During the Middle Ages, gravadlax was made by local fishermen who salted the salmon and lightly fermented it by burying it in the sand above the high-tide line. The word comes from the Scandinavian word grav – a grave or hole in the ground and lax which is a salmon. Nowadays fermentation isn’t used any more because the fish is “buried” in a dry marinade of salt, sugar and dill after which it is cured for a couple of days. As the salmon cures and as the action of osmosis takes place, the dry cure becomes a very concentrated brine and this brine is used in Scandinavian cooking to make sauces.

Ingredients

• 1 kg salmon, with the skin on and filleted
• 250 g dill sprigs
• 75 g chopped dill
• 75 ml Aquavit
• 2 tablespoons white peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds
• 200 g Malden salt
• 100 g sugar

Method

• In a small food processor, pulse peppercorns, fennel seeds, and caraway seeds until coarsely ground.
• When this has been done, combine it with the salt and the sugar.
• On a large piece of cling wrap, sprinkle half of the salt mixture and then put the salmon on top, flesh side up.
• Cover this with remaining salt mixture, the dill sprigs and the Aquavit.
• Fold the cling wrap around salmon and wrap very tightly with some more of it.
• Refrigerate this for 72 hours, turning the package every 12 hours and using your fingers to redistribute the herb-and-spice-infused brine that accumulates as the salt pulls moisture from the salmon.
• If they make big enough Ziploc bags, my method would be the
• The fish should be firm to the touch at the thickest part when ready.
• Unwrap salmon, remove all the spices, dill, and brine and rinse it under cold running water – then pat dry with absorbent kitchen towels.
• Cover a large clean dish with the chopped dill and firmly press the flesh side of the gravlax into the dill to coat it evenly.
• Always slice the fish skin side down and on a board with a sharp knife.