About this Dish
Salmon cured in salt, sugar and dill — one of Scandinavia's great culinary achievements. The name means buried salmon, a reference to the medieval practice of burying salmon in the ground to ferment. Now cured for 48-72 hours in the refrigerator. Served thinly sliced with mustard-dill sauce on rye bread. The dill is irreplaceable.
IngredientsServes 6
🐟Fresh salmon fillet, 1kg skin-on, centre cut, pin bones removed
🧂Coarse sea salt, 3 tablespoons
🍬White sugar, 2 tablespoons
🌿Fresh dill, 1 large bunch, roughly chopped including stalks
🫙White peppercorns, 1 tablespoon, coarsely crushed
🍋Lemon zest from 1 lemon
🍞Dark rye bread, sliced, to serve
🟡Swedish mustard or Dijon mustard, 2 tablespoons, for the sauce
🍯Honey, 1 teaspoon, for the sauce
🥣Soured cream or crème fraîche, 3 tablespoons, for the sauce
Method
1
Mix the salt, sugar, crushed white pepper and lemon zest together in a small bowl — this is your curing mixture. Lay a large sheet of cling film on your worktop, big enough to wrap the salmon completely.2
Place half the chopped dill in the centre of the cling film, then lay the salmon skin-side down on top of it. Press the curing mixture evenly all over the flesh side, then pile the remaining dill generously on top.3
Wrap the salmon tightly in the cling film, then place it in a deep dish or tray to catch any liquid. Put a flat board or plate directly on top and weigh it down with tins or a heavy pan — this pressing is important for the texture.4
Refrigerate for 48 to 72 hours, turning the parcel over every 12 hours or so. The longer you leave it, the firmer and more intensely cured the salmon becomes — 60 hours is a great sweet spot for home cooks.5
When ready, unwrap the salmon, scrape off the dill and curing mixture with the back of a knife, and pat the flesh dry with kitchen paper. Do not rinse it.6
Make the mustard-dill sauce by whisking together the mustard, honey and soured cream, then stirring in a good handful of finely chopped fresh dill. Season with a pinch of salt and a squeeze of lemon juice.7
Using your sharpest long knife, slice the gravlax very thinly at an angle away from the skin. Arrange the slices over dark rye bread and spoon over the mustard-dill sauce to serve.User Reviews
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