Homemade Gravlax
From Gastronaut, BBC Books
Deeply satisfying. A simple but rich dish with a three-day curing time to test your patience.
2kg fresh salmon cut from the middle of a large fish – split in half (it’s essential that you have two matching halves), cleaned, filleted and scaled (all of which your fishmonger should do for you)
1 large bunch of dill
50g coarse salt
50g caster sugar
2 tablespoons coarsely ground white pepper (black will do)
Make sure that the fishmonger removes all the bones, including the pinbones (the small lateral bones). If any pinbones remain use some fish tweezers or a clean pair of pliers to extract them.
Wash and dry the dill. Place half of the fish skin-side down on a small dish (glass, stainless steel or a casserole) ans spread the dill on top. In another bowl combine the salt, sugar and peppercorns and spread this evenly on top of the dill. Place the other salmon piece on top, skin-side up to make a salmon and dill sandwich. Cover it with foil and put a heavy dish on top, weighed down with something handy – 4 or 5 cans of food should do. Put in the fridge for 2-3 days, turning it over every 12 hours or so and basting each half with the juices that are released, before replacing the weights.
After your 2-3 days have elapsed, carefully scrape the dill and seasoning away andpat dry with kitchen roll. Slice the salmon diagonally very thinly, discarding the skin, and serve with lemon wedges, toast and a cucumber salad.
