Nordic recipe · 30 min
Gravlax (Gravlaks) with Sweet Mustard Sauce
Silky Nordic cured salmon made with just salt, sugar and dill, served with a sweet mustard and dill sauce.
Illustration: AI-generated
Ingredients
- 1¾ lb skin-on salmon fillet, boneless (800 g), previously frozen (see tip)
- 3 tbsp coarse kosher salt
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp crushed white pepper
- 1 large bunch fresh dill
- Sauce: 3 tbsp sweet mustard (Swedish or honey mustard)
- Sauce: 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- Sauce: 1 tbsp sugar
- Sauce: 1 tbsp vinegar
- Sauce: ½ cup neutral oil (100 ml)
- Sauce: 3 tbsp chopped dill
Instructions
Thaw the salmon in the fridge if it has been frozen.
Mix the salt, sugar and pepper. Rub it well into the flesh side of the salmon.
Roughly chop the dill and spread it over the fish.
Wrap the salmon tightly in plastic wrap, place it in a dish and weigh it down, for example with a couple of cans.
Leave it in the fridge for 2 days, turning it once a day.
Scrape off the dill and spices and pat the salmon dry.
Whisk the mustards, sugar and vinegar for the sauce. Whisk in the oil in a thin stream, then stir in the dill.
Slice the salmon thinly at an angle with a sharp knife. Serve with the sauce on dark rye bread.
Tip: Gravlax is never cooked, so freeze the salmon first to kill parasites: the FDA recommends −4 °F (−20 °C) for 7 days. Or buy salmon sold as previously frozen for raw use.