Best Salmon Gravlax Recipes

GRAVLAX (MARINATED SALMON)

Steps:

• For the salmon, remove all bones with a pair of tweezers, but leave the skin on.
• Rinse.
• Mash the dill stems in a mortar with a little of the salt.
• Mix with the rest of the salt, the sugar and pepper.
• Save the dill leaves for the sauce.
• Cover the flesh side of the fillets with the mixture, and place the fillets flesh-to-flesh in a tray made of glass or stainless steel.
• Cover with plastic foil and put a heavy weight on top (e. g. the mortar or a brick).
• Keep refrigerated for 72 hours, turning the fillets every 12 hours.
• Do not discard the liquid that forms.
• Scrape off the spices and discard the liquid.
• The salmon will keep refrigerated for about a week.
• For the sauce, mix mustard, sugar and vinegar.
• Add the oil a little at the time (as for mayonnaise), constantly stirring.
• Just before serving, add lots of dill and salt and pepper to taste.
• Slice the salmon with a sharp, flexible knife in big, thin slices parallell to the skin.
• Arrange the ice-cold salmon on lettuce leaves with slices of lemon.
• Serve the sauce separately.
• Also serve toasted bread and butter.

BEET-CURED SALMON GRAVLAX

Steps:

• Stir kosher salt, sugar, and cayenne together in a bowl.
• Line a dish with cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel. Sprinkle 1/3 of the salt-sugar mixture over the bottom. Place salmon skin side-down in the dish. Grate beet over the salmon and spread evenly to cover. Sprinkle the remaining salt-sugar mixture on top, varying the amount according to the thickness of each section.
• Fold cheesecloth over the salmon and cover the top with plastic wrap. Wrap a brick in aluminum foil and place on top of the salmon. Let cure in the refrigerator until salmon is firm to the touch and translucent when sliced, about 36 hours. You can carefully unwrap, and poke to test, and then rewrap, and let cure longer if need be.
• Transfer salmon to a paper towel-lined plate. Scrape off the grated beet. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate, about 18 hours more. Slice salmon thinly at a 45-degree angle, gliding knife back and forth and turning it up and away from the skin.

GIN AND JUNIPER CURED SALMON - SCANDINAVIAN GRAVLAX

Steps:

• Remove the bone from the salmon, leaving two triangular fillets with the skin intact.
• To make the curing mixture, mix together the Maldon Crystal Salt, sugar and peppercorns,juniper berries and the gin.
• Place the salmon, skin side down, on a board and place half of the curing mixture over the surface of each fillet, pressing it well into the flesh. Now cover each fillet with the chopped dill.
• Place one fillet on top of the other to make a sandwich with the dill in the centre and the skin on the outside. Wrap tightly in Clingfilm and place on a shallow dish or plate. Place a plate over the top and weight with a heavy tin. Put in the fridge for 24 - 48 hours turning the gravalax twice during the curing time.
• Unwrap the gravlax and slice thinly Serve with rye bread and a sauce made from equal quantities of mayonnaise and wholegrain mustard mixed with a little sugar and chopped dill.

TEQUILA CURED SALMON GRAVLAX

Steps:

