Hattie the Hen
Deeply Rooted
Hi there! 
I learn't to make this when I was working in Norway. They use their wonderful salmon & sea trout but I have used ordinary trout(Rainbow or Brown varieties).
"Gravad Lax" is a form of pickling of fish. it's actually salting rather than pickling I think & is a short term method of presavation. You can do it with a whole fish or with a smaller piece.
It is mostly eaten like smoked salmon in thin slices.
METHOD:-
Take your whole fish, DO NOT SKIN, Take the whole fillet of the first side,then the 2nd side. Find a long ceramic or glass dish the legth of the fillets. Sprinkle the bottom of the dish with sea salt flakes or crystals ( must be proper salt of good quality ) plus some white sugar & chopped dill -- you want about 6 times the quantity of salt to sugar and the amount of dill depends on tour taste for dill. I use a lot.
Now place your first fillet on this mixture, skin side down. Sprinkle more of the salt, sugar,dill mixture over it. Then pour a LITTLE vodka over this( you can leave this out but I think it tastes much better (then, I would
) . Now place the second fillet on top SKIN SIDE UP this time & sprinkle yet more of the salt etc. mixtur over the whole thing. Cover with plastic wrap & place in frdge with a weight on top. I use a long piece of wood with cans of food to weigh it down. Place in the fridge for two days basting twice a day with the liqid that comes out of the fish. I alternate the position of the two fillets, dipping them in the liquid as I move them (the skin should always stay on the outside). After 2 days a small trout or a piece of salmon would be ready to eat but an entire fish would take 4-6 depending on the size & thickness. When it's ready you take it out of the marinade/ cure & pat dry. You slice it thinly like smoked salmon.
The Scandinavians serve it with hot little new potatoes & a mustard & dill sauce. It is a lovely dish & a great treat in Summer (after their long winters)!
I will give you some more recipes later -- I am having problems with my laptop today, it keeps disappearing my posts. I've written all this twice before.
So I am going to post it now -----I hope 
:rose Hattie :rose
I learn't to make this when I was working in Norway. They use their wonderful salmon & sea trout but I have used ordinary trout(Rainbow or Brown varieties).
"Gravad Lax" is a form of pickling of fish. it's actually salting rather than pickling I think & is a short term method of presavation. You can do it with a whole fish or with a smaller piece.
It is mostly eaten like smoked salmon in thin slices.
METHOD:-
Take your whole fish, DO NOT SKIN, Take the whole fillet of the first side,then the 2nd side. Find a long ceramic or glass dish the legth of the fillets. Sprinkle the bottom of the dish with sea salt flakes or crystals ( must be proper salt of good quality ) plus some white sugar & chopped dill -- you want about 6 times the quantity of salt to sugar and the amount of dill depends on tour taste for dill. I use a lot.
Now place your first fillet on this mixture, skin side down. Sprinkle more of the salt, sugar,dill mixture over it. Then pour a LITTLE vodka over this( you can leave this out but I think it tastes much better (then, I would
) . Now place the second fillet on top SKIN SIDE UP this time & sprinkle yet more of the salt etc. mixtur over the whole thing. Cover with plastic wrap & place in frdge with a weight on top. I use a long piece of wood with cans of food to weigh it down. Place in the fridge for two days basting twice a day with the liqid that comes out of the fish. I alternate the position of the two fillets, dipping them in the liquid as I move them (the skin should always stay on the outside). After 2 days a small trout or a piece of salmon would be ready to eat but an entire fish would take 4-6 depending on the size & thickness. When it's ready you take it out of the marinade/ cure & pat dry. You slice it thinly like smoked salmon.The Scandinavians serve it with hot little new potatoes & a mustard & dill sauce. It is a lovely dish & a great treat in Summer (after their long winters)!
I will give you some more recipes later -- I am having problems with my laptop today, it keeps disappearing my posts. I've written all this twice before.
So I am going to post it now -----I hope :rose Hattie :rose
I finally found a video which shows half the story I was trying to explain in my post. If you watch this & make it like he does that is fine but I tend to use smaller whole fish cut into the two long fillets. I lay them one on top of the other (each with it's skin on the outside; as if you are reassembling the whole fish. Then wrap the whole thing & weight it.
Thanks again 
