The Swedish mother of one my dearest friends taught me this recipe for my friend’s bridal shower. Like cold-smoked salmon, gravlax is cured not cooked and thus retains its velvety texture. However, using sugar and salt instead of smoke creates a more delicate flavor that lets the fish shine through. The slightly sweet dill mustard sauce has just a little bit of bite to balance the rich salmon. Gravlax can be served any way you would serve smoked salmon. The traditional Scandinavian way is over a bit of rye crispbread spread with cream cheese. Accompaniments such as capers, thinly sliced red onion, and fresh dill are all very nice. Some Swedes wouldn’t dream of having gravlax without ensuring there was some free-flowing aquavit nearby. However, if you’re like me you’ll find a glass of champagne, while not traditional tastes fine indeed!

Ingredients

Gravlax

Two 1 pound pin-boned salmon fillets cut from the thickest cross section of the fish

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup rock salt

2 ounces fresh dill, about one cup

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Sauce

1 tablespoon yellow mustard

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

2 tablespoons malt vinegar

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup fresh dill, finely chopped

Directions

Gravlax

Mix salt and sugar together. Pin bone salmon fillets if your fish monger has not already done so, and rub the fillets all over with oil. Place one third of the dill in the bottom of a baking dish and sprinkle with one third of the salt/sugar mixture. Put one piece of salmon skin side down on the bed of dill, top with another third of the dill and the sugar/salt mixture.  Place the second piece of salmon on top of the first, skin side up.  Cover with the remaining dill and salt/sugar mixture. Cover dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 24 hours.

 After 24 hours flip the filets over keeping the skin-sides out. Recover and refrigerate for another 24 hours.  

Take salmon out of dish and scrape off salt/sugar mix.  Tightly wrap the salmon fillets in plastic wrap and freeze for two days.  

Thaw to about 98% so that the salmon is still firm, but cuts easily with a knife. Place the fish skin side up on the cutting board and gently cut away discard the skin. Keep the former skin side up as you cut the salmon. this allows for cleaner cuts than cutting from the interior side of the fillet, which can develop fissures. Using long slicing motions rather than short back and forth motions, cut the fillets into paper thin slices by cutting at approximately a 45-degree angle. Use a wet cloth to wipe the blade prior to each slice. This will help make clean, perfect slices. This is the one part of this recipe that takes real skill. Using a knife purpose-built for slicing salmon or a yanagi knife designed for slicing sashimi helps. But frankly, it just takes practice, so don’t feel badly if your slices are a little thick the first time. It will taste just as delicious.

Keep fish refrigerated until ready to serve. Well-wrapped and refrigerated, gravlax keeps for up to one week.

Sauce

Bring all of the sauce ingredients to room-temperature. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the mustards, sugar, and vinegar.  While whisking vigorously, pour the oil into the mixture in a slow, thin stream to make sure it fully incorporates with the other ingredients.  Stir in chopped dill.

Place the gravlax over the vessel of your choosing…rye crispbread and cream cheese, pumpernickel, toasted bagels, roasted red potatoes, etc. Drizzle with sauce and enjoy!

The leftovers are also great in omelettes or pasta!