Making gravlax

[Joni]

Making gravlax this weekend...is it okay to buy the farm salmon from Costco and use this? Or should I buy the wild from a seafood store.... while the recipe says to "lay skin side down"..I would think you would want it without the skin. Any comments?

The recipe is basically a salt and sugar rub for 24 hours, then pour water over it for another 24 hours (Gustav Anders recipe)

[Kenk]

You definitely want the skin on the salmon. The skin will hold the salmon together when you weigh the meat down.

I recently made gravalax from a frozen filet that was probably farmed and it came out really well. The filet was also perfectly prepared with no pin bones. Usually I have made gravalax with salmon I filleted myself. (Hacking as I go.) Instead of dill I used tarragon as an herb to add flavour. The taste was subtle but I find dill too powerful a taste and would not be able to eat all of the leftovers.

[Malawry]

I make gravlox with Costco salmon, the cheap farmed sides that are pre-skinned. No problems with it falling apart under pressure. Very tasty and inexpensive.

[Comfort Me]

I made gravlax from Costco salmon for an event I catered -- I rinsed and dried two sides of salmon, painted it with a bit of gin, then added a cure made of salt, sugar, black pepper, and crushed juniper berries. I placed a bunch of dill between the sides of salmon, wrapped in plastic wrap, and weighed the whole thing down and refrigerated it for three days -- turning it twice a day. The salmon was perfect, the texture silky and firm, and the taste was divine.

Slicing has always been the difficult part for me. I suspect more than one fish has wanted to sue me for malpractice!

[hillvalley]

Just one more vote for using Costco salmon. I have used it for catering jobs and personal use without a problem. I like to add a bit of vodka if the meal does not include children. Definitely keep the skin on, it will make slicing at the end much easier. Have fun!

[Joni]

Thanks everyone for the quick response..for some reason (or I need to reread the recipe)...I don't think my recipe has it weighted down. Also..I have only seen the skinned ones at my Costco..so will go ahead with that! Thanks again.

[woodburner]

Slicing has always been the difficult part for me.  I suspect more than one fish has wanted to sue me for malpractice!

I've got some pretty good knives, and they are well cared for and razor sharp, but salmon always gave me trouble. A cooking friend turned me onto the Black & Decker Ergo Electric Knife EK600.

Problem solved.

woodburner

[beans]

I so loved the Ads by Google on this thread were for Alaskan Wild Salmon (and Halibut).

[KatieLoeb]

I make gravlax for parties several times per year. My only word of caution is to use fresh salmon as opposed to frozen-then-defrosted salmon. I did this once and the texture just wasn't the same and it seemed to give off so much more liquid while curing.

I created my own method of curing gravlax after reading about a half dozen variations on the recipe. I make up a kosher salt/brown sugar/roasted & crushed coriander seed mixture (recipe is in my files somewhere and I can probably find exact measurements if you'd like) and lay a thick layer of that on the flesh sides of the fish. Follow with LOTS of chopped fresh dill. A little sprinkle of vodka or cognac is nice too. Sandwich the fish halves together with flesh sides facing and spices and curing mixture sandwiched thickly in the middle, wrap in plastic wrap and lay into a glass baking dish or long loaf pan. Place a brick or a long piece of wood weighted down with a couple of cans on top and leave in the fridge for three to four days. Turn and drain a couple of times per day. Remove the fish and scrape off the spices well. Slice thinly and serve with black bread or rye crisps. I also make a fennel seed flavored goat cheese spread that goes quite well under the gravlax.

I find it's best to buy a whole fresh salmon at the fish monger and have them filet it for me. That way the sides "match" up together like a symmetrical fish puzzle and the flesh cures better because the halves of fish fit together so well

[MichaelB]

The recipe is basically a salt and sugar rub for 24 hours, then pour water over it for another 24 hours (Gustav Anders recipe)

Good advice from Katie.

Why on earth would you want to spend a day or days infusing the fish with the cure and herbs and then rinse it all out? I have never seen a recipe that call for a post-cure soak.

Here's my recipe. It's one I do so often that I don't have it written down anywhere.

2 sides salmon, skin on.

2/3 cup kosher salt

1/2 cup sugar

pepper

1/2 pound (approx) fresh dill

cognac

Spread salt, sugar, pepper mixture on flesh side of fish. Splash with cognac. Place flesh sides together with dill between. Weight, refrigerate for 48 to 72 hours (depending on how firm you want the flesh). Turn daily. Wipe off cure. Slice; enjoy.

[Dana]

I'm with MichaelB. What's up with the water?

[Comfort Me]

Slicing has always been the difficult part for me.  I suspect more than one fish has wanted to sue me for malpractice!

I've got some pretty good knives, and they are well cared for and razor sharp, but salmon always gave me trouble. A cooking friend turned me onto the Black & Decker Ergo Electric Knife EK600.

Problem solved.

woodburner

Woodburner:

Thanks! I'm going to go out and get one. All this reading about gravlax has me salivating. I stopped at my fishmonger this morning and grabbed a salmon. I think I'll make some bialys and gravlax for Sunday brunch.

Off topic: Your name. Friends here in Chicago are constructing a communal woodburning oven. (My first love is breads.) Are you THAT kind of woodburner? And if so, can I contact you with questions?

[marie-louise]

I've used farmed salmon to make gravlox (only when our wonderful local salmon was out of season and I HAD to have gravlox, honest.) It worked fine.

I always rinse off the salmon under running water when I'm done. I use equal parts Kosher salt & sugar, 2 tbsp. each per pound of salmon, along w/ a tbsp. of black pepper, some dill, and a splash of Aquavit. The longer it cures, the drier it gets; I like it after about 48 hours. I've never had a problem with slicing it thinly. I use a 10-inch thin slicing knife and cut it on a diagonal so that my slices are wider while remaining thin.

