The term gravlax derives from the Swedish grav, which means to dig, and laks, which means salmon. That is to say, buried salmon. We find its origin in medieval Sweden, when (and where) fishermen used this particular method of preserving fish, salting and burying salmon underground, away from the tides, in winter.
Once buried, the salmon lost moisture when dehydrated. A slow maturation process that gave the fish a characteristic flavor that was perpetuated in time. Today gravlax is marinated and rests in cold chambers and replicating its preparation at home is very simple.
In its most basic formula, the gravlax or Scandinavian salmon is marinated in a mixture of sugar, salt and dill. However, it admits more ingredients and everyone is free to play with them to taste: parsley, beets, blackberries, vodka, cognac, black pepper, berries, lemon zest or fennel, among others.
As we always mentioned, the quality of ingredients It’s fundamental. A quality salmon will give us a juicy gravlax with a firm but tender texture, which we can flavor and flavor to taste.
To get a gravlax at its flavor point It is important not to overshoot or fall short with the amounts of salt and sugar. Ideally, take the weight of the salmon as a reference and use 25% salt and another 25% sugar. That is, for a 1 kg salmon you have to use 125 g of salt and 125 g of sugar.
That said, the first thing to do is buy a whole salmon and ask the fishmonger to de-scale it thoroughly, remove the head and clean it well of thorns. In addition to the central one, it is important that the salmon loins do not contain any thorn so that they can be easily laminated.
We use a container of a appropriate size, elongated, narrow and with a certain depth, in which the salmon fits well without excessively on the sides. We prepare the mixture of salt and sugar and add branches of dill to taste, as we agree that its presence is noticed in the final result. The dill does not need to be chopped.
We can also use some of the other ingredients mentioned above to flavor and flavor the salmon. The zest of a lemon suits you perfectly, but also that of lime or orange. The splash of vodka is very typical of the Scandinavian countries, so you know what to turn to if inspiration strikes you.
Cover the container with a wide sheet of plastic wrap and place one of the salmon loins on it, skin side down. Spread the marinade mixture on top and place the other salmon fillet on top, this time with the skin facing up. We close the ends of the plastic wrap, wrapping the salmon well and we put some weight on top. A carton of milk, for example.
We put the source with the salmon in the fridge and let it marinate. How much more weather leave it, the saltier and firmer the gravlax will be. Our recommendation is not to spend 24 hours if fine salt is used. Coarse salt can be used, which takes longer to penetrate the meat of the salmon. In this case we can extend the marinade time to 36 hours.
During this process the salmon will release a lot of liquid, we remove it in the middle of the marinade. As we also have to flip it, we take the opportunity to do both operations at the same time. If we plan to have it 24 hours, at 12 hours we remove the liquid from the source, turn the salmon and place the oak weight again.
Once the salmon is marinated and ready, remove the plastic wrap and clean the loins of the marinade mixture well. We can put them under the tap and, with a trickle of fine water, remove carefully the remains of salt, sugar, etc.
If we are going to consume it whole at the moment, we laminate the salmon starting with the wide part and cutting diagonally so that the slices come out wider. It is convenient to use a long and sharp knife, the ham holder is ideal for this task. It can also be cut into ingots or dices, depending on its intended use.
But we may only want to consume part of it and enjoy gravlax at another time. If we keep it in the fridge well protected from the cold lasts up to two weeks. Of course, so that the area of the cut does not dry out, we fold the skin over the loin, brush it with a little olive oil and wrap it with plastic wrap.
Too supports freezing, in which case we recommend slicing the whole salmon and dividing it into small portion sachets, tightly closed so that it does not spoil when in contact with low temperatures. As in the previous case, it should also be drizzled with a little olive oil.
In Scandinavian countries the gravlax or Scandinavian salmon It is usually served on slices of rye bread, typical of the northern regions, either as a side or as an aperitif. In Spain and other parts of the world it is used in salads, in tartare, in pasta dishes, as a filling for bagels, with eggs and sandwiches and much more.
Directly to the palate | How to make marinated salmon, the easiest recipe (with video included)
Directly to the palate | Gravlax or Scandinavian salmon: recipe