Hi, Has anyone ever made Gravlax???

M

marg-in-pa

Well-known member
I saw Emeril make it last night but I didn't care for the addition of all that pepper and especially don't care for cilantro that he used.

My friend Phyl makes one that is wonderful, but I would like to make something a little different than hers. Hoping that someone here can help. Also can I use a small piece of salmon? I don't know what I would do with that whole filet with only me. If this comes out well, I am thinking of adding it to a party menu, maybe DJ's coming home/Birthday/Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Years/Girlfriends birthday/, party or if Cici wants to have a little something to celebrate her engagement, now that she finally has a ring!

Thanks guys,

marg

 
A bit of a different take on gravlax

Ginger Pickled Salmon

Ginger-Pickled Salmon

2 cups cider Vinegarf
1/2 pound fresh ginger, washed -- thinly sliced
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
1 1/2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
1 1/2 pounds centercut skinless
salmon fillet

In a nonreactive medium saucepan, combine
the vinegar, ginger, sugar, and peppercorns.
Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil over
high heat. Boil for 5 minutes. Let the brine
cool to room temperature, then refrigerate
overnight.
Put the salmon in a plastic bag
and pour the cold ginger brine on top. Put in a
bowl so that the plastic bag keeps the salmon
submerged in the brine and refrigerate for at
least 24 hours or up to 3 days. 36 hours is
about perfect. The brine “cooks” the salmon.
You can test the “doneness”—it should not be
Completely “cooked”—a bright orange center is
What you are looking for.
Remove the salmon from the brine and pat
dry. Can be stored for several days.
At serving time using a sharp knife, slice
the salmon fillet crosswise as thinly as possible.
Serve on mini rye or pumbernickel triangles
Topped with a drizzle of chive oil or wasabi.

NOTES : In this Asian-inspired starter,
the salmon actually "cooks" in the ginger
brine for one to three days; the longer it's
left in, the more cooked it will be.

Wasabi Sauce:
1/4 cup wasabi powder
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 tsp salt
Combine all except oil in food processor.
Add 1/4 cup of water and with machine on,
slowly pour in the oil til smooth. Let steep
overnight.

Chive Oil:
4 oz. fresh chives, coarsely chopped
1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
In food processor, mince the chives with
lemon juice and salt.
With machine on, slowly pour in the oil and
blend until smooth. Transfer the oil to a
jar and let steep overnight in
refrigerator. Can be refrigerated for up to
2 weeks.

I cut the salmon as thinly as I can and
serve it with a dipping sauce as an
appetizer.

 
Marg, you can freeze the salmon, after it's cured, and it keeps VERRY>>

well. I've had pieces in the freezer (well wrapped) for almost a year, that, when defrosted & sliced... tasted just fine.

 
Hi Moyn,>>

I was not aware that it could be frozen, and for such a long period! Thanks for the info,
Can you tell me how you prepare it?
I thought it would be a lovely presentation served with mini bagels which our local bagel shop (owned by former Brooklynites, nothing beats a NY Bagel)will make for parties. I thought assorted cream cheeses and some red onion along with it.
Salmon is on sale this week at one of our local grocery stores for 4.99 a pound. This was the other reason I was thinking about it. smileys/smile.gif Now that I know it can be frozen, I am off to the store tomorrow!

 
Marg, your presentation sounds lovely..... only one thing missing>>>

add a dish of capers & you're all set. I posted my VERRRY simple recipe over at Gail's, quite some time ago.... to find it in my ridiculously
disorganized file....(think mucho recipe pages, in no order, whatsoeve.)... willl take days... so bear with me... I'll do it, but it'll take a bit.
AAAAANd, when you freeze the lox, freeze it in large chunks, so that when it's out of the freezer, you can slice it reallllllly thinly.
I'll find you, after I search... unless, of course, someone reaallllly knowlegeable, like Pat, can find my post over at Epi.... (wink, wink).
Meanwhile, I'm gonna give it a shot, and, if I find it... will post over here...
Bye for now.

