My salmon gravlax recipe (also known as Salmon Gravadlax) is a delicious, succulent and seriously crowd pleasing recipe that is a perfect for any festive season.
My Salmon gravlax recipe is a real convivial centrepiece that takes pride of place on the table and keeps guests coming back for more; the ultimate Thanksgiving recipe or Christmas recipe.
Exceptionally easy to make at home, Gravlax or Gravadlax is basically the end result of home cured salmon.
Love Salmon? Check out my other salmon recipes!
Originally a Nordic recipe that was created as a means of preserving the fish; like most recipes they derive from function and then years later become a delicacy. Gravlax is predominantly cured in a salt and sugar mixture and then flavoured with a variety of flavours.
My Salmon gravlax recipe is so easy and a real head turner, I have done Trout Gravalax but I think Salmon works better. I love this salmon recipe for being so utterly versatile; add beetroot, dill, vodka, ouzo, whatever you want.
Salmon Gravalx is ideal for entertaining and definitely has the ‘wow’ factor! Watch my video recipes to see how to cure salmon at home to make your own Salmon Gravlax.
Make a whole side of salmon and enjoy – it keeps for ages.
Watch my video recipes of to see how to make your own home cured salmon Gravlax:
Salmon Gravlax Recipe – Ingredients:
1 large filleted salmon side, skin on – fresh as possible (or previously frozen will be OK).
Couple of shots of Ouzo (vodka or gin will also work!)
Handful of fresh dill
2 cups of course sea salt
1 cup white caster sugar
1/2 cup of brown sugar
Spices: 1 star anise, 8 cloves, 2 sticks of cinnamon, 2 bayleaves, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, black pepper corns…
NB. You can use whatever spices you want; fundamentally, the ‘cure’ is the salt and sugar – the rest are seasonings to your preference!
Salmon Gravlax Recipe – Method:
- First, make the salmon cure – grind all your spices (pestle and mortar work fine – doesn’t have to be to fine) and add to a bowl. Put the sugars and salt into the same bowl and mix well.
- Sprinkle a bit of course salt at the bottom of a large roasting tray and lay your salmon skin side down on top of the salt (make sure it has a good lip around the edge as the salmon will expel a lot of liquids during the curing process).
- Liberally drizzle half the Ouzo over the salmon (a good couple of shots) and gently rub into the flesh.
- Sprinkle your ‘cure’ of sugars, salt and spices all over the salmon covering the entire surface and around the sides (don’t worry if you still see a little of the salmon edges). Pat this down gently over the salmon.
- Reserve a couple of bunches of dill for garnish and break up the remaining dill into bunches by hand (nothing fine) just enough to cover the entire fish and place on top of the salted fish. Drizzle the rest of the Ouzo over the salmon.
- Using clingfilm tightly cover the salmon tucking the sides of the cling film under the fish. Then cover a again over the top of the fish (just to stop flavours permeating other food in your fridge or vice versa!). Place a plate or smaller baking tray directly on top of the salmon and pop into your fridge placing plenty of items on top of the baking tray to add some weight on top of the fish.
- Leave in the fridge for 2 days minimum ideally 3. Periodically pour away some of the liquid from the tray.
- After 2-3 days, remove the cling film and salmon from the tray and gently wipe away the curing salts from the fish (try to wipe in the direction of the grain of the salmon so you don’t ‘rough’ up the surface. Run the salmon briefly under cold running water to remove any bits of salt and pat dry.
- Finally, place on a nice chopping board, (at this stage you could sprinkle a small dash of Ouzo over the fish and massage this into the flesh – but only a few drops for seasoning). Finely chop the remaining dill and sprinkle all over the salmon and pat down.
- With a very sharp knife thinly slice from the tail end of the salmon and leave in place for guests to pick at!
Goes well with bagels, horseradish cream cheese, wonky Christmas hats and of course, a glass of champagne!
Horseradish Mayonnaise or Cream Cheese:
Just add a few tablespoons of mayonnaise or cream cheese to a bowl, add a couple of teaspoons of horseradish, drizzle of olive oil and mix well.
PS. If you want to make canapes. Simply cut up some toasted bagels, add a little horseradish creamcheese, place a piece of gravlax on top and garnish with a dollop of horseradish creamcheese and a tiny sprig of mint!