This will be the last entree dish in my fishy trifecta.
Gravlax is a fish dish native to the Nordic regions and is made by curing salmon with salt and sugar, and flavoured with other herbs and spices. Gravlax, like smoked salmon, is eaten as finger food or as an entree due to the richness and intensity of its flavours.
There is a nice story about the origins of gravlax. It is said that Nordic fishermen once wrapped cured salmon in cloth and buried it above the high tide mark on the beach in the sand before going on overnight fishing expeditions in the fjords. On their return and after unloading their bountiful catches, they would eagerly dig up their buried and now cured Gravlax and have a well deserved feed.
Like maceration where the acid in the lemon/lime cooks the fish, here both the salt and the sugar cook and preserve the fish, denying bacteria the opportunity to multiply. How well cured you want it depends on how long you leave the salt and sugar in contact with the surface of the fish. Twenty four hours gives a light cure, forty eight hours a medium plus cure. Beyond this the fish would be dry and very well preserved but less enjoyable.
Gravlax fits in well with the culinary culture of Israel as a long lost and more colourful cousin to all those Northern European and Baltic delicacies such as pickled herring and herring rollmops that were introduced to Israel by early Jewish immigrant waves from those regions. I’m personally not a fan of stinky fish type dishes, but gravlax does stand out due to its colour, consistency and unique flavour absorbed during the short curing process.
There are many recipes for gravlax around. Most of the celebrity chefs use a razzmatazz recipe containing grated beetroot which turns the salmon purple, I personally enjoy the bright orange of the au naturel Salmon and shy away from the purple rinse presentation.
I use gravlax regularly as both finger food and as a stylish entree. It is probably the most simple but stylish of the fish entrees you can make.
Ingredients:
- Fresh salmon cut from top of fish (bones removed, skin left on) x 1 kg
- Coarse salt x 250 gram
- White sugar x 250 gram
- Bunch of fresh dill chopped
- 2-3 dried bay leaves crumbled
- Mustard seeds x 1 tablespoon
- English peppercorns x 1 tablespoon
- Anise stars x 2 crushed (optional)
- Coriander seeds x 1 tablespoon (optional)
- Glad Wrap
Method:
Wash the fresh salmon in ice water and pat dry, set aside in fridge. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl.
Stretch out a large enough piece of Glad Wrap. Pour one third of the salt-sugar mixture onto the Glad Wrap where the fish will sit, spread around evenly, place the salmon skin down on the salt-sugar mixture, pour the rest of the curing mixture onto the top of the salmon, spread evenly and wrap the Glad Wrap over the fish making a nice sealed package.
Place in a pan with another weighted pan on top of fish. Place in the fridge and leave to cure to preferred level of curing. I suggest 36-48 hours is best.
After the desired time has elapsed, unwrap fish, brush off the curing mixture, rinse the fish under the tap lightly and pat dry with kitchen paper towel. Take a very sharp knife and slice at a slight angle as thin as you are able.
Entrees can be built using endive or crostini as a base. It goes well with capers, cream cheese with lemon zest, arugula or with the wasabi mayonnaise sauce from the last column as a condiment.
As we are now at the end of January, the next post I think will be one of salad dressings to accompany the light salad dinners we should all be eating after the holiday season excesses. Remember you have to stay healthy to be able to really enjoy the best that food has to offer.
Until next time, play safe and as they say in the frozen north “Hejda” (bye in Swedish) with a friendly smile.
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