I love a good gravlax but when it comes to actually making this Swedish specialty, it falls in the same category as sourdough, yogurt and pickles: it takes days to be ready. So it’s rarely on our dinner table.
But with Dubai’s current hot and steamy weather, I’ve been wanting to cut down on time spent over a stove, so I dug out an old gravlax recipe. And so glad I did because it is as easy to prepare as I remembered. It’s also really tasty and light. And we had leftovers for days, which is a wonderful thing.
I choose to omit dill in my version – I know, it’s rather untraditional, but as much as I adore dill, I don’t feel the same about it when it’s paired with cured salmon, don’t ask me why. Instead I use cilantro, which also goes beautifully with it. I serve it with a side salad but depending how hungry you are you can make it with some green leaves or a grain-based one. It also happens to be a show-stopper when you make it for a dinner party.
Ingredients
- A half salmon fillet, between 800g and 1kg, with skin but no bones
- 3 tbsp coriander seeds, crushed
- 1 tsp star anise, crushed
- 1/2 cup rock salt
- 1/8 cup turbinado, coconut or brown sugar
- A bunch of cilantro, chopped
- Zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Make the cure by combining the coriander, star anise, salt and sugar in a bowl
- Spread a third of the cure at the bottom of a large ceramic or pyrex dish that can contain the salmon. Mix the rest of the cure with the cilantro and zest. Set aside.
- Rinse salmon briefly under cold water and pat dry. Remove any small bones and lay salmon skin side down in the dish
- Sprinkle the remaining cure on the salmon evenly and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap. Place a weight on top of the salmon to weigh it down. I use a smaller baking dish but a few cans of beans can also do the trick.
- Leave in the fridge for 48 hours, turning every 12 hours
- Unwrap and remove most of the cure and cilantro. Slice in biais into very thin slices with a well-sharpened knife.
Note: When serving, I like to add a drizzle of good quality extra virgin olive oil, and season with a few crushed coriander seeds and lemon zest.
