GRAVLAX
Here's another one of the Swedish classics, for which Sweden is known outside its own borders. In the very old days, they simply dug the fish down in the ground (hence the name "gravlax", "grav" meaning "grave" and derives from the word "gräva", "dig". Now we're a bit more civilized when making it. You will get an excellent result if you just follow the recipe to the point - no improvs here. It's chemistry! And the mustard sauce to go with it is a classic too. This is never missing on a Swedish smörgåsbord. If it should, I fear there would be an uprising in Sweden …
Serves 4
2 lbs fresh Salmon in a whole piece, preferably a middle piece
(they have the most meat)
0.2 cup salt
0.2 cup sugar
10 crushed white peppercorns
1.2 cup roughly chopped dill
Mustard sauce:
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon mustard
1 egg yolk
0.3 cup oil
salt, white pepper
2 tablespoons chopped dill
Scrape and wipe off the fish, but do NOT rinse it. Split it alongside the backbone, then remove the backbone and visible bones (there are special tools to be able to more easily remove them). Rub the salmon with a mixture of salt and sugar. Cover the bottom of a shallow pan with chopped dill and put one half of the fish on top of the dill, skinside down. Sprinkle generously with dill and pepper on the meat side, then put the other half of the fish with the skinside up. Cover the fish with remaining dill and cover the pan with aluminum foil or put the pan in a plastic bag.
Store the fish cold and dry for 48 hours before serving. Yes, 48 hours. Turn it over now and then. If you store it somewhere really cold you can keep it for a week.
Make the sauce. Mix vinegar, sugar, mustard and egg yolk. Add the oil while stirring vigorously. Flavor with salt and pepper and blend in the chopped dill.
Cut the salmon in thin slices and serve with the mustard sauce, toast, dill and lemon.
Enjoy!
Bella
Here's another one of the Swedish classics, for which Sweden is known outside its own borders. In the very old days, they simply dug the fish down in the ground (hence the name "gravlax", "grav" meaning "grave" and derives from the word "gräva", "dig". Now we're a bit more civilized when making it. You will get an excellent result if you just follow the recipe to the point - no improvs here. It's chemistry! And the mustard sauce to go with it is a classic too. This is never missing on a Swedish smörgåsbord. If it should, I fear there would be an uprising in Sweden …
Serves 4
2 lbs fresh Salmon in a whole piece, preferably a middle piece
(they have the most meat)
0.2 cup salt
0.2 cup sugar
10 crushed white peppercorns
1.2 cup roughly chopped dill
Mustard sauce:
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon mustard
1 egg yolk
0.3 cup oil
salt, white pepper
2 tablespoons chopped dill
Scrape and wipe off the fish, but do NOT rinse it. Split it alongside the backbone, then remove the backbone and visible bones (there are special tools to be able to more easily remove them). Rub the salmon with a mixture of salt and sugar. Cover the bottom of a shallow pan with chopped dill and put one half of the fish on top of the dill, skinside down. Sprinkle generously with dill and pepper on the meat side, then put the other half of the fish with the skinside up. Cover the fish with remaining dill and cover the pan with aluminum foil or put the pan in a plastic bag.
Store the fish cold and dry for 48 hours before serving. Yes, 48 hours. Turn it over now and then. If you store it somewhere really cold you can keep it for a week.
Make the sauce. Mix vinegar, sugar, mustard and egg yolk. Add the oil while stirring vigorously. Flavor with salt and pepper and blend in the chopped dill.
Cut the salmon in thin slices and serve with the mustard sauce, toast, dill and lemon.
Enjoy!
Bella
No comments:
Post a Comment