• Put the peppercorns in a spice mill and crush to a coarse grind. In a bowl combine the pepper, sugar and salt and blend well together.
• Place the bunches of cilantro, dill, and scallions together in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped.
• Rinse some cheese cloth under cold running water. Unfold the cheese cloth and lay a large piece out on your work surface. The cloth will have to be large enough to wrap completely around the salmon several times.
• Choose the freshest salmon possible for this dish as this is a cured but not cooked dish and fresh really counts. Cut the fish fillet into two equal pieces and lay it, skin side down, in the center of the cheesecloth. Spread the sugar, salt, and pepper mixture evenly over the salmon flesh. Spread the chopped herbs in the same manner and then sprinkle the tequila over the herbs. The flesh of the salmon should be totally coated in this curing seasoning.
• Once all the tequila has been absorbed, sandwich the two fillets together, fleshtoflesh and skinsidesout. Position the fillet "sandwich" in the center of the cloth and wrap as you would a gift, pulling the cloth as tightly as possible around the fillets. Lay the package on a cake cooling rack set over a cookie sheet. The rack allows air to circulate for more efficient drying, while the cookie sheet will catch the liquid extracted during the threeday curing period. Put the weight in a second, smaller cake pan and place it on top of the fish. The weight must be properly and
• evenly distributed so as to press out the unwanted water.
• Place the entire curing setup in the bottom, the coldest area, of your refrigerator and begin the 3 day curing process. Remove the weight and flip the fish package over every 24 hours, replacing the weight each time. Drain off and discard any liquid that collects in the pan when you do this. At the end of the 72 hours the fish must be cleaned. Remove the cheesecloth and discard it. Drain any accumulated liquid, scrape off all of the used herbs and salt and pepper. Rinse the fish under cold running water and pat the fish totally dry.
• The salmon is now fully cured and as entirely edible as smoked salmon but must be kept refrigerated.
• To serve, finely chop one cup of fresh cilantro and cover the flesh side of the fish. Using a very sharp knife, slice the salmon as thinly as possible, at a 45 degree angle. Your first slices may look a bit rough, but be patient. With a little practice you'll soon be turning out elegant greenedged red ribbons of gravlax.
• Mix the mustard and confectioner's sugar and serve with pumpernickel and wedges of lime.
• Weight for weighing down the salmon as it cures, such as unopened plastic bags of dried beans, or gallon jugs of cooking oil .

GRAVLAX (SWEDISH SUGAR AND SALT CURED SALMON)

Steps:

• Remove any small bones from the fillets with a pair of tweezers or needle-nosed pliers.
• Mix the sugar, salt and pepper in a bowl.
• Cover the bottom of a baking dish with 1/3 the dill and rub half of the sugar-salt mixture into the first fillet, on both sides, and lay it skin side down on top of the dill.
• Cover with 1/3 of dill.
• Prepare the other salmon fillet in the same way, and cover with the remaining fillet, skin side up, with the remaining dill on top.
• Cover in plastic wrap, place a cutting board with some heavy weights on top and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
• Remove from plastic wrap and discard accumulated juices.
• Rewrap and refrigerate another 24- 48 hours.
• Scrape off the marinade and slice paper thin.
• Serve with Mustard Dill Sauce (Recipe #68168).

GRAVLAX (FRESH SALMON MARINATED IN DILL)

Steps:

• For the sauce, mix the mustard, vinegar and sugar in a small bowl.
• Gradually whisk in the oil.
• Stir in the dill.
• Refrigerate, tightly covered, up to three days.
• Whisk again before using.
• Serve slightly chilled.
• Run your fingers down the flesh side of each fillet to locate the small pin bones and remove them with tweezers or needle-nose pliers.
• Wipe the flesh with a damp paper towel.
• Combine the salt, sugar and peppercorns in a small bowl.
• Rub the mixture onto the flesh side of both fillets.
• Sprinkle the dill evenly over 1 fillet and lay the other fillet flesh-side down on top, placing the thin end of one over the thick end of the other.
• Place the salmon in a large plastic bag, press out the air and seal tightly.
• Put the salmon on a platter and lay a cutting board or baking sheet on top and weight it down with three 1- to 2-pound cans of food.
• Refrigerate 36 to 48 hours, turning the bag of fillets over every 12 hours.
• Lift fillets from the bag and discard the bag and accumulated liquid.
• Scrape the seasonings off the fish and pat dry. (Fillets can be wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator up to 10 days before serving -- see note below.)
• Place one fillet, skin side down, on a large serving platter (with head end to the left for right-handed people).
• Hold the knife blade tilted so you'll be slicing down through the fillet at a 45-degree angle (rather than straight up and down).
• Begin slicing at the head end, making a 1/8-inch-thick slice.
• At the bottom of slice, turn the knife blade gently to separate the slice from the skin.
• Using the knife, turn the slice over to the left as if turning the page of a book.
• Continue cutting 1/8-inch slices on the angle, separating each from the skin and turning each slice over to partially overlap the previous one.
• Repeat with remaining fillet.
• Garnish with fresh dill and serve with Mustard Dill Sauce and rye or dark bread.
• NOTE: You can keep gravlax in the refrigerator up to 10 days after curing, serving it anytime withing that span. Wrap sliced or unsliced gravlax in plastic and store in the coldest part of your refrigerator.

