Gravad lax or swedish cured salmon recipe

Gravad Lax or Swedish Cured Salmon recipe

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About this recipe

In this blog post I will guide you thru the steps and ingredients needed to craft this recipe. Grab your favorite apron and let's start.
Gravad lax, also known as Swedish cured salmon, is a traditional dish that dates back to the Middle Ages. This recipe involves marinating fresh salmon in a mixture of salt, sugar, and dill, which infuses the fish with incredible flavors. The curing process takes a few days, during which the salmon becomes tender and develops a delicate, silky texture. Gravad lax is typically served thinly sliced and enjoyed on bread or with a side of mustard-dill sauce.

Keywords: Gravad lax, Swedish cured salmon, marinating, dill, traditional dish

Gravad lax or swedish cured salmon recipe details

Gravad lax or swedish cured salmon recipe, recipe Rating: 4.7
Number of votes:120 

Ingredients

2 piece(s)	salmon, descaled, cut to identical size and trimmed to remove any belly fat about 450-500g each
1 bunch(es)	large, fresh dill
3 tbsp	course salt
1 tbsp	sugar
2 tbsp	white peppercorns, crushed
8	juniper berries, crushed OPTIONAL
	To make the sauce:
4 tbsp	Dijon mustard
1 tsp	caster sugar
2 tbsp	white wine vinegar
5 tbsp	oil
4 tbsp	dill, chopped

Instructions

Get your fishmonger to remove the scales from the salmon, fillet and trim any excess fat, and to ensure that they are exactly the same size. When you get home, check over the salmon with the back of your fingers to remove any remaining pin bones. If there are any, remove with tweezers or crocodile nose pliers. Wrap in cling film and freeze for at least 24 hours to kill any parasites that may be present (the risk is greater with farmed salmon, but not completely absent from wild). Remove and allow to thaw slowly in fridge.

In a bowl, mix together the salt, sugar, peppercorns and juniper berries (if used) to create the dry cure. Place the salmon skin side down on a large flat dish and coat evenly over upper sides of both pieces with the cure mix. Press cure firmly into the salmon. Wash the dill and shake off excess moisture and lay it on top of one piece of salmon. Place the second piece of salmon over the first, edge to edge but rotated so that the thinnest side of one is opposite the thickest side of the other. Wrap in several layers of cling film and place on a dish. Place something moderately heavy on top of the fish parcel to help press excess moisture from the fish and store in refrigerator for 24 hours or a little longer. Turn the parcel over every few hours, and replace weight each time.

Towards the end of the cure period, make the sauce. White sugar is normally used, but if you use a brown sugar you will get a slight or stronger caramelised flavour, dependent on the actual sugar used. Place ingredients in a blender and blend smooth. Pour into serving dish. In Sweden a tiny bowl of sauce is provided per plate but it does not matter if you do not have them.

Unwrap the fish and discard any liquids released; there may be quite a lot. Scrape off as much of the cure mix from the fish as possible. The surfaces of the fish will be somewhat green; this colour comes from the dill and is to be expected. Cut the salmon from thick side to thin side using a slanted cutting motion, trying to create slices that are about 3mm or 1/8 inch thick. Arrange slices in a rotating wheel pattern around a serving dish; you may place the bowl of sauce in the centre of the dish if you wish.

Serve lightly chilled with fresh rye bread and a shot of vodka. In Sweden they serve a sweet dill liqueur sometimes called Gravadlaxas that is difficult to find elsewhere.

Preparation time:
ca. 2 days
Grade of difficulty:
medium
Calories per portion:
n/a