Name: Gravlax (dill-cured salmon)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 2185 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Swedish
Ingredients: 500 g salmon fillet, skin on, pin-boned (sushi-grade, very fresh); 125 g coarse salt (sea salt or rock salt); 125 g sugar; 2 tsp white peppercorns, coarsely crushed; 1 bunch dill, coarsely chopped (about 25 g); 1 tbsp juniper berries, coarsely crushed (optional, for the juniper variation); 2 tbsp dill, chopped (for sprinkling); 60 ml double cream; 3 tbsp Dijon mustard; 1 tsp mustard powder; salt; pepper; 4 slices rye bread, toasted; 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Preparation

Coarsely crush the peppercorns (and the juniper berries, if using) with the flat of a knife or in a mortar, and mix with the salt, sugar and chopped dill.
Lay out two large sheets of cling film, slightly overlapping, and scatter half of the cure over them in the size of the salmon. Place the salmon on top skin side down and cover completely with the remaining cure.
Wrap tightly in the film, place in a shallow dish, set a small board and a few tins on top as a weight, and put in the fridge.
After 12 hours, turn the salmon over (liquid will have formed) and put the weight back on. Turn it once more after another 12 hours. After 36 hours in total, the salmon is medium-cured.
Unwrap the salmon, scrape off the cure, rinse briefly and pat thoroughly dry. If you have time, leave it uncovered in the fridge for 3 to 12 hours to dry, which firms up the surface.
For the sauce, stir together the cream, Dijon mustard and mustard powder and season with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle the salmon with the chopped dill and slice thinly on the diagonal, without cutting through the skin. Serve with the mustard sauce, rye bread and lemon wedges.

Drink with it

White wine · excellent match
Dry Riesling or Sancerre
Tight acidity and citrus fruit cut through the rich salmon, and Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling takes up dill and mustard effortlessly.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Sparkling wine · excellent match
Champagne or Crémant, brut
Bubbles and acidity clear the salmon fat from the palate, and the brioche notes suit the toasted rye bread.
Sparkling wine, Champagne, and Prosecco: what's the difference?
Vodka · excellent match
Aquavit or vodka, ice cold and neat in a small glass
This is how gravlax is eaten in Scandinavia: the cold and the clear spirit cut the fat, while the caraway and dill in the aquavit meet the herbs in the cure.
What Is Vodka? Raw Materials, Flavor, and Cocktails
Pale lager · good match
Pale lager or Pilsner, well chilled
Carbonation and a fine hop bitterness cleanse the mouth after the salty-sweet salmon and go with the rye bread.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?

Preparation

Coarsely crush the peppercorns (and the juniper berries, if using) with the flat of a knife or in a mortar, and mix with the salt, sugar and chopped dill.
Lay out two large sheets of cling film, slightly overlapping, and scatter half of the cure over them in the size of the salmon. Place the salmon on top skin side down and cover completely with the remaining cure.
Wrap tightly in the film, place in a shallow dish, set a small board and a few tins on top as a weight, and put in the fridge.
After 12 hours, turn the salmon over (liquid will have formed) and put the weight back on. Turn it once more after another 12 hours. After 36 hours in total, the salmon is medium-cured.
Unwrap the salmon, scrape off the cure, rinse briefly and pat thoroughly dry. If you have time, leave it uncovered in the fridge for 3 to 12 hours to dry, which firms up the surface.
For the sauce, stir together the cream, Dijon mustard and mustard powder and season with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle the salmon with the chopped dill and slice thinly on the diagonal, without cutting through the skin. Serve with the mustard sauce, rye bread and lemon wedges.

Drink with it

White wine · excellent match
Dry Riesling or Sancerre
Tight acidity and citrus fruit cut through the rich salmon, and Sauvignon Blanc or Riesling takes up dill and mustard effortlessly.
Which wine pairs with food? A simple approach to choosing
Sparkling wine · excellent match
Champagne or Crémant, brut
Bubbles and acidity clear the salmon fat from the palate, and the brioche notes suit the toasted rye bread.
Sparkling wine, Champagne, and Prosecco: what's the difference?
Vodka · excellent match
Aquavit or vodka, ice cold and neat in a small glass
This is how gravlax is eaten in Scandinavia: the cold and the clear spirit cut the fat, while the caraway and dill in the aquavit meet the herbs in the cure.
What Is Vodka? Raw Materials, Flavor, and Cocktails
Pale lager · good match
Pale lager or Pilsner, well chilled
Carbonation and a fine hop bitterness cleanse the mouth after the salty-sweet salmon and go with the rye bread.
Pils or Helles: What's the Difference?

Gravlax (dill-cured salmon)

Preparation

Drink with it

Dry Riesling or Sancerre

Champagne or Crémant, brut

Aquavit or vodka, ice cold and neat in a small glass

Pale lager or Pilsner, well chilled

This pairs well too.

Salmon and Spinach Roulade

Smoked Salmon and Dill Spread

Swedish Pizza with Smoked Salmon (Schwedenpizza)

North Sea Shrimp Cocktail (Krabbencocktail)

Gravlax (dill-cured salmon)

Preparation

Drink with it

Dry Riesling or Sancerre

Champagne or Crémant, brut

Aquavit or vodka, ice cold and neat in a small glass

Pale lager or Pilsner, well chilled

This pairs well too.

Salmon and Spinach Roulade

Smoked Salmon and Dill Spread

Swedish Pizza with Smoked Salmon (Schwedenpizza)

North Sea Shrimp Cocktail (Krabbencocktail)