The Cure for the Common Gravlax

Looking for something different to spice up your New Year’s Eve Celebration or your New Year’s Day Brunch?  Never fear:  Dorie Greenspan has an easy, home-made Gravlax that will thrill and impress your guests but take you little time in the kitchen.

In true Dorie fashion, she has created an elegant dish with an emphasis on the prime ingredient and a modicum of preparation.  After all, the best dishes are about quality ingredients that shine through – which is exactly what happens with this Gravlax.  We thought this would be a wonderful Christmas Day delicacy, and it indubitably was.

Making Gravlax is simple.  Select a piece of fresh, uncooked salmon (make sure it is deboned), make a salt, sugar and spice cure that is rubbed liberally on both sides of the salmon, swathe in fresh dill, cover in plastic wrap, and weight down with 3-32 ounce cans of whatever is in your pantry and refrigerate for 48-72 hours (the curing time is critical, so make sure you take this into account when planning to serve the Gravlax).  We chose a center filet of Scottish Salmon that had been deboned by the fishmonger.  In our case, there was skin on one side, so it was necessary to punch some holes through the skin so the cure could seep into the meat.  Skinless salmon will work just as well and is easier to cut for presentation.

The result was a light, fresh fish taste with good texture and color.  The lightness contributes greatly to the versatility of this dish, a fact not lost on Sous Chef.  He was particularly pleased the salmon was neither smoked nor encumbered by a contrived smoky flavor.  However, while Dorie suggests serving the salmon with a combination of dill and Honey Dijon Mustard, Sous Chef found this topping too saccharine for his taste and added some Crème Fraiche to cut down on the sweetness a bit.

 For your next party, create a Gravlax Bar by putting out an array of accompaniments that will allow your guests to tailor the Gravlax to their personal tastes.  For a base, consider toast points, latkes, blinis, and potato chips.  For toppings, consider Crème Fraiche, Dill Honey Dijon Mustard, caviar (no need for Beluga:  Tobiko or Cuddlefish will do just fine), and fresh Dill.  Just put some Gravlax on a base, add a dollop of topping, and you are ready to go.  For the dieters in the group, this Gravlax is so mild that you can serve it sashimi style with a touch of wasabi and soy sauce drizzled on a plate.  Have a frozen bottle of Russian Standard Vodka or chilled Champagne or sparkling wine available and your guests will think you a consummate hostess or host.