Gravad Lax

* Exported from MasterCook *

GRAVAD LAX

Recipe By :
Serving Size : 3 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Fish

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------
1 sm Salmon, whole
-(about 2-3 lb)
-----SWEDISH RECIPE I-----
2 tb White peppercorns
-(or a mixture of
-equal parts white
-peppercorns and
-allspice berries)
4 tb Salt
2 tb Sugar
2 Dill bunches
-----SWEDISH RECIPE II-----
1/4 c Salt
3 tb Sugar
2 tb Pepper, white
4 ts Allspice
3 tb Gin
2 Dill bunches
-----ENGLISH RECIPE I-----
2 tb Salt
2 tb Sugar
3 tb Peppercorns, white
2 Dill bunches
-----ENGLISH RECIPE II-----
2/3 c Salt
1/2 c Sugar
20 Peppercorns, white
-----MAITRE'D SAUCE-----
3 tb Mustard, dark,
-French, coarse-ground
1 tb Sugar
1/2 ts Salt
1 pn White pepper, ground
1 tb Vinegar
6 tb Olive oil
6 tb Dill

Get a whole fish, clean it and remove the head. Split
into two filets, removing the backbone but leave the
skin on. Dry off the filets and remove all the little
bones.

Crush the peppers and seasonings in a mortar, add the
salt and sugar. Mix well and press the mixture into
the filets.

In a glass or ceramic dish, put some dill on the
bottom, then one of the filets, skin side down, then
more dill, then the other filet, skin side up. Put the
thick side of one filet against the other's thin side.
Cover with plastic wrap (NOT ALUMINUM FOIL) and put a
cutting board or similar on top with some weight on it
(e.g. a couple of beer cans).

Put it in the refrigerator for a day or so. (Thin
filets are ready in 1 day, thicker in 2 days.) Turn
the filet over once or twice during this time. Pour
off the brine, otherwise the fish will be too salty.
The fish will keep for a week in a refrigerator after
pouring off the brine.

Make the sauce, Maitre'd sauce. Mix together the
mustard, sugar, salt, pepper and vinegar. Add the oil
drop by drop as if making a mayonnaise. Add the dill.
Let the sauce sit for about 10 minutes.

Cut off either thin (nearly horizontal) slices, or
thick vertical slices, to taste. (Don't cut through
the skin). Serve as an appetizer on thin slices of
buttered rye bread (with a little lemon juice and some
finely chopped dill), or as a main dish with boiled
new potatoes and Maitre'd sauce.

NOTES:

* Swedish dill-cured salmon -- Gravlax uses a
salt-sugar mixture to cure the fish. The fish is
flavored by dill and whatever else is handy. (I've
used gin, Julia Child has used cognac).

I've gathered these versions of the recipe from
several sources. From "Ver Cokbok" (the Swedish
equivalent of "Joy of Cooking" or "Mrs. Beeton.") From
a brochure published by the Swedish Information
Service. From a booklet written by Tore Wretman, who
owned a major restaurant and has published several
cookbooks of his own. Gravlax is like barbecue, a
process that you follow, but can vary considerably.

Don't skimp on the salt. The proportion of salt to
fish is important to preserve the fish. Here are
several variations on a single basic recipe. Yield:
Serves 3-4.

* You can broil or grill thick slices of gravlax.
After you've eaten the salmon, you can also cut the
skin in thin strips, sear them briefly on the skin
side, and serve them as a garnish.

: Difficulty: easy once the fish is prepared.
: Time: 5 minutes preparation, several days aging.
: Precision: measure the ingredients.

: Martin Minow
: Digital Equipment Corporation, Maynard, Mass., USA
: Minow@thundr.dec.com
minow%thundr.dec@decwrl.dec.com

: Copyright (C) 1986 USENET Community Trust



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