Making gravlax sounds scarier than it is. Although it is often considered a luxury food, gravlax is relatively simple to create at home, and adds an elegant touch of color and taste to any formal gathering.
So what exactly is gravlax?
The word gravlax is a combination of two words: “Grav,” meaning to dig or bury, and “lax” meaning salmon. Gravlax is made by “burying” salmon under a layer of salt, dill and curing spices that extracts the moisture from the fish and leaves behind a finely cured salmon.
This gravlax recipe is an easy, DIY at home version, that will both stun your guests and create an elegant centerpiece for your Shabbos table.
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Recipe:
You will need:
2-3 lb salmon (cut in half with the skin on)
½ cup sea salt
1 cup sugar
¼ cup vodka
3-5 beets (raw, shredded)
1 bunch fresh dill
Sauce:
¼ cup mayonnaise
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tbsp fresh dill
1 tbsp horseradish (finely grated)
Directions:
Line a large rectangular glass or ceramic dish with plastic wrap.
Rinse and pat dry the salmon. Remove any remaining bones.
Combine sugar, salt and vodka. Rub half of the mixture on the skin sides of the salmon. Take the remaining salt/sugar mix and add to the shredded beats. Rub the mixture over the flesh sides of the salmon.
Place the skin side of one half of the salmon on the bottom of the dish. Lay the dill over the salmon. Cover dill with the other half of salmon, flesh side down to create a large salmon sandwich.
Wrap the salmon very tightly in the plastic wrap, place a weight over it and refrigerate for 2-4 days, flipping every 12 hours.
Once the curing process is complete, remove from the wrap and scrape off mixture.
Cut thin slices on a bias. Whisk together the sauce ingredients and serve.