2 cup (125 ml) coarse salt
1/2 cup (125 ml) sugar
2 fillets salmon with the skin, about 13/4 lbs (800 g) each
1 large bunch fresh dill
Dill sprigs, for garnish
Pepper
Preparation
Equal parts salt + sugar (combined) 50% of the weight of the salmon. Coat, leave 24 hours for lightly cured, 36 hours for medium (this is what I do) and 48 hours for hard cure.
In a bowl, combine salt and sugar.
Spread half of the salt mixture on the flesh side of a fillet. Cover with dill. Sprinkle with remaining salt mixture and top with second salmon fillet, flesh side down.
Wrap salmon fillets in several layers of heavy-duty aluminum foil and place on a baking sheet. Cover with a second baking sheet and top with a brick or a heavy book to create a weight.
Refrigerate for 36 to 48 hours, turning salmon every 12 hours and discarding dripping juices, as needed.
Unwrap salmon fillets and discard dill. Thoroughly rinse fish under cold running water. Pat flesh dry with paper towels.
With a sharp knife, thinly slice salmon fillets starting with the thickest part of the fillet.
Sauce
Mix fresh dill with fresh cream or sour cream
Spread cream on pumpernickel bread and sprinkle with fresh dill and sea salt.
Yellowtail Gravlax
I’ve also tried curing yellowtail with the same spice blend and it was delicious! The taste was better with the yellowtail but I preferred the texture from the salmon.
I’ve read that gravlax is great with any oily fish like mackerel and I’ve been told that any type of Jack and Tuna can also be cured this way!