SMOKED SALMON TARTINES WITH GRAVLAX SAUCE

Steps:

• Place the toasted bread on a cutting board and overlap slices of avocado on each piece of bread, using a quarter to half an avocado for each, depending on the size of the avocado and the bread. Sprinkle the avocado with lemon juice, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place one large slice of salmon on top, ribboning it to fit. Drizzle with a tablespoon of the sauce.
• Garnish with some red onion, sprinkle with the dill fronds, salt and pepper, and serve with extra sauce on the side.
• Whisk together the Dijon mustard, honey mustard, whole-grain mustard, ground mustard, sugar and vinegar in a medium bowl. Combine the olive and grapeseed oils in a small measuring cup. Slowly add the oil mixture to the mustard mixture, whisking constantly, until emulsified. Stir in the dill and salt.

CURED SALMON GRAVLAX

Steps:

• There is a central line of small bones that extends down into salmon fillets. Run one of your fingers gently along the fleshy surface of the salmon to determine if all of these bones have been removed. If you feel any, pull them out with a small pair of pliers or a strawberry huller. Arrange the fillet skin side down on a large sheet of plastic wrap.
• Place the pepper and lemon peel in the bowl of a small food processor and process until finely chopped. Transfer to a small bowl and mix with the salt and sugar. Spread this mixture in one layer over the exposed surface of the salmon.
• Wrap the salmon tightly in plastic wrap and place it, skin side down, on a tray. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours, but preferably for 1 day. All the salt and sugar should have dissolved and most of the resulting moisture will have been absorbed by the salmon. Unwrap, pat dry and place, uncovered, on a rack in the refrigerator for at least one but preferably two days to dry.
• To serve, cut crosswise on a slant into slices as thin as possible. Sprinkle with the garnish.

BARNEY'S KING SALMON GRAVLAX

Steps:

• Combine sugar, salt, and peppercorns in a bowl and mix well. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the mixture over the bottom of a glass baking dish. Place 1 salmon fillet on top, skin-side down. Sprinkle 1/2 the dill on top. Cover with another 1/3 of the sugar mixture. Sprinkle remaining dill on the second fillet and place skin-side up on top of the first fillet. Cover with remaining sugar mixture.
• Wrap baking dish tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 18 hours. Turn fillets over and spoon the syrupy liquid over fish before covering again with plastic wrap. Refrigerate another 18 hours.
• Rinse fillets lightly in cold water to remove salt. Pat dry. Slice fish thinly at an angle.

"T" MARINATED SALMON GRAVLAX

Steps:

• Lay salmon skin side down in a stainless steel container. Mix together dill and remaining ingredients. Cover evenly with this mixture. Cover the container with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 48 hours. After 48 hours, brush off the marinade mixture, leaving a light coating on the salmon. Slice thinly and serve cold.

