Enjoy gravlax as an essential part of the festive Swedish smörgåsbord, such as Christmas, served with a sweet and strong mustard sauce. Although the cured fish mostly is eaten cold, you can enjoy it around the year. You can also serve it with potatoes as a standalone dish.
Ah, the classic combination! Gravlax together with a dollop of hovmästarsås is difficult to resist.
Gravlax — cured salmon with dill
Cured salmon is easy to make and doesn’t require a lot of work. Please do pay attention to the discussion above on safety before you begin.
Instructions
1 kilo (2 pounds) salmon
1 dl (0,4 cups) sugar
4 tbsp salt—don’t use mineral salt or iodized salt
2 tsp roughly ground white pepper
1 dl (0,4 cups) or one bundle of dill
For serving: extra dill, hovmästarsås (mustard sauce)—see recipe below
Instructions
- If you’ve frozen the fish, let it defrost first.
- Cut the salmon into two pieces of similar size. Pat them dry. If you’ve got a salmon side, remove the small greyish area at the lower part of the stomach.
- Mix sugar, salt, and white pepper together. Chop the dill finely.
- If you’ve got salmon with skin (scales), you can make a few cuts in the salmon skin to make it easier for the curing to become evener.
- Place the salmon pieces flesh-side up and rub the top surface with most of the salt mixture. Sprinkle on the dill.
- Place one salmon piece on top of the other, placing a thicker side against a thinner. Sprinkle on the rest of the salt mixture.
- Place the salmon in a freezer bag (or two) and tie a knot. Put it on a plate or in a container. Now the salmon is ready to be stored in the fridge for 1-3 days, depending on how cured you want it. I tend to go for 2-3 days, but it depends on the thickness of the salmon. Turn the bag 2-3 times per day, so it cures evenly.
- When you’re ready to serve, scrape off the dill and pepper and maybe add fresh dill. Cut thin pieces at a slight angle.
- The salmon keeps for about a week, provided that you don’t leave it out for long periods of time and store it well.