Use your Dill; make "Gravad Lax" (pickled salmon)

Hattie the Hen

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Hi there! :frow

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 :celebrate) . 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. :barnie :he So I am going to post it now -----I hope :fl :fl

:rose Hattie :rose
 
You mean you are eating this fish raw, just marinaded?
 
Hi Mackay ! :frow

Yes I am but the salting process cures it & kills any bacteria in the same way it does in air-fried hams etc. A lot of people are anxious about this but it is a well tried recipe especially in Scandinavia. When friends try it for the first time they are amazed at the delicate taste -- for some reason they expect it will taste very FISHY -- the opposite is true. In fact I now find that a lot of cooked fish tastes too strong for me -- but then I love Japanese food, sushi & sashimi & I love South American cerviche (all uncooked fish in our sense of the word). :D

Of course you must use the very freshest of fish to begin with!

:rose Hattie :rose
 
Oh my gosh, this sounds so good! If you ever get a chance, could you please post a pic of the layering process? I have probs visualizing lasagna most the time :rolleyes: Keep sharing recipes please...love em' :)
 
Hi there Augustmomx2! :frow



Oh! you set me a task. :lol: 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.

The last of these links is the VIDEO! The others are different recipe variations (& there are many more out there). Each link has a bit of extra info to add to your knowledge. Don't be put off by what looks like a lot of work. Once you have done it you will see that it iis harder to describe than do!! :D A pair of tweezers & a sharp Knife is what you need (unless you have a good & helpful fishmonger). When I had my restaurant we used to prepare a lot of this all the time & we filleted our own fish.

Do try it & let me know how it goes. Sorry I couldn't send photos but my camera is broken. :hit

Good luck! Don't panic if you get stuck PM me -- I'm around everyday & I will get back to you as soon as I get the message......!! :D


:rose Hattie :rose



http://www.xs4all.nl/~alicedj/2009/03/gravad-lax-home-cured-salmon.html

http://www.ciao.co.uk/Recipes_for_Starters__5191985

http://www.bigoven.com/92723-Gravad-Lax-recipe.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/3325408/Readers-recipes-gravlax.html

http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2006/10/gravlax.html

http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-to-make-gravlax-video.html
 
Hattie the Hen said:
Hi there Augustmomx2! :frow



Oh! you set me a task. :lol: 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.

The last of these links is the VIDEO! The others are different recipe variations (& there are many more out there). Each link has a bit of extra info to add to your knowledge. Don't be put off by what looks like a lot of work. Once you have done it you will see that it iis harder to describe than do!! :D A pair of tweezers & a sharp Knife is what you need (unless you have a good & helpful fishmonger). When I had my restaurant we used to prepare a lot of this all the time & we filleted our own fish.

Do try it & let me know how it goes. Sorry I couldn't send photos but my camera is broken. :hit

Good luck! Don't panic if you get stuck PM me -- I'm around everyday & I will get back to you as soon as I get the message......!! :D


:rose Hattie :rose



http://www.xs4all.nl/~alicedj/2009/03/gravad-lax-home-cured-salmon.html

http://www.ciao.co.uk/Recipes_for_Starters__5191985

http://www.bigoven.com/92723-Gravad-Lax-recipe.html

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/3325408/Readers-recipes-gravlax.html

http://www.culinaryanthropologist.org/2006/10/gravlax.html

http://glutenfreegirl.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-to-make-gravlax-video.html
Hattie the Hen you totally rock! Thanks so much for the sites :clap

Just reading your recipe makes my mouth water :drool

You owned a restaurant?!? I bet it was delish :thumbsup Thanks again :)
 
Hi Augustmomx2 :frow

Thank you & you are welcome. I'm sure you will enjoy it. The difference between the stuff you buy & home-made is amazing. It is also so expensive in the shops. Just make sure the fish is absolutely FRESH ! You can also cook the fish after it has been cured if you want a hot meal. Just heat up a dry cast-iron skillet until it is very hot then brush the piece of salmon which you have patted dry & sear it for a short time to heat it through. Serve with a dipping sauce. Its great with hot little new potatoes which are very traditional in Norway. you can do it on the BBQ too -- be careful not to overcook it! :D

Yes, I had a restaurant for about 5 years. It was a family restaurant serving only food made in the building & made from local seasonal ingredients. I tried to keep it reasonably priced & I made a lot of dishes to order for people with food allergies. We made our own bread, cakes & cookies. We also sold the best coffee for miles! I was so sad to close it (due to my illness). I still meet people in the town who mourn its demise! :hit

GOOD LUCK! :frow

:rose Hattie :rose
 
Hattie the Hen said:
Hi Augustmomx2 :frow

Thank you & you are welcome. I'm sure you will enjoy it. The difference between the stuff you buy & home-made is amazing. It is also so expensive in the shops. Just make sure the fish is absolutely FRESH ! You can also cook the fish after it has been cured if you want a hot meal. Just heat up a dry cast-iron skillet until it is very hot then brush the piece of salmon which you have patted dry & sear it for a short time to heat it through. Serve with a dipping sauce. Its great with hot little new potatoes which are very traditional in Norway. you can do it on the BBQ too -- be careful not to overcook it! :D

Yes, I had a restaurant for about 5 years. It was a family restaurant serving only food made in the building & made from local seasonal ingredients. I tried to keep it reasonably priced & I made a lot of dishes to order for people with food allergies. We made our own bread, cakes & cookies. We also sold the best coffee for miles! I was so sad to close it (due to my illness). I still meet people in the town who mourn its demise! :hit

GOOD LUCK! :frow

:rose Hattie :rose
Again, you are making my mouth water :drool Thanks for the tips on preperation too :D

I would mourn the demise of such a fabulous restaurant as well. I suffer from a nut allergy and to have a restaurant where good food is served, that won't kill you (literally) is a rare-find. I'm so sad that you had to close it, due to your illness. That has been a lifelong dream of mine and I'm sure it was yours also :(

Thanks again for the info, I check out the recipe board all of the time to pick up recipes and tips from you. Please keep them coming :bow
 
Oh my gosh! I never dreamed i could make that on my own. I love the salmon they sell in the store, but i cannot bear to pay the price for it. This, i could do! Yum!
 
:frow :frow

Hi PunkinPeep,

It's nice to see this recipe revived -- I think it scares people a bit. They are wary of foodstuffs that are not cooked in a conventual way! But the basic recipe/method has been around for centuries.

As long as you use really sparkling fresh fish & good quality salt (kosher salt seems to be the favourite choice in the US but I use Maldon sea salt here in the UK)& keep everything cool & clean it is just so easy. I can never understand why it is so expensive in the stores.

Good luck! :D Let us know how it goes! :frow

:rose Hattie :rose
 
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