I know, you probably thought I am procrastinating on the bacon post. Well, lucky for me bacon has a built in procrastination phase called curing. Bacon is like the baking of cooking… it requires patience. The bacon takes a week to cure so I thought i’d make a little treat in-between called Gravlax. Gravlax is cured salmon but the plus side is that it only needs to cure for 48 hours. Ready to make some Gravlax?
First you will need:
Ingredients:
1 salmon fillet
1/4 cup salt ( Corase sea salt works best )
1/4 cup sugar ( optional but it helps round out the salty flavors )
1 Tbs. Smoked Paprika
2 Tbs. Cumin seeds
1 Tbs. fresh cracked pepper
1 Bunch of fresh Dill
Directions:
Combine together all the spices and the fresh dill.
Spread and even layer on a large baking dish…
Place your salmon fillet on top of the curing mixture.
Rub the rest of the curing mixture onto your fillet.
Cover it in plastic wrap..or just use a big ziploc if it is easier but make sure to press all of the air out. Plastic wrap is my nemesis, yet I used it anyways…bad choice.
At this point you can put something on top of the salmon to press it down…but I find if you do this sometimes the salmon can come out too dry. I would just wrap it tight in plastic ( or a ziploc ) and flip the fish half way through ( 24 hours if you do the math ).
After you unwrap your fillet, wash off all of the curing mixture.
You will notice it is now a darker color. Time to slice!
You want to slice starting at the bottom and moving towards the tail…making sure not to slice into the skin.
Once you are done slicing that you are good to consume. Gravlax can be served as an appetizer, eaten as a snack or as a salad. I chose to go the salad route.
For the salad I sliced up some avocado and tossed some spring mix with some dijon mustard vinaigrette ( dijon, coconut vinegar, and olive oil ).
I know it may seems strange to eat “raw” salmon but don’t knock it till you try it! Makes for a great Omega 3 rich snack.
Happy curing!