GRAVLAX (SCANDINAVIAN CURED SALMON)

Steps:

• In a small bowl, mix together the salt, sugar, peppercorns, and allspice. Chop the stems and leaves of the dill. Lay a piece of the salmon, skin side down, on a piece of plastic wrap large enough to wrap both fillets. Sprinkle the fillet with half the spice mix, moisten with half of the cognac, if using, and cover with all the chopped dill. Cover the second fillet with the spice mix and cognac. Sandwich the 2 fillets together and tightly wrap in the plastic wrap. Make sure the fillets are held tightly closed with a good seal. Place the wrapped salmon on a plate and weigh it down with a 1-pound can or weight. Place in the refrigerator. Every 12 hours or so, open the package and baste the fish with the liquid that has formed around it. Let the salmon cure for at least 24 or up to 36 hours. When the salmon is ready, scrape the dill mixture off with a spoon and refrigerate the fish until ready to serve. To serve the gravlax; slice thin pieces at a 45-degree angle with a long, sharp narrow knife. Lay the gravlax out on a platter and serve it with black bread and a bit of mustard. The gravlax will stay fresh for a week wrapped in plastic in the refrigerator.

SWEDISH DILL SALMON (GRAVLAX)

Steps:

• Remove the backbone and other bones from the salmon and cut in half lengthwise.
• Combine the salt, sugar and pepper and rub over the insides of the fish.
• Place one piece, skin side down, in a large bowl or serving dish.
• Place the dill over the salmon. Top with the other piece of fish, skin side up.
• Place a heavy platter over the salmon and weight it down.
• Refrigerate, covered, for 24 hours. Turn the fish once or twice during this time.
• When finished, remove the salmon from the dish and scrape off the seasonings and dill.
• Cut off skin and slice the salmon diagonally into thin slices.
• Serve salmon.
• For Gravlaxsas: Combine the mustard, sugar and vinegar in a bowl and mix well together to make a paste. Slowly add the oil, beating well after each addition. Beat until the sauce is the consistency of mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper and add the dill. Makes 1/2 cup.

CHINESE STYLE GRAVLAX(CURED SALMON)

Steps:

• Place the salmon fillet, skin side down, on a rimmed baking sheet(if aluminum, line with plastic wrap) or large flat platter.
• Combine the sugar, pepper-salt, and black pepper, and sprinkle evenly over the fish.
• Scatter the ginger julienne and cilantro evenly on top.
• Cover with plastic wrap.
• Place another baking sheet over the salmon. weight it down with a 3-5 pound weight.
• Refrigerate for at least 24 hours, or for better flavor, up to 3 days.
• Every 8-10 hours, drain off any liquid that collects in the bottom of the pan.
• To serve, discard the ginger and cilantro.
• Slice the gravlax very thinly on the diagonal with a long and thin bladed sharp knife.

GRAVLAX, SALT-CURED SALMON

Steps:

• It's best to buy two sides of the same salmon, or at least two opposites sides that are fairly close in size.
• The above ingredients are for 1lb of salmon, so adjust (presumably) upwards as required.
• Defrost salmon and pat dry with paper towels.
• Remove any bones you detect with clean pliers.
• Lay flat on a baking sheet covered with plastic wrap, skin side down, so that you can easily flip one side onto the other, back the way they would be if it were a whole fish.
• Take the salt, sugar and pepper and mix thoroughly in a bowl.
• Evenly apply the salt/sugar/pepper mix onto the salmon flesh, being careful to cover every part, with a little less for the thin ends, and more on the thicker parts.
• Sprinkle the dill over the salted fish.
• Flip one side over onto the other making a sandwich.
• Place one end of a long strip of muslin underneath the fish.
• Roll the fish over toward you, and tug a little on the muslin to tighten. Repeat until out of muslin.
• You don't need to tug very hard, each time you do it the pressure increases more and more.
• Place the fish on the baking sheet to catch drips and place in the fridge.
• Turn once or twice per day for three days.
• Unwrap, and rinse off the cure mix and dill quick as you can so the salmon doesn't soak too much. Carefully pat dry with paper towels. This will keep for a week or freeze for 3 months.
• With a sharp knife carefully slice on the diagonal to get slices as thin as you can without them falling to bits, leaving the skin.
• With practice you can become pretty good at this.

