Description
Sure, you can buy smoked salmon and SPUD has some great choices here, but why not try making your own cured salmon gravlax, a Scandinavian-style cold cured salmon. This dish is great with mustard sauce or sour cream, creme fraiche and caviar, use as you would smoked salmon
Ingredients
2 lbs skin-on salmon fillets
1/4 cup gin or vodka
1/4 cup fine sea salt
1/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup coarsely chopped dill, optional
Instructions
Rinse the salmon fillets with water and pat them dry with a clean cloth
Check for pin bones by running your hands over the flesh, pulling out with tweezers if necessary.
Drizzle the gin vodka evenly over the fish.
Combine the salt, sugar, and pepper and divide into however many individual fillets you have.
Divide each salt mix in half again and place in a baking pan to mimic the shape of the fillet.
Lay a fillet skin-side down on the mixture and then spread the other half on the top of the fillet and sprinkle with dill. Continue with the other fillets.
Wrap the entire pan with foil or cling film and top it with something heavy like another pot, cast iron pan or brick.
Put in the fridge for at least 12 hours.
Remove from the fridge, unwrap, and discard the accumulated liquid in the pan. Turn over the fillets and wrap the pan and weigh down and refrigerate for another 12 hours.
Remove the fish from the pan and pat dry.
Thinly slice the gravlax against the grain using a VERY sharp knife.