minow@decvax.UUCP (Martin Minow) (07/30/85)
Gravlax (Swedish dill-cured Salmon) uses a salt-sugar mixture to cure
the fish. The fish is flavored by dill and whatever else is handy.
(I've used gin, Julia Child used cognac in "Julia Child and Company").
Two things to look out for: don't skimp on the salt -- the proportion
of salt to fish is important to preserve the fish. While gravlax can
be made from frozen fish (let it half-defrost fisrt), it is much better
with fresh fish. The following presents a "master" recipe and several
variations.
Get a whole fish, clean it and remove the head. Split into two
filets, removing the backbone but leave the skin on. Dry off
the filets and remove all the little bones.
Cure:
For a 2-3 pound fish (recipe from Swedish equivalent to Joy of Cooking)
2 tbsp whole white pepper or 1 tbsp whole white pepper
and 1 tbsp whole allspice.
4 tbsp salt
2-4 tbsp sugar (I'd use only 2)
two bunches of dill (lots of dill)
For a 4 pound fish: From English version 1:
2 tbsp salt, 2 tbsp sugar
3 tbsp whole white pepper
plenty of dill
For a 3-4 pound fish: From English version 2:
2/3 cup salt
1/2 cup sugar
20 whole white pepper
For a 1 and 1/2 pound filets (the last time I made it):
1/3 cup salt
1/3 cup sugar (but it was a bit too sweet)
3 tbsp white pepper, 2 tbsp allspice, 3 tbsp gin
2 bunches of dill
In any case, crush the peppers in a morter, add the salt and sugar.
and press the mixture into the filets.
In a glass or ceramic dish, put some dill on the bottom, then one
of the filets, skin side down, then more dill, then the other
filet, skin side up. Put the thick side of one filet against the
other's thin side. Cover with plastic wrap (NOT ALUMINUM FOIL) and
put a cutting board or similar on top with some weight on it (a couple
of beer cans or somesuch).
Put it in the refrigerator for a day or so. (Thin filets are
ready in 24 hours, thicker in two days.) Turn the filet over
once or twice. Pour off the brine -- otherwise the fish will
be too salty. The fish will keep for a week in a refrigerator
(pour off the brine first).
Cut off either thin (nearly horizontal) slices, or thick
vertical slices, to taste. (Don't cut through the skin).
Serve as an appetizer on thin slices of buttered rye bread
(with a little lemon juice and some finely chopped dill), or
as main dish with boiled new potatoes and "Maitre'd sauce":
3 tbsp dark french coarse-ground mustard (the kind in the
earthenware crock -- Pommery). Not ballpark mustard!
1 tbsp sugar.
1/2 tsp salt.
a little ground white pepper
1 tbsp vinegar
6 tbsp olive oil.
more finely chopped dill (six tbsp or so)
Mix the mustard, sugar, salt, pepper, and vinegar together.
Add the oil drop by drop as if making a mayonnaise.
Add the dill. Let the sauce sit for about 10 minutes.
You can broil or grill thick slices of gravlax.
After you've eaten the salmon, you can also cut the skin
in 1/2 inch strips, sear them briefly on the skin side,
and serve them as a garnish.
Here is another Swedish salmon cure, closer to "traditional
Jewish lox". The preparation is quite similar:
To a 2 pound fish:
4 tbsp salt
1 tbsp sugar
Press the salt-sugar mixture into the filets. Put them into a
plastic bag and let them sit in the refrigerator 12-24 hours.
Make a brine consisting of 3 tbsp of salt to a litre of water.
Let the filets sit in the brine (in the refrigerator) for an
additional 24-48 hours. Test after a day to see if the fish
is sufficiently salty. Drain off the brine. The fish will
keep for a week in the refrigerator.
Martin Minow
decvax!minow