Gravlax-cured salmon

This is a traditional Scandinavian recipe for gravlax, or lox, cured salmon, dill-cured salmon as it is also called. This way of curing salmon is used in Sweden, Finland, and other parts of Scandinavia. The salmon is seasoned with dill, a traditional nordic spice. This recipe is not smoked.

What is cured salmon?

Cured salmon is a fresh, raw salmon filet that is preserved with salt, sugar, and spices to keep it for longer. Cured salmon is also called lox, belly lox, gravlax. In Swedish and Norwegian, it is gravlax; in Finnish graavilohi, Danish call it gravet laks.

Salmon can also be smoke-cured; this means the raw, salted file is hung in a smoking box, where it gets a smoky aroma. The fish temperature does not rise, and the flesh is matured only by salt. This is called kallrökt in Swedish and kylmäsavustettu in Finnish.

The process is quite time-consuming when done by yourself, but this type of salmon is sold in every grocery store in Scandinavia.

Difference between lox and gravlax?

Lox is often cured with only salt. Gravlax is cured with salt, sugar, and dill. Gravlax can also be flavored with konjac, honey, and other aromatics.

Ingredients and replacements for gravlax

• Salmon
• Coarse sea salt
• Sugar
• Fresh dill
• Pepper

Gravlax can be made from salmon or different types of trouts like rainbow trout. Finns love, especially the rainbow trout. It is farmed here, and the flesh is a bit firmer and less fatty than salmon.

Lox is made from a D-cut file. At least here in Finland, this means the salmon filet has the skin on, but the bones, white abdominal membranes, and fins are removed. You can see a D-cut file in the picture above. This is ¼ of a big salmon bought as a whole.

Importance of sugar

When cured with salt, salmon gets quite hard since it loses a lot of liquid. Sugar helps it not to feel as hard. Sugar helps the fish filet to remain soft.

What salt to cure salmon?

Coarse ground sea salt is the traditional one. Mountain salts work great for curing, like Himalayan salt and pink salt.

Use fine ground salt to make cured salmon since it absorbs and melts faster quickly. You can use Iodised salt, but the iodine can form a thin membrane on the surface, especially if you make smoke-cured salmon.

You can use smoked salt if you want a subtle smoky taste without smoking. Depending on the level of smokiness, use the whole amount of smoked salt or half of the amount. You can even use liquid smoke to give a smoke aroma on the surface.

Tip: Use two tablespoons of coarse salt for 2 pounds of salmon

Seasoning of gravlax

Gravlax is seasoned with fresh dill. You can also use dried dill if you don't have some fresh one. Pink pepper is also commonly used for seasoning. The berries' brown seed has some bitter flavor, so the peppercorns husk is best used as flavoring. These give some floral tones; some like it, some don't.

Black pepper can be used as a flavoring and also lemon pepper. See below for more ideas on seasoning.

How to choose a quality fish?

If you choose vacuum-packed salmon, make sure it is not close to the end date to ensure it is fresh.

When buying fresh fish, make sure the gills are red, and the eyes are clear. An old fish has a more slimy surface, and the gills have started to become more grayish; eyes are cloudy. The smell also tells much; a fresh fish has not much of a scent.

You must maintain the cold chain until it is finally prepared for food. Remember to pack a thermal bag when shopping for fish in warm weather.

How to make

1. Rinse the file in cold water. Feel then with your fingers if you feel some bones on the flesh. Pick the bones out with your fingers or tweezers.
2. Put your fish on plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
3. Sprinkle the sugar evenly on top. Add the salt. Put more salt on the thick middle part and more thinly on the thin parts.
4. Add some pepper and chopped fresh dill on the surface if you want to.
5. Wrap the filet tightly in plastic or foil. You can also wrap it in baking paper and then in foil. Put it then inside some container box, since it loses liquid.

6. Let the salmon cure in the fridge for at least 12 hours.
7. After curing wipe away the salt and spices. You can rinse it and pat it dry with some paper towel.

Do you need to freeze your salmon before curing?

Farmed salmon has a smaller risk for parasites, but you can never be sure. It is securest to freeze your salmon before curing it to avoid parasites, worms, and bacteria. Freeze the salmon for 24 hours in -4 F (-20C) or four days at -0,4F (-18C) before curing it.

Finnish and Norwegian farmed salmon and rainbow trout have a pretty small risk of worms, so we often use it without freezing. If you are pregnant, remember not to consume raw fish. Raw fish always has a chance of listeria bacteria.

Variations

Cognac cured

Add one tablespoon of cognac to your salmon before adding the salt. Spread it with a brush to get it evenly.

Honey cured salmon

You can use honey instead of sugar on your salmon. Add one teaspoon of honey brush it evenly on the top before adding salt. Warm the honey in the microwave if it is too firm.

Lemon gravlax

You can add sliced lemon to your salmon or add lemon juice on top of the fish. Lemon makes the surface whiter and, so to say, cooks the fish.

Blueberry cured salmon

Adding mashed bilberries on top of your salmon gives a nice purple color to the outer layer, and it looks nice on the cut pieces. The same type of coloration can also be made with beets.

How to serve?

Lox is traditionally served at the Scandinavian Christmas table, but also during summer and different festivities. We eat it just on an average week sometimes since it is so delicious on bread as breakfast or snack.

Lox is a great topping on open-faced sandwiches. It goes especially well with archipelago bread. Try it also with the easy-made potato flatbreads or rye flatbreads.

Gravlax can be served as a main course with boiled potatoes and a sauce. Delicious as cold lunch with a cold potato salad. It is also used to decorate sandwich cakes.- check out my vegan cake variation but instead of carrot lox use the real one.

Sauces that go well with lox

Hovmästarsås-a Swedish mustard sauce

• ½ cup sweet strong mustard
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon salt
• ½ teaspoon white pepper
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• ½ cup rapeseed oil
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh dill

Mix the mustard, sugar, salt, pepper, and vinegar. Add the oil slowly while whipping the sauce at the same time vigorously. Add the dill as last.

Mustardy yogurt sauce

• ½ cup Turkish or Greek yogurt
• 2 tablespoon sweet mustard
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon white or black pepper
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh dill

Mix all ingredients.

Frequently asked questions

Other salmon recipes

• Oven-baked sour cream salmon
• Creamy salmon soup
• Salmon broth
• Smoked salmon sandwich cake
• Salmon foil packets