EASY DOES IT # 15 – Gravlax

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There  are a few compelling reasons to make your own gravelax instead of buying it at a store or online:

– Price – Fresh salmon $ 15.00 per pound versus store bought gravlax at $ 40.00
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 – Ease of preparation – actual preptime about 10 minutes, curing between 3 and 5 day’s
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 – Total control of texture and taste of finished product
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 – The joy of adding another stunner to your cooking repertoire
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My  standard  dry-marinade recipe is as follows :
3/5th  of kosher salt, 2/5th of sugar, fresh chopped dill including stems, white pepper, lemon peel, crushed mustard seeds and dark rum.

In the variation  below, I have changed the dry-marinade recipe a bit as follows:
3/5th  of kosher salt, 2/5th of sugar, freeze dried dill leaves, raw garlic paste,  cayenne pepper, dijon mustard, vodka.
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Mix the marinade ingredients, place half of it in a chemical reaction-free container. Top with salmon filet. Add remaining dry marinade to top of salmon. Cover airtight, place in refrigerator. Flip salmon every twelve hours. After twenty four hours, dry-marinade will have transformed into a thick brine. The salmon will be cured after two to three day’s, depending on the thickness and salt to sugar ratio in your marinade. I usually keep my salmon in the brine another one to two days, again depending on the marinade and thickness of the filet. The extra time will give me a slightly dryer and more opaque product which I prefer. This one took four day’s to be exactly the way I like it.
To serve, remove salmon and wash under running water to clean off excess brine. Slice into thin slices, accompany with dill/mustard sauce and rustic bread of your choice.
(To think, first time I prepared  Gravlax  was in the summer of 1973 at the  Hotel Kattegat,  Torekov,  Sweden.  Good times 🙂

Bon Appetit !   Life is Good !
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Note:
Start out the first time by following my standard recipe, the next few times experiment with the marinade and curing time until you find your own sweet spot.
Variations can be, but are not limited to, different salt/sugar ratios, different herbs, different seasonings, different liquors, different curing length’s.
Enjoy your gravlax journey !
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mise en place

mise en place

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Gravlax

Gravlax

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Preparation :
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mise en place

mise en place

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sprinkle top of salmon with plenty of dill leaves, mix dry-marinade ingredients

sprinkle top of salmon with plenty of dill leaves, drizzle with vodka,, mix dry-marinade ingredients

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add half of the marinade to chemical-reaction-free vessel

add half of the marinade to chemical-reaction-free vessel

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add salmon filet, top with remaining dry-marinade, cover airtight, store in fridge for 3 - 5 days

add salmon filet, top with remaining dry-marinade, cover airtight, store in fridge for 3 – 5 days

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flip salmon every twelve hours

flip salmon every twelve hours, cover again, back into fridge

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4 day's later - done, rinse under cold running water, carefull not to rinse of the dill

4 day’s later – done, rinse under cold running water, carefull not to rinse of the dill

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Gravlax

Gravlax

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Gravlax

the beauty and the beast

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Gravlax

Gravlax

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Gravlax

Gravlax

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Gravlax

Gravlax

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6 comments

  1. Hans, that looks wonderful. I’m a fan of salmon, as well as other fresh fish, or frozen, since I live in Kentucky, so this looks great to me. I’ll be giving it a try.

    Liked by 1 person

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