 
OK... here's the REC: Smoked Salmon

1 1/2 lbs fresh salmon fillet, approx 1 " thick
(skin ON)
1 TBSP hickory smoked salt
1 1/2 TBSP non idodized salt
3 TBSP sugar
Mix together spices in a small dish.
Procedure|:
Place large piece of clear plastic wrap on counter (enough to wrap fish afterwards)
Place salmon on plastic wrap with skin side down.
Thoroughly mix dry ingredients. Use all to cover meaty side of fish entirely.
Wrap plastic around the salmon, Enclose in plastic zip lock bag. Place in glass dish. Place in refrigerator.
Refrigerate for two days. Then turn plastic bag over so that meaty side ins down. Refrigerate for another four days.
Remover from fridge, from ziplock bag & from plastic wrap. Wash brine from fish under cold water. Pat completely dry, using paper towels (or your own if you can stand the fishy odor before you do your laundry, LOL).
Squeeze 1 lemon & cover fish with juice. Let stand 5 minutes.... Dry.... wrap dried fillets in plastic wrap. Seal in zip lock bag & place in freezer for at least 24 hours, or until 2 hours before serving. (keeps very well in freezer for months).
Using a very sharp knife, slice frozen salmon at an angle. Arrange on platter with garnishes, and
ENJOY!!!

 
Damn, I had found it for you Moyn and was just about to paste it in >>

I entered "Moyn + Gravlax" to search Gail's and got a manageable number of hits. I now know you have to use the plus sign, with a space before and after, to narrow things down.

How was the cruise?

 
My favorite is Hot Smoked Salmon. Here's the recipe: (m)

I do at least 2 salmon filets for the Christmas holiday season. I portion the filets into manageable pieces (perhaps 4 pieces per filet) and seal them in FoodSaver bags. I freeze them and thaw what I need in the fridge, as I need it for the holidays.

This is NOT the silky, slippery lox-type smoked salmon. It flakes like poached salmon.

It's super easy if you have a Weber kettle grill. Cooks Illustrated had the original recipe, but I've adapted it here:

Hot Smoked Salmon

1 cup kosher salt (or 1/2 cup table salt)
1 cup sugar
7 cups water
2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 to 3 pound boneless salmon filet (I prefer skinless filets. If you use a skin-on filet, omit foil, and place filet directly on grill)

Heat water and dissolve salt and sugar. Let cool to room temp. Place water in one-gallon Ziploc, and add rinsed filet. Press out all air, seal, and put in fridge for 3 hours. At the 2 1/2 hour mark, light one gallon (or so) of charcoal and allow to heat until covered with ash. Arrange on back portion of coal grate, mound up onto the side of the kettle; open all bottom and top vents fully.

Wrap approx. 2 cups of your favorite smoking wood chips (dry, not water-soaked; we like alder wood chips) in heavy-duty foil, and seal packet. Poke 5 or 6 small holes in top of packet to allow smoke to escape.

Remove filet from brine and rinse very well under cold tap water to remove excess salt. Be thorough, or the end product will be too salty. Pat dry. Spray a single thickness of heavy-duty foil with non-stick spray. Rub both sides of filet with oil, and place on oiled foil, skin side down. Sprinkle top of filet with paprika and pepper. Place fish with foil under it on the grill grate at the front of the grill, opposite the coals. If possible, place the thick side of the filet nearest to the coals, and fold the tail portion under to even up the thickness of the filet. Use a razor blade to cut the excess foil off, leaving about 1/2 inch of foil sticking out around the fish. Place the foil packet with the chips on top of the coals and close the lid, placing the open lid vent over the fish, in order to draw the wood smoke over the filet. Leave covered for 1 1/2 hours.

Remove fish from grill by sliding 2 large spatulas under the foil and lifting onto large platter or cookie sheet. A helper is valuable here. Fish will be cooked through, moist and flaky, with a wonderful crust. It can be served hot, right from the grill, with a sour cream or yogurt and dill sauce, or it can be cooled, refrigerated and served as an appetizer with cream cheese, crackers, capers, red onion, and sprigs of fresh dill. As a smoked fish-type appetizer, it will flake wonderfully, not like the typical silky texture of lox.

Enjoy!

