Ingredients
- 1 cup kosher salt
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup coarsely cracked black pepper
- 2 large bunches fresh dill
- 1 (4-pound) side fresh salmon, scaled and pin bones removed, rinsed under cold water and patted dry
- Mustard-Dill Sauce for Gravlax, recipe follows
Directions
In a mixing bowl, combine the salt, sugar, and cracked black pepper and mix thoroughly. Set aside.
Place half of the dill sprigs along the bottom of a glass or other nonreactive container large enough to hold the salmon in 1 layer. Place the salmon, skin side down, on top of the dill, then cover the entire salmon with the salt mixture, packing the cure into the salmon. Cover the fish with the remaining dill sprigs. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and place something heavy such as a skillet, weights, or a brick (which needs to be wrapped in plastic wrap), on top of the salmon. Refrigerate the salmon for 24 to 36 hours, turning occasionally to ensure even curing.
Remove the salmon from the refrigerator and wipe off the curing mixture. Using a sharp knife, slice the salmon from the skin, cutting diagonally and making cuts as paper thin as possible. Serve with crispbread, rye crackers or pumpernickel bread, and Mustard Sauce for Gravlax.
Note: Gravlax will keep, refrigerated for several days if wrapped in plastic wrap. For best results, remove as much of the cure from the salmon as possible once it has cured to the desired degree.
Mustard-Dill Sauce for Gravlax:
- 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons Swedish mustard or Dijon mustard
- 6 tablespoons sugar
- 1/3 cup white vinegar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Combine mustard, sugar, vinegar, salt, and pepper in a large bowl and whisk to dissolve the sugar. While continuing to whisk, add the oil in a thin, steady stream until completely incorporated and emulsified. Stir in the dill and adjust seasoning, to taste.
















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By 52like
Minneapolis,
on February 04, 2010
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I made this gravlax for a brunch and everyone loved it. It was moist and had a delicate flavor. I served it with mustard dill sauce, hard boiled eggs, red onion and toast points. I will definitely make this again. Oddly enough, I don't like salmon when it is cooked, but I loved this!
By mrbrenz_11623791
Mount Clemens, MI
on April 26, 2009
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Followed the recipe to the letter. The end product was akin to chewing on a dried out chunk of salt fish (cured for 24 hours. Other recipes call for a ratio of sugar-to-salt of 4:1. I'd like to make gravlax again, but next time I'll try Bobby Flay's "Gravlax" recipe which uses considerably less salt and more sugar for a similarly sized chunk of salmon. Will try soaking this nightmarish creation in warm water to float out the excessive salt content - hate to waste such a nice salmon fillet. Emeril - can't say 'thanks' for this recipe.
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