Gravlax on a bagel with cream cheese

Makes 10 servings

Serve this with dill mustard sauce (we’ve included the recipe below) and some hearty brown bread with good butter.

Ingredients

  • 1 salmon fillet (3 to 3 1/2 lb), skin on
  • 1/4 cup coarse sea salt
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons crushed black peppercorns
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 5 1/2 cups dill sprigs

Directions

  1. Scale the salmon and cut off the tail section where it begins to taper. (You can skin and save this offcut to grill or sauté and serve as a light snack or lunch.) Cut across the remaining filet to form 2 equal halves.
  2. Line a glass, stainless steel, or plastic container with plastic wrap and place 1 piece of the fillet in, skin side down. In a small bowl, mix the salt, sugar, pepper, and lemon zest together. Sprinkle half of this mixture over the salmon fillet in the container.
  3. Roughly chop one bunch of dill along with the stems of a second bunch and dress this on top of the salmon. Reserve the remaining dill to dress the cured gravlax. Sprinkle the remaining seasoning mixture over the second half of the fillet, and then place it on top of the dill on the first fillet, skin side up, to form a sandwich.
  4. Cover the salmon tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 48 hours, turning the salmon every 12 hours. It’s best to begin this process in the early morning or evening so you don’t disturb your sleep!
  5. After 48 hours, unwrap the gravlax and discard the chopped dill, washing the fillets under cold running water to remove all cure ingredients. Pat the fish dry with paper towels and lay them down on plastic wrap. Chop the reserved dill and dress the gravlax to give it a green coat. Wrap the finished gravlax and store it in the refrigerator. It will keep for 1 to 2 weeks, depending on its handling.
  6. To serve, slice the gravlax as thinly as you would smoked salmon. The dill will give each slice its characteristic green edge.

Dill Mustard Sauce

Makes 1 pint

This sauce is a classic accompaniment to gravlax but will go well with any smoked fish.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
  • 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
  • 6 1/4 cups dill, picked and chopped
  • 1/4 cup whole-grain mustard
  • 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • Salt, as needed
  • Ground black pepper, as needed
  • Dash of Tabasco
  • Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Directions

  1. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl until well combined and serve.

 

 

CIA FOODIES

Gravlax

Gravlax on a bagel with cream cheese
Makes 10 servings Serve this with dill mustard sauce (we’ve included the recipe below) and some hearty brown bread with good butter.

Dill Mustard Sauce

Makes 1 pint This sauce is a classic accompaniment to gravlax but will go well with any smoked fish.    

Ingredients

  • 1 salmon fillet (3 to 3 1/2 lb), skin on
  • 1/4 cup coarse sea salt
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 teaspoons crushed black peppercorns
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 5 1/2 cups dill sprigs

Directions

  1. Scale the salmon and cut off the tail section where it begins to taper. (You can skin and save this offcut to grill or sauté and serve as a light snack or lunch.) Cut across the remaining filet to form 2 equal halves.
  2. Line a glass, stainless steel, or plastic container with plastic wrap and place 1 piece of the fillet in, skin side down. In a small bowl, mix the salt, sugar, pepper, and lemon zest together. Sprinkle half of this mixture over the salmon fillet in the container.
  3. Roughly chop one bunch of dill along with the stems of a second bunch and dress this on top of the salmon. Reserve the remaining dill to dress the cured gravlax. Sprinkle the remaining seasoning mixture over the second half of the fillet, and then place it on top of the dill on the first fillet, skin side up, to form a sandwich.
  4. Cover the salmon tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 48 hours, turning the salmon every 12 hours. It’s best to begin this process in the early morning or evening so you don’t disturb your sleep!
  5. After 48 hours, unwrap the gravlax and discard the chopped dill, washing the fillets under cold running water to remove all cure ingredients. Pat the fish dry with paper towels and lay them down on plastic wrap. Chop the reserved dill and dress the gravlax to give it a green coat. Wrap the finished gravlax and store it in the refrigerator. It will keep for 1 to 2 weeks, depending on its handling.
  6. To serve, slice the gravlax as thinly as you would smoked salmon. The dill will give each slice its characteristic green edge.

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
  • 1/3 cup Dijon mustard
  • 6 1/4 cups dill, picked and chopped
  • 1/4 cup whole-grain mustard
  • 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • Salt, as needed
  • Ground black pepper, as needed
  • Dash of Tabasco
  • Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Directions

  1. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl until well combined and serve.

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