Recipe By :
Serving Size : 8 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Seafood Appetizers
Main Dish
Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
3 lb Fresh salmon fillet -- center
-cut, cleaned & scaled
1 lg Bunch Dill -- fresh, whole
1/4 c Kosher salt (coarse, or
-regular is necessary)
1/4 c Sugar
2 tb White peppercorns (or black)
-crushed
Cut the salmon in half lengthwise and remove the
backbone and the small, freebones, as well, or ask
your fish delaer to do it for you. Leave the skin on.
Place half of the fish, skin side down, in a deep
glass, enamel or stainless steel baking dish or
casserle. Wash and then shake dry the bunch of dill
and place it on the fish. (If the fill is of the
hothouse variety and not very pungent, chop the herb
coarsely to release it's flavor and sprinkle it over
the fish instead.) In a separate bowl, combine the
salt, sugar and crushed peppercorns. Sprinkle this
mixture evenly over the dill. Top with the other half
of the fish, skin side up. Cover with foil and set a
heavy plate or platter on top of it, slightly larger
than the salmon. Weigh it down with cans or jars and
refrigerate for at least 3 days, up to 7 days. Turn
the fish over every 12 hours or so, basting with the
liquid marinade that accumulates, separating the
halves a little to baste the salmon inside. Replace
the platter and weights each time. When the gravlax is
finished, remove the fish from it's marinade and
scrape away the dill and seasonings. Pat dry with
paper towels. Or leave the dill and seasonings in
place. Place the separated halves skin side down on a
carving board and slice the salmon thinly on the
diagonal, detaching each slice from the skin. Gravlax
is served as part of a smorgasbord or as an appetizer
and is usually accompanied by a mustard-dill sauce
(see recipe). When gravlax is presented as a main
course, it is garnished with lemon wedges as well as
the mustard-dill sauce and served with toast and
perhaps a cucumber salad.
