Wild coho salmon topped with salt, sugar, and dill, ready to go in the fridge.
While my mom was visiting this week, she whipped up a batch of the most delicious gravlax. Following her recipe, it's very simple to make—the hardest part is waiting the three days for it to cure. We're heading into holiday season and this would be a perfect appetizer for any holiday party. I'm definitely serving it this Christmas.
TATA'S GRAVLAX
- 1 pound best-quality wild salmon fillet, skin removed (ask the fishmonger to do it)
- 5 tablespoons sea salt
- 4 tablespoons light brown sugar (less if you don't want it sweet)
- 1 bunch of dill (stems removed), finely chopped
Combine the sea salt and brown sugar and pack firmly onto both sides of the salmon fillet. Sprinkle half the chopped dill onto a sheet of plastic wrap then place the salmon on top of it. Put the remaining dill atop the salmon. (For a spicier twist you can add a half-palmful of crushed juniper berries to the salt/sugar mixture. My mom doesn't do this, but I like it.)
Tightly wrap the salmon fillet and place in a baking dish. Put in the
fridge for three days before eating. Do not disturb the salmon, but you
can drain off any liquid that collects in the dish.
After three days, unwrap, scrape off the dill, slice, and enjoy!
Tata's tips:
- Fill pre-made vol-au-vents (available at Bryan's in San Francisco or any speciality/gourmet grocer) with mascarpone, a slice of gravlax, and garnish with a small slice of lemon and a sprig of fresh dill.
- Slice and serve the gravlax (with mini-toasts or crackers) accompanied by a sauce made from sour cream, chopped green onion, honey, mustard, and balsamic vinegar (the sauce a tip from my Finnish friend).
- Gravlax freezes beautifully so you can make several batches at once.
This looks fantastic! I'm going to make this for a party. When do you freeze it (I'll make extra for later)...before it's sliced and after the 3-day curing process?
Posted by: SFMA | September 17, 2007 at 11:55 AM
That looks great! I make some every Christmas too. You can also try sprinkling ground fennel then the dill on top. In Denmark, they top it with a sweet mustard dill sauce (can be found at Ikea)and serve it on Danish whole kernel rye bread (can be found at Trader Joe's).
Posted by: darbunk | September 17, 2007 at 12:51 PM
Oooh I love this stuff! Thanks for sharing the recipe. I'm going to make a batch as soon as I recover from having #2!
Posted by: jcs | September 17, 2007 at 01:15 PM
I have never tried making my own gravlax, but this looks like the toughest part is in the waiting! I need to try this myself when they have wild salmon at the Costco!
Posted by: Deborah Dowd | September 17, 2007 at 06:16 PM
If your mom wants to spend some time in SF, just send her my way! YUM! It's clear where you get your love of cooking.
Posted by: Nicole | September 22, 2007 at 05:38 PM
Hey, I have a whole wild salmon sitting in the freezer just screaming for the gravlax recipe. Just gotta try this. Great blog thanks for sharing.
Posted by: Colon Cleanse Geek | January 14, 2008 at 08:25 PM
This looks like a great appetizer! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Posted by: appetizer recipes | August 26, 2009 at 02:08 PM