Recipe: Gravlax

Gravlax, salmon cured in sugar and salt until it is silky smooth, is expensive to buy, but easy to make. Once the fish is filleted, it takes about 10 minutes to put the gravlax together. Two or three days later, you'll have perfectly cured fish.

I make gravlax from sea-caught wild Alaska salmon, the best tasting salmon I’ve ever had. Its great taste reflects the salmon’s varied diet and the clean environment in which it grows to maturity.

Wild Alaska salmon is on the Top 10 list of “Eco-best” fish to eat because it comes from healthy, well-managed fish populations and is caught with low-impact fishing gear. In contrast, farmed salmon is on the Top 10 list of “Eco-worst” fish due to the impact of salmon farms on the environment and the elevated levels of PCBs in the fish.

We live within driving distance of the sea waters where wild Alaska salmon congregate. By the end of summer, our freezer contains a year’s supply of fish caught by my husband and his friends. I’ve previously described how we freeze salmon and how best to thaw it.

Although I break fish down into serving size packets to freeze, inevitably we are given at least one fish a year that has been frozen whole. The whole fish weigh between 7 and 12 pounds each, much too much salmon to eat at one time. My favorite way to use whole frozen salmon is for making gravlax.

The cure I use – sugar, salt, black peppercorns, dill, and citrus vodka - is the one that has worked best for me over the last 20 years. I’ve tried other combinations of ingredients, but none compare to this version. It's not too salty and retains a little bit of sweetness from the sugar. Peppercorns give a mild bite, and dill provides herby freshness. Vodka brings the flavor out of the other ingredients and helps them permeate the salmon.

For many years I wrapped the two sides of salmon in cheesecloth after rubbing on the cure as an aid in turning the fish as it cures. I forgot the cheesecloth one year, and discovered salmon is easy to turn even when it isn’t wrapped, so eliminated this step as unnecessary.

Some recipes for gravlax recommend wrapping the salmon in plastic wrap as it cures, which I did once and will never do again. The flavor of gravlax is best if the salmon sits directly in the cure, which it can’t do when it is wrapped in plastic.

I cure salmon under weight. This is not strictly necessary (important to know if you don’t have much room in your refrigerator). However, I prefer the firm, compressed texture of gravlax that's been cured under weight and recommend this technique.

Salmon takes 2 to 3 days to turn into proper gravlax, depending on the thickness of the fish and the type of salmon. The only way to know if it is done is to taste it.

After 2 days, I take one salmon side out of the cure, and cut off three thin slices to see if the flavor and texture are to my liking. I cut three slices because I want to test salmon flesh that hasn’t been exposed directly to the cure. If the salmon doesn’t taste ready or is still soft, I leave it in the cure 1 more day. Salmon shouldn't stay in the cure for more than 3 days or the gravlax will be too salty.

Some recipes say to rinse the fish after removing it from the cure. I don’t like doing this, and think it negatively affects the flavor of gravlax. Instead, I remove all of the dill and as many of the peppercorns as I can with my fingers. After this, I dry the gravlax with paper towels and pack it for storage, either in the refrigerator or freezer.

I love serving gravlax on toasted dark bread with cream cheese, red onions, and capers. It is also great with fresh herb salad (mixed herbs dressed lightly with olive oil and lemon) or as a side dish with stewed beans or lentil salad.

Gravlax
Makes two sides of gravlax
This recipe makes enough curing mix for two 2 – 3 pound sides of filleted salmon. You can easily make the recipe with a 1 – 2 pound salmon fillet: cut the curing mix in half and the curing time to 24 to 36 hours. Once cured, gravlax should be stored in the refrigerator or freezer. I crack the peppercorns in a mortar and pestle, but you can also do it by whacking the peppercorns with a meat mallet.

2 2 -3 pound sides of filleted salmon, skin on
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup coarse salt
1/4 cup black peppercorns, cracked
1 cup roughly chopped dill
2/3 cup citrus vodka

Wash and dry the salmon fillets and remove any pin bones (I use stainless steel needle-nose pliers for this task). Cut off the belly flaps and as much of the tail end as is necessary for the fish to fit in a 9 x 13” glass or stainless steel baking pan. Reserve the salmon trimmings for another use.

Mix together the sugar, salt and peppercorns; this is the curing mix. Lay the sides of salmon skin side down in the baking pan. Rub half the curing mix into each side of salmon. Spread the dill out on one salmon side. Drizzle 1/3 cup of citrus vodka over both salmon sides, being careful not to wash away the curing mix. Quickly flip the salmon side without the dill so it is on top of the other salmon side, flesh sides together.

Cover the baking pan with plastic wrap. Place an empty glass or stainless steel baking pan on top of the plastic wrap and fill it with canned goods to press down the salmon. Put in the refrigerator.

Every 12 hours, remove the fish from the refrigerator, turn over the salmon, put weight back on the fish, and return it to the refrigerator.

Cure the fish for 2 – 3 days. Scrape off the dill and peppercorns with your fingers. Pat the gravlax dry, and store it in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use.

To cut the gravlax, hold the knife at an angle and cut 1/8" thick slices of fish on the diagonal.

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This is my entry for Antioxidant Rich Foods/5-a-day Tuesdays sponsored by Sweetnicks.