Gravlax
Cooking fish with salt and time. No heat required.
Timing note: 48 hours
Gravlax
Cooking fish with salt and time. No heat required.
Timing note: 48 hours
The Key Move
You are creating a hostile environment for bacteria while pulling moisture out of the fish cells
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The Setup
- Cutting Board
- Chef's Knife
- Spatula
The Mise en Place
4Your prep station before cooking begins
The Protein (0/1)
The Spice Blend (0/1)
The Pantry (0/1)
Other (0/1)
My gravlax tastes way too salty.
Ah, that happens if it cures for more than three days or if you didn't rinse off all that salt properly.
The texture is a bit too soft and mushy.
That usually means the fish wasn't pressed down firmly enough, or perhaps the salmon you started with was a bit watery.
Chef's Notes
Press the salmon firmly to ensure even curing and a dense texture.
Serve thinly sliced with dill, mustard sauce, rye bread, or a squeeze of lemon.
Gravlax can be made up to 3 days ahead. The flavor deepens over time.
The Method
THE RUB
MIX salt, sugar, and crushed pepper. PAT the splash of alcohol onto the fish. PACK the cure (50 g) onto the flesh side like a sandcastle.
THE BURIAL
Cover completely with dill. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap.
THE PRESS
Place in a dish. Put a smaller dish on top. Put soup cans (weights) on top of that. Refrigerate.
Why? The weight forces the water out faster.
THE FLIP
Every 12 hours, FLIP the fish over. Drain the liquid that accumulates in the pan. * ✅ Checkpoint (48 hrs): The flesh should feel firm, like the heel of your hand. If it's squishy, it needs more time.
THE SLICE
Rinse off the cure (50 g). SLICE paper-thin on a bias.