[Jmahl]

My first attempt at gravlox or gravlax.

Used some wild salmon - that's what was left over from dinner.

Added some Aguavit to the solution at end of first day.

See the results.

Much better than anything from the store. Why has it taken me so long?

[Gifted Gourmet]

I only use Costco salmon and buy several slabs at a time. It is, as noted here, much better to cure at home than to purchase ready made.

a highly interesting thread on gravlax

[Abra]

I have some wild Alaska salmon sides in the freezer, and have been planning to gravlax them in a couple of days. But now I see Katie's caution on defrosted salmon. You guys that are using Costco salmon with success - that's frozen, right?

[Gifted Gourmet]

You guys that are using Costco salmon with success - that's frozen, right?

←

No, it is fresh and never frozen. I inquired about this .. but sometimes I freeze the salmon briefly at home to kill any tiny microscopic "friends" living in the salmon flesh.

I like the Costco salmon because it is skinless and boneless ...

[moosnsqrl]

I have some wild Alaska salmon sides in the freezer, and have been planning to gravlax them in a couple of days.  But now I see Katie's caution on defrosted salmon.  You guys that are using Costco salmon with success - that's frozen, right?

←

What we buy here has not been frozen but it may vary -- as I see upthread advice to leave the skin on but ours doesn't ever arrive with skin (not the farmed stuff, anyway, sometimes the wild does).

I feel like I should resign my post, having gone all of this time without making my own gravlax. What a piker (sorry, bad fish pun). I will attend to this gaping hole in my culinary resume before the year is out or you may all fish-slap me. Thanks to all for great suggestions. I am torn between vodka and aquavit but the latter seems more authentic somehow, so will probably start there. Yum. I don't see any mention of caraway, which always leaps to mind when discussing aquavit. Any thoughts on why that is/is not a good idea?

[Gifted Gourmet]

Go for it! I use the old fashioned fresh dill and vodka prep on mine ... but some use cognac and brown sugar .. and some even make a salmon "pastrami" which is remarkable! A bazillion variations and all on the same theme.

marvelous thread on salmon "pastrami"

[Jmahl]

It's a great idea. Vodka, Aguavit lots of variation - maybe gin.

[Gifted Gourmet]

It's a great idea.  Vodka, Aguavit lots of variation - maybe gin.

←

Another variation using another form of alcohol is this southwestern variation ... mix of lemon and lime zest, a touch of cilantro, crushed coriander, crushed, dried habanero, and a sprinkling of tequila along with the sugar-salt mixture.

[jayt90]

Slicing has always been the difficult part for me. I suspect more than one fish has wanted to sue me for malpractice!

I've got some pretty good knives, and they are well cared for and razor sharp, but salmon always gave me trouble. A cooking friend turned me onto the Black & Decker Ergo Electric Knife EK600.

Problem solved.

woodburner

Woodburner:

Thanks! I'm going to go out and get one. All this reading about gravlax has me salivating. I stopped at my fishmonger this morning and grabbed a salmon. I think I'll make some bialys and gravlax for Sunday brunch.

Off topic: Your name. Friends here in Chicago are constructing a communal woodburning oven. (My first love is breads.) Are you THAT kind of woodburner? And if so, can I contact you with questions?

←

For those of us us still using traditional knives, there is a special smoked fish slicer, and a particular way to use it to avoid hacking.

If you don't have the smoked fish knife, a ham slicing knife will work. Either knfe is long and thin about 16 inches by 1 inch, with a rounded tip (to pick up the slice).

The method prederred, is to start your cut at the choyle (near the handle) and draw the knife throught the fish all the way to the tip, accross the grain, on a slanted bias. If you use more than one stroke per slice, you are hacking.

It takes a little practice, but it works well for smoked fish, ham, and even turkey breast.

[Jmahl]

For those of us us still using traditional knives, there is a special smoked fish slicer, and a particular way to use it to avoid hacking.

If you don't have the smoked fish knife, a ham slicing knife will work. Either knfe is long and thin about 16 inches by 1 inch, with a rounded tip (to pick up the slice).

The method  prederred, is to start your cut at the choyle (near the handle) and draw the knife throught the fish all the way to the tip, accross the grain, on a slanted bias. If you use more than one stroke per slice, you are hacking.

It takes a little practice, but it works well for smoked fish, ham, and even turkey breast.

←

Ditto: sounds like good advise and good knife technique. Long slow slices. Good edge, good results.

Jmahl

[Abra]

Oh drat and double drat! So is it the consensus that previously frozen salmon is not going to work?

[Gifted Gourmet]

Okay, if the southwestern version of gravlax doesn't make you hot and bothered how about an Asian variation? This by way of Chef Roy Yamaguchi ...

Directions for this :

Pour a couple of tablespoons of sake all over the fish, a little white miso paste... combine equal parts of kosher salt, white sugar, and brown sugar (a quarter cup of each), massage this mixture well into the salmon flesh... prepare a mixture of:

minced ginger

minced garlic

chopped lemongrass

peppercorns

chopped cilantro

Spread this onto the fish, lay sliced ginger, a good handful of cilantro onto one fillet (and star anise if you like the flavour).

Keep in refrigerator, weighted down (I use a foil covered brick) and try to resist the urge to peek for 24 hours.

The next day, open up the packet... the salmon should start to get a little translucent and compact... flip the fillets, rewrap, refrigerate and weight...

Wait for another 24 hours.

Completed result? The salmon should be a cross between sashimi and lox, almost candied.

Slice thinly to serve.