There are few things so associated with Swedish cuisine as Gravlax or cured salmon.

A Nordic dish with centuries-old history, the name comes from the meaning ‘to bury’ in Swedish. The large catch of salmon was salted and buried to preserve it and fermented rather than cured. The use of aromatics, such as dill, or beetroot (as in this recipe) came much later.

Gravlax is easy, and tastier made at home. I prefer to make it with equal parts of sugar and salt for a softer and milder meat. If the salmon is wild or not sashimi grade, you must freeze it for a minimum of 48 hours before defrosting and curing. For best results, use two middle sections of the fish as the tail varies in thickness and will result in an uneven cure.

Cure the salmon for 48 hours in the fridge; I like to wash off the salt and sugar after 24 hours and leave it for an additional 24 hours before serving with potatoes and a cold Crème Fraiche sauce. Or serve it as an open sandwich on a toasted, dark rye bread.

Tips: cut the cured salmon in 1 cm strips, dip in oil, and sear lightly in a hot pan.

Prep: 10 min    Cure: 24 – 48 hours

INGREDIENTS

Prep 10 min
Cure 24 to 36 hours

1 kg sashimi grade salmon fillet (2 middle pieces), skin on.
50 ml salt (not mineral salt)
100 ml caster sugar
1 tsp white pepper
Raw sliced beetroot

METHOD

Day 1: Pat the two fillets dry with kitchen roll paper. Mix sugar, salt and pepper and rub the mix on the fillets. Skin down, layer the beetroot slices on top of one of the fillets, and place the other fillet on top flesh down. Leave it for 1 hour to begin the process of curing before refrigerating.

Seal the salmon in large plastic bags or in double wrapped clingfilm, weigh the package down with something heavy.

After 12 hours: turn the wrapped fillets over.

After 24 hours: Remove the salmon from the fridge and pat it dry with kitchen roll. If you want the salmon lightly cured, rinse the fillets. If you want to continue the curing process, put the beetroot back in place and replace the plastic wrapping.

After 36 hours: For a medium cure, rinse the salmon and pat it dry.

After 48 hours: This is common but I find it makes the salmon too salty and hard.