SALMON GRAVLAX WITH BUCKWHEAT BLINI

Steps:

• Remove the zest of the lemon with a vegetable peeler in fat strips and toss it in a bowl. Add the salt, sugar, white peppercorns, and dill; rub all the ingredients together with your hands to release the oils in the zest and dill. Lay the fish out on a large sheet pan or glass baking dish. Pack the salt mixture on top of and around the salmon. Cover with another sheet pan and place a brick or heavy can weight on top to press out the moisture from the salmon. Refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours to cure the fish. Scrape the salt mixture off the salmon and lightly rinse the fish under cool water; pat dry with paper towels. The cured salmon will be firm but pliable.
• To set up the presentation, lay the salmon on a large wooden cutting board. (The whole fish looks great as a center piece on the table, so only slice a quarter of the gravlax at a time.) With a very sharp knife slice the salmon New York Deli-style; paper-thin on a slight angle. Serve the cured salmon with the blini, the dill creme fraiche, and radish-lime salsa on the side. This is an interactive hors d'oeuvre: let your friends attack it, then slice more as needed.
• To prepare the blini, in a large bowl, proof the yeast in the warm milk for 10 minutes, stirring to dissolve. In another large bowl, sift the all-purpose flour, buckwheat flour, salt, and sugar together. Make a well in the center and pour in the yeast mixture, melted butter, and egg yolks (reserve the whites) and whisk until smooth. Cover with a towel and let it rise in a warm place for 1 1/2 hours.
• Just before you are ready to cook the blini, beat the egg whites until stiff, then fold them into the batter. Place a griddle or non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and brush it with a little melted butter. Pour 1 tablespoon of the batter into the pan, to make pancakes about 3 inches in diameter. Cook for about 30 seconds, then flip them over with a spatula and cook another 30 seconds. Stack the blini on a platter and wrap them in a cloth napkin to keep them warm.
• Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until combined.
• Yield: 3/4 cup
• Put all the salsa ingredients in a food processor and pulse 5 times to combine. Put it in a bowl and serve.
• Yield: 2 1/2 cups

SALMON GRAVLAX TARTARE ON CRISP POTATO SLICES

Steps:

• For the Gravlax Cure:
• Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. You can make the cure in advance and it will keep, stored in an airtight jar out of the sunlight, for up to 6 months.
• For the Tartare:
• In a medium bowl, mix the salmon with 2 tablespoons of the Gravlax Cure and then add the olive oil, snipped chives, orange zest, and pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight, or for at least 6 hours. Serve topped with a scattering of freshly minced dill on a Crisp Potato Slice or an English cucumber slice.
• Strew some more minced dill on the plate or tray that you're using to pass the hors d'oeuvres - then the Crisp Potato Slices won't skid around and the cucumber will be easier to pick up.
• For The Crisp Potato Slices:
• Position a rack in the top third of the oven and preheat to 350°F.
• Arrange the potatoes in a single layer on a baking sheet; brush each slice with oil, then turn them and brush the other side. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake for 10 minutes, then turn slices and bake for another 5 minutes. Remove all crisp slices with a spatula and continue cooking any slices that look like they need more time. Cool on a rack, then use immediately or store in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

EASY SALMON GRAVLAX

Steps:

• Remove the zest of the lemon with a vegetable peeler in fat strips and toss in a bowl. Add the salt, sugar and dill and crush or "muddle" them together using a mortar or a big wooden spoon to release the oils in the lemon rind and the flavor of the dill.
• Select a sheet pan with sides that will hold the fish, line it with plastic wrap and place the fish in the sheet pan. Pack the salt mixture on top of and around the salmon. Cover with plastic wrap and place another sheet pan of the same size on top of the fish. Cover a large concrete paving brick that fits in your pan with plastic wrap (to protect your pan) and place it on top of the top pan to compress the fish to press the moisture out of the fish. Refrigerate for 36 to 48 hours depending on the thickness to cure the fish. Scrape the salt mixture off the salmon and lightly rinse the fish under cool water, pat dry with paper towels. You can serve the whole gravlax at a party on a cutting board, or slice into 4 inch sections and vacuum seal and refrigerate until you need them.

