Home Cured

Gravlax: The delicate pink ribbons of salt-cured salmon found on the ubiquitous brunch menu, often fetching upwards of $50 a pound. But don’t be fooled, this Nordic luxury is unexpectedly easy to make at home. With only a few ingredients and a couple of days lead time, you can cure your own. And, the best part about making homemade gravlax is, that once cured, it’s ready and waiting to be sliced and draped on top of a bagel, toast, or eggs.

Gravlax:

1 1⁄2 -2lb Salmon fillet, very fresh and good quality, with skin left on

120g Kosher salt

120g Light brown sugar

2g Pepper, freshly ground

30ml Vodka

20g Dill, roughly chopped

Remove any bones and wipe the salmon with a paper towel to make sure there aren’t and

scales or other debris. Set aside. In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the rest of the ingredients to make the cure. Sprinkle about 1⁄3 of the cure into the bottom of an appropriate sized tupperware container. Lay the salmon fillet on top, skin side down, and sprinkle the rest of the cure on and around the salmon, making sure it is coated evenly. Cover the tupperware and place it into the refrigerator for two days to cure.

After two days of curing, remove the salmon from the fridge. Rinse the fillet under cold water to remove the cure and any dill that is stuck to it. Once rinsed, dry the salmon with paper towel and slice as thinly as possible on a heavy bias, leaving behind the salmon skin. (I like to discard the first slice that will have a majority of exterior of the fillet.)

Tip: Gravlax is great when accompanied by crème fraîche, cream cheese, pickled onions,

capers, etc.)