Gin & Juniper Ora King Salmon Gravlax
Gravlax is salmon cured in a mixture of salt and sugar. It's fresh, light and perfect for Easter. If you're looking for a surefire way to impress your guests when entertaining - look no further!
Ingredients
Fish
- 1 large piece of Skin-on Salmon - we used 1kg
Curing Mixture
- 200gm fine salt (or whatever is equal 20% of the salmon weight)
- 200gm fine caster or brown sugar (or whatever is equal 20% of the salmon weight)
- 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds (toasted crushed)
- 5 juniper berries (dried - crushed)
- 1/2 teaspoon dried wattleseed (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed pepperleaf (optional)
- Zest of half a lemon
Additional Seasonings
- 1/2 bunch of dill - thicker stems removed
- 3 tablespoons of Gin (you can also use vodka)
Method
- Take your side of salmon and weigh it - calculate 20% of that weight and portion out your salt and sugar (20% salmon weight for each) and set aside.
- Take your salmon a make series of incisions along the length of the skin side with a sharp knife. The curing process draws out liquid from the fish and this provides more places for the liquid to escape.
- Combine your salt and sugar in a bowl, then add the cracked pepper, crushed coriander, crushed juniper berries, lemon zest, and optional wattleseed and pepperleaf.
- Lay out enough clingfilm to wrap the fish on your countertop and arrange half of the dill sprigs in a roughly salmon-fillet-shaped-layer, sprinkle a third of your Curing Mixture evenly across the dill then lay the salmon skin-side down on top. Sprinkle the remaining two thirds Curing Mixture onto the salmon, rubbing it into the flesh gently and making sure to get coverage on the sides & edges. Lay the rest of the dill across this side of the salmon, covering it evenly. To finish, gently spoon your gin across the length of the fillet.
- Wrap tightly and tuck the edges of the cling film in to get a seal. Place your wrapped salmon (still skin side down) in a shallow flat dish or baking tray and place an additional flat tray on top. Use some heavy kitchen items (like jars in your fridge) on top to weigh this down. This added pressure will speed up the curing process and force out more off the liquid from the fish.
- Place in your fridge and leave for 24 hours - 48 hours (up to you whether you do one day or two in the cure). At the 24 hour mark you will see liquid gathering in the clingfilm or even seeping out. At this point we used the tip of a knife to puncture the edges of the clingfilm and drain off some of the liquid. After a further 24 hours (48 in total), unwrap the fish and gently wash with cold water to get most of the superficial herbs and curing mixture off - they've done their job now and infused the fish. You'll note the salmon will have lost some mass, gone a little darker and more opaque, and feel more rigid. That's the sign of a cured fish.
- To serve, using a very sharp knife cut down to the skin and peel away slices (as pictured). Pair with a selection of Scandinavian style sides like pickles, cream cheese, capers, dill and rye bread.
