Gravlax (Scandinavian Cured Salmon)

Salmon cured in salt, sugar, and dill — Scandinavia''s elegant appetizer.

Ingredients

• 1 side of salmon (2 lbs), skin-on, pin bones removed
• 1/4 cup kosher salt
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp cracked black pepper
• 1 large bunch fresh dill
• Mustard-dill sauce: 3 tbsp Dijon, 1 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp white wine vinegar, 1/3 cup oil, 3 tbsp chopped dill

Method

1. Mix salt, sugar, pepper. Spread half on plastic wrap. Lay salmon skin-side down. Pack remaining cure on top. Cover with dill.

2. Wrap tightly. Place on a sheet pan with a weight on top. Refrigerate 48-72 hours, flipping once daily.

3. Unwrap, scrape off cure, rinse briefly, pat dry.

4. Slice paper-thin on the bias. Serve with mustard-dill sauce, dark bread, and capers.

What You're Practicing

• Same curing science as the beet-cured salmon in Ch.08 — salt draws out moisture through osmosis.
• ''Gravlax'' literally means ''grave salmon'' — Vikings buried salmon in sand with salt to cure it.