SALMON WITH GRAVLAX SAUCE

Steps:

• In a small glass or stainless-steel bowl, whisk together the mustard and water. Let sit for 10 minutes.
• Whisk in the mayonnaise, honey, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon dill.
• Heat the broiler.
• Rub the salmon on both sides with the oil.
• Put the pieces in a broiler pan or on a baking sheet, skin-side down, about 2 inches apart.
• Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon dill, and the pepper.
• Broil the fish until golden brown and just barely done (the fish should still be translucent in the center), about 6 minutes for a 1-inch-thick fillet.
• Serve the salmon with the sauce alongside.
• NOTE:.
• Fish Alternatives,.
• Because it goes so well with the sauce, salmon is hard to beat for this recipe. However, other thick fillets, such as grouper, sturgeon, or halibut, can be substituted.
• Tip:.
• If you broil or roast salmon fillet with the skin and want to serve it skinless, cook the fillet skin-side down and then simply slide a large spatula between the cooked flesh and the skin and lift the fillet. It's especially easy if you don't oil the skin or pan so that the skin sticks to the pan. Line the pan with aluminum foil for easy clean up.

GRAVLAX (FRESH SALMON MARINATED IN DILL)

Steps:

• 1. For the sauce, mix the mustard, vinegar and sugar in a small bowl.
• 2. Gradually whisk in the oil.
• 3. Stir in the dill.
• 4. Refrigerate, tightly covered, up to three days.
• 5. Whisk again before using.
• 6. Serve slightly chilled.
• 7. Run your fingers down the flesh side of each fillet to locate the small pin bones and remove them with tweezers or needle-nose pliers.
• 8. Wipe the flesh with a damp paper towel.
• 9. Combine the salt, sugar and peppercorns in a small bowl.
• 10. Rub the mixture onto the flesh side of both fillets.
• 11. Sprinkle the dill evenly over 1 fillet and lay the other fillet flesh-side down on top, placing the thin end of one over the thick end of the other.
• 12. Place the salmon in a large plastic bag, press out the air and seal tightly.
• 13. Put the salmon on a platter and lay a cutting board or baking sheet on top and weight it down with three 1- to 2-pound cans of food.
• 14. Refrigerate 36 to 48 hours, turning the bag of fillets over every 12 hours.
• 15. Lift fillets from the bag and discard the bag and accumulated liquid.
• 16. Scrape the seasonings off the fish and pat dry. (Fillets can be wrapped in plastic and stored in the refrigerator up to 10 days before serving -- see note below.)
• 17. Place one fillet, skin side down, on a large serving platter (with head end to the left for right-handed people).
• 18. Hold the knife blade tilted so you'll be slicing down through the fillet at a 45-degree angle (rather than straight up and down).
• 19. Begin slicing at the head end, making a 1/8-inch-thick slice.
• 20. At the bottom of slice, turn the knife blade gently to separate the slice from the skin.
• 21. Using the knife, turn the slice over to the left as if turning the page of a book.
• 22. Continue cutting 1/8-inch slices on the angle, separating each from the skin and turning each slice over to partially overlap the previous one.
• 23. Repeat with remaining fillet.
• 24. Garnish with fresh dill and serve with Mustard Dill Sauce and rye or dark bread.

SALMON GRAVLAX

Steps:

• SET THE SALMON, skin side down, on a rimmed tray or baking sheet.
• Stir together the dill, salt, sugar, brandy, oil, and pepper.
• Spread the mixture over the salmon, packing it down gently.
• Cover the salmon with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 48 hours.
• FOR THE DRESSING, in a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard, shallot, and garlic with 1 teaspoon of the marinade from the gravlax.
• Whisk in the oil, then refrigerate until needed.
• JUST BEFORE SERVING, brush the dill mixture off the fish and cut the salmon into very thin slices.
• Arrange the salmon slices on a serving platter or individual plates.
• Drizzle some of the honey mustard dressing over it, serving the rest separately.