Sweden · 2 days · Fish · Starter · For beginners
Gravad laks
In German: In Dill und Salz gebeizter Lachs · In English: Salmon cured in dill and salt
For 8 servings · US units
Salmon cured with dill, salt and sugar, sliced thin for crispbread
Gravad laks is known as a Swedish dish: raw salmon rests for two days under salt, sugar, pepper and plenty of dill until it turns firm and silky. Sliced thin, it comes to the table with crispbread and lemon wedges, any time of year.
Ingredients
- 1⅓ lbsalmon filletcentre cut, as thick as possible, skin-on, pin bones removed
- 1¾ ozsaltfor the cure; kosher or sea salt, no iodised table salt
- 1¾ ozsugarfor the cure, white or light brown
- 1 tspblack peppercoarsely crushed
- 1 bunchdillfresh, roughly chopped, generous amount
- 2 tbspdrizzled over the flesh and rubbed in before curing (optional)Scandinavian spirit distilled from grain or potatoes and flavoured with caraway, often with dill.Substitute: A caraway schnapps comes closest, or plain vodka in which caraway seeds and a little dill have been steeped for a few days. Both are spicy, but simpler and harsher than aquavit. Gin is not a good substitute, because the juniper overwhelms the caraway.Read more
- 8roughly crushed, added to the cure (optional)Dried blue-black berry cones of the juniper shrub, resinous and spicy with a hint of pine and citrus.Substitute: There is no true substitute; a splash of gin carries the juniper note into sauces and marinades, while a little rosemary with bay leaf only catches the resinous side, not the fruity sweetness.Read more
- 1unwaxed citrus fruitzest grated (orange or lemon), rubbed into the salt and sugar (optional)
- crispbreadfor serving, or rye crackers or crusty bread (optional)
- 1lemoncut into wedges for serving (or lime) (optional)
Method
- Pat the salmon fillet dry and pull out any remaining pin bones with tweezers. If you like, drizzle the flesh with aquavit and rub it in.
- Mix the coarse salt, sugar and coarsely crushed black peppercorns. If using, add the crushed juniper berries and the grated citrus zest, rubbing the zest into the salt and sugar.
- Lay out a large sheet of cling film, scatter part of the cure over it and place the salmon on top, skin side down.
- Spread the rest of the cure evenly over the flesh and cover it with a generous layer of roughly chopped dill.
- Wrap the salmon tightly in the cling film and lay it in a dish. Cover with a board or a second dish and weigh it down with a few tins.
- Leave to cure in the fridge for about 48 hours, turning the parcel every 12 to 24 hours.
- Unwrap the salmon, rinse or scrape off the cure and dill, and pat the fillet dry.
- With a long, sharp knife, cut the salmon at an angle into thin slices, freeing each one from the skin as you go.
- Serve with crispbread and lemon wedges.
Tips and variations
Gin works in place of aquavit for drizzling. For a citrus cure, swap the dill and black pepper for orange zest, juniper and pink peppercorns. The salmon can also be cured without weights, the cure can simply be scattered over the top rather than above and below, and if you only scrape it off instead of rinsing, more of the seasoning stays on the fish. Thawed frozen salmon works too. Rye crackers or crusty bread can stand in for crispbread, and lime for lemon – or serve the slices on crackers with cream cheese, capers and dill.
Allergens
Contains: Fish
May contain if you use the optional ingredients: Cereals containing gluten
Not every ingredient in this recipe has been checked, so nothing is promised as free from.
These notes follow from this recipe's ingredient list. Ready-made products and brands may contain further allergens — please check the packaging yourself.
Something not right?
This recipe was put together from independent sources and checked before publishing. Even so, a mistake can slip through — an amount that does not add up, a step that does not work as written. If you spot something, write to us: we will look into it and put it right.
