Gravlax has a history reaching back to the Middle Ages in Scandinavia, when cultures dependent on fishing made a salted and lightly fermented dish by burying fish in the sand above the high-tide line. The name of the dish is derived from this history, combining gräva/grave, meaning “to dig,” and lax/laks, meaning “salmon.” In modern times, this Nordic preparation of raw salmon cured in a mixture of salt, sugar, and dill has remained a favorite Swedish and Danish appetizer. Gravlax was popularized in the United States by legendary TV chef Julia Child, who provided a recipe in one of her influential cookbooks after her move to Norway in 1959. While fermented gravlax is not often made in the United States, gravlax seasoned for varying amounts of time can be found in the northern Midwest. Some quick American-style recipes for gravlax take less than an hour to prepare, but longer seasoning times are more traditional. The secret to gravlax is extended time—leaving the dish to cure in salt for several days gives it a deep, rich savor.
Recipe Servings: 8
+ 36 hours resting
Ingredients
For the gravlax:
- 1 Tbsp whole white peppercorns
- 1 cup fresh dill, roughly chopped
- 8 oz rock salt
- 8 oz white sugar
- 2 lb salmon, sashimi-grade, bones removed and skin on
For the mustard cream sauce:
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp mustard powder
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Lemon juice or zest, to taste
To serve:
Directions
- In a small bowl, combine the cream, Dijon mustard, and mustard powder, and mix thoroughly, seasoning to taste with salt, pepper, and lemon juice and/or zest.
- Crush the peppercorns using the side of a knife. Combine the peppercorns, salt, sugar, and dill in a small bowl.
- Prepare a work surface, covering it with two large, slightly overlapping pieces of cling wrap. Spread half of the salt mixture out on the area that will be covered by the salmon. Place the salmon, skin side down, on the salted cling wrap and top with the rest of the salt mixture. Then close the wrap and place the packaged salmon in a large dish.
- Cover the dish with a flat top and three 14-ounce “weights”—a plate weighted with cans works well. Refrigerate, covered, for 12 hours.
- Then remove the salmon and turn it over. Replace the wrap and the weights and return to the refrigerator. Repeat the removal and turning process after a final 12 hours.
- Unwrap the salmon and remove the salt, first by scraping and then by rinsing. Pat dry.
- To serve, sprinkle dill over all. Slice the gravlax at the angle, leaving the skin on, and serve with toasted bread, mustard sauce, dill, and lemon wedges.
To make the mustard cream sauce:
To make the gravlax:
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