Now that I’m in full pregnancy swing, of course I’m craving all of the foods I’m not supposed to have: sushi, sausages, anything fried, and gooey unpasteurized cheeses. I’m not sure if they’re cravings really, more like defiant stubbornness.
Recently I was inspired (read: the pictures made me salivate) by an article I read about Marcus Samuellson, chef/owner of the chic Manhattan Nordic restaurant, Aquavit. His recipe for Gravlax (cured salmon) seemed simple enough and I had a beautiful piece of salmon and some fresh dill calling my name in the fridge. Rather than go with Mr. Samuellson’s recipe, however, I pulled out my trusty behemoth of a cookbook, the CIA’s Professional Chef, which had a nifty Gravlax recipe that seemed more fun (see my adapted recipe below). Mr. Samuellson’s recipe uses a simple dry cure, but the one in my CIA bible also used a wet component that included some brandy. Can’t go wrong there.
We Jews love our smoked or cured salmon, which we lovingly call “lox” (after Gravlax presumably). On a bagel with some schmear, on a chic blini, or by itself, lox is just plain good. If you don’t have a smoking gun (and I don’t, yet), curing it is your next best bet.
Making the cure was easy. The tricky part is leaving the darned thing alone in your refrigerator for 2 days while it cures, and then controlling yourself and not eating the entire slab of salmon in one sitting, which would probably give you a salt heart attack.
Once my salmon was cured, scraped, and thinly sliced, I placed it on top of mini Melba toast squares (thank you Trader Joe’s) with some creme fraiche and chives. Simple appetizer, tasty snack, and sublimely irresistible to this pregnant lady. Plus it’s the perfect Sunday brunch food.
Like I said before, don’t judge. I’m a self-admitted foodaholic. (Incidentally, the salmon I chose was fresh as could be and I’m ServSafe certified so I wasn’t worried about endangering my kidney bean with icky bacteria). Well worth the little cheat.
Try it. If you’re not pregnant you have nothing to feel guilty about.
Gravlax: Cured Salmon
Print recipe
| Serves | 6 |
| Prep time | 20 minutes |
| Cook time | 48 hours |
| Total time | 48 hours, 20 minutes |
| Meal type | Appetizer, Breakfast |
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lb Salmon (Fresh, high quality)
- 3 oz Kosher salt
- 1/3 oz Cracked white peppercorns
- 1 1/2 oz Dill (Finely chopped)
- 8 oz Brown sugar
- 1 oz Lemon juice
- 1/2 oz Olive oil
- 1/2 oz Brandy
Note
Adapted from The Professional Chef, 8th Edition (the Culinary Institute of America's cookbook). You can also find Marcus Samuelsson's simpler gravlax recipe here.
Because this salmon will be cured but not cooked, it's important to use fresh, high quality salmon from a reputable market.
Directions
| 1. |
Combine the dry ingredients (sugar, salt, pepper, dill that's been finely chopped) and mix well. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (lemon juice, oil, brandy).  |
| 2. |
Place salmon on a piece of cheesecloth and brush the wet mixture on both sides.  |
| 3. |
Pack the dry cure evenly on both sides of the salmon and wrap it tighty in the cheesecloth.  |
| 4. |
Place the wrapped salmon in a pan or dish, with another pan or dish on top and weigh it down. Put the assembly in the refrigerator and let it cure for 2-3 days (minimum 48 hours).  |
| 5. |
After 2 days, it will look like this.  |
| 6. |
Unwrap the salmon and scrape off the cure.  |
| 7. |
Slice salmon as thinly as possible (with a long sharp knife) on the bias and serve.  |
| 8. | The cured salmon will keep in the refrigerator, covered with plastic, for 6 days. You can also freeze it. |
