Easy to Make and Versatile: Salmon Gravlax

Any dish with salmon is pretty much a winner for me. Whenever I can get my hands on fresh salmon fillets, one of the dishes I end up making is gravlax. It’s not only simple and easy to make, but gravlax is versatile that it can used to make many delicious dishes.

Tableware

Tableware pieces featured in this post are from Burleigh Pottery’s Asiatic Pheasant collection. All the colors in the Asiatic pheasant collection are absolutely gorgeous and the pattern goes with pretty much anything.

Choosing your Fish

Fresh wild salmon is commonly used to make gravlax, but there are other fish that are excellent for gravlax especially when nice piece of wild salmon is not available. Steelhead trout and arctic char are both mild, fatty fish and sometimes I prefer using them instead of salmon. I think compared to salmon, steelhead and arctic char have more delicate flavors and the flesh taste sweeter which make them all the more perfect to make gravlax with.

Prepping Gravlax

Making gravlax is so simple because you only need three ingredients besides salmon; salt, sugar and dill. I use sea salt and coarse sugar like demerara sugar to sprinkle on top of the salmon. Demerara sugar is made from sugarcane and is light brown in color. Because it has larger crystals than granulated sugar, the absorption of sugar into the fish is slower. I want nice, slow absorption of sugar because I cure my fish two, sometimes three days. By the time the fish completes the curing process, sugar is completely absorbed and gravlax is rich with perfect balance of flavors.

As much as I like to just keep the salmon in my fridge for several days and not worry about it, I can’t. Not if I want fishy gravlax. Important things I have learned from making gravlax so many times are be sure to

• Blot the natural liquid that will seep from the fish
• Change the plastic wrap

Do the above everyday until it’s done and you will get a perfectly moist, buttery, fresh tasting gravlax!

Add Flavor and Flair to your Dishes with Gravlax

Gravlax is yummy on its own, but there are many easy and tasty dishes you can make with it. Gravlax not only adds that extra flavor, but it will make your dish more gorgeous and colorful. Add gravlax to:

• Salads
• Sandwiches
• Pasta

I used gravlax and homemade roasted peppers to make a beautiful sushi plate.

For Easter, I made an appetizer plate and piled slices of gravlax with creamy eggs, capers and tobiko roe on pieces of toast.

Print Recipe

Easy, Simple Gravlax

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Curing Time3 days d

Ingredients

• 1½ lbs wild salmon, steel head or arctic char with skin. Cut in half lengthwise if fillet is large.
• 1 tbsp sea salt
• 1⅔ tbsp demerara sugar
• ½ cup fresh dill

Instructions

• Day 1: Combine salt and sugar. Blot excess moisture from salmon with paper towel. Place salmon fillet skin side down on a sheet of plastic wrap, and sprinkle sugar and salt on top. Wrap tightly, and chill in the fridge overnight.
• Day 2: Take salmon out of fridge and unwrap. Transfer fillet onto a plate and blot excess moisture with paper towel. Place fish on fresh piece of plastic wrap, skin side down and cover with ¼ cup fresh dill and wrap tightly. Chill in fridge overnight.
• Day 3:

  If 2 days of curing is sufficient, unwrap fillet, remove skin and cut into thin slices before serving.

  If you want to cure for additional day, take fish out of fridge and repeat instructions from Day 2. Remove old dill from fish and replace with fresh dill and chill in the fridge overnight. Unwrap the next day, remove skin and cut into thin slices before serving.