Gravlax

We made gravlax! Can you believe it? I almost can't believe I was brave enough to eat salmon I cured myself, that's real courage. It was good too!

Lately I've eaten a fair bit of gravlax (at least compared to the none I ate before) since I've been spending time in Sweden. I've never been much of a fan of smoked salmon (blasphemy I know!) but I actually really like gravlax, it's mild and sweet and dilly. A really lovely spring/summer food. So after liking to eat the next step is trying to make (and usually failing to recreate). We attempted it and we succeeded, my Swedish boyfriend approved so I count that as success.

We ate our gravlax with gravlax sauce, new potatoes boiled in salt and dill (served with butter), devilled eggs with caviar and a cucumber salad.

Gravlax     adapted from the Gourmet Traveller

1 large salmon fillet with skin (about 1 kg)

500 gr coarse salt

400 gr sugar

1 cup chopped dill

1/2 cup vodka

• mix together the salt, sugar and vodka
• cover a dish large enough for the salmon fillet (preferably with sides, the salmon leaks) with a large piece of plastic wrap and then another going the opposite way.
• place half the salt mixture on the plastic wrapped dish, then the salmon skin side down. 
• next put the chopped dill on the flesh of the salmon and top with the remaining salt mixture.
• securely wrap up the salmon with the plastic wrap and then place in the fridge. Turn it after 12 hours. 
• After 24 hours remove the salmon from the fridge, unwrap it and clean of all the salt with cold water. Slice thinly (this part is hard). Try slicing, carefully, towards yourself diagonally through the salmon. I know 24 hours doesn't seem like enough, I was skeptical, but it is!
• Serve with gravlax sauce, lemons and sour cream. 

The finished product! It's rather difficult to slice, perhaps practice will help.

Swedish Folk Tune - Andrew Bird