Michael

 
Michael, this sounds wonderful.... this is what the Jewish>>>>

delicatessens, typically refer to as "baked salmon" and is a choice on most of their menus.
Most of them, also, offer this salmon in the form of a salad, with chopped celery & mayonnaise. It is one of our favorite items to order with bagels.
Thanks for the recipe.

 
Thanks, Joe. You're a pal.... it just goes to show you, how>>>

haste makes waste. I tried, unsuccessfully , to search over at Epi... and couldn't come up with it, so I searched my carton of recipes, and found it, after the first 10 minutes, and then spent the next 15.... typing it out, once again. Since I am totally techologically challenged, I still haven't learned to use the scanner (neither has TEddy) that we bought & attached some 2 1/2 years ago, LOL.
The cruise was great. Ports were wonderful.... the food was horrible, but despite it... I gained
2 pounds..... it's off now (we returned on Saturday).... and we're back to our sparse eating habits, smileys/smile.gif.
Happy New Year!

 
Rec: Gravlax – from The Balthazar Cookbook

Hi Marg. You could halve this recipe to try it out. It looks really good and the mustard sauce follows.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

GRAVLAX
Serves 6

Taking the traditional gravlax process a step further, we follow the salt-curing process by marinating the salmon in olive oil and toasted spices. The moisture removed by salt-curing is replaced with the flavor-infused oil, giving the salmon a pronounced silky texture. This method, which should take place over five days, is centuries old. The only difference today is that instead of salting and burying the salmon in the cold Scandinavian ground as the Norwegians did, we now opt for the back of a cold Sub-Zero. Serve with brown bread and a mustard sauce to enhance this light and refreshing appetizer.

INGREDIENTS

1-1/2 pounds salmon fillet, skin on
¼ cup vodka
2 cups kosher salt
1 cup sugar
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3 lemons, zested
8 sprigs of flat-leaf parsley
8 sprigs of thyme
11 sprigs of dill
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
2 star anise pods
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
2 cups olive oil
Mustard Sauce (recipe follows)

MUSTARD SAUCE
Makes 1 cup

Juice of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1/3 cup grapeseed oil
1 tablespoon chopped dill

Combine the lemon juice, sugar, and mustard in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in the grapeseed oil to create an emulsion, and then add the chopped dill. Chill before serving.

Day 1
Use a very sharp knife to score the salmon’s skin, making slashes about 3 inches long and 1/8 inch deep. Place in a small casserole dish, not much larger than the fillet itself and add the vodka.

Combine the salt and sugar in a bowl. Rub a handful of the salt mixture onto the fillet and then spread half of the remaining salt mixture in the bottom of the casserole dish. Place the fillet, skin side down, in the dish and cover with 1 clove of garlic, the zest of 1 lemon, 3 sprigs of parsley, 3 sprigs of thyme, 3 sprigs of dill, and the remaining salt mixture. Cover with plastic and refrigerate for 48 hours.

Day 2
Meet friends for lunch, followed by dinner in a large bustling brasserie.

Day 3
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the coriander seeds, fennel seeds, black peppercorns, star anise, and mustard seeds on a cookie sheet or in an ovenproof sauté pan. Toast in the oven for about 5 minutes, or until the spices give off a fragrant aroma.

Remove the salmon from the fridge and rinse under cold water to remove the salt and spices; rinse the dish clean as well. Put the salmon back into the clean dish along with the remaining sliced garlic, lemon zest, and herb sprigs. Add the olive oil and the toasted coriander, fennel, peppercorns, star anise, and mustard. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate for at least 48 hours or up to 10 days.

Day 4
Sleep through morning appointments; wake up around 2:45 p.m. for lunch in a large, bustling brasserie.

Day 5
To serve, thinly slice the fish on a bias, starting at the tail end. Serve with Mustard Sauce. Besides brown bread, Gravlax is excellent with blini or potato pancakes.

The Balthazar Cookbook
Keith McNally, Riad Nasr & Lee Hanson
Clarkson Potter/Publishers
New York

http://www.balthazarny.com/contacts.html

 
YES!! This is the one that I make. Love it. Never any left over to freeze. Definitely can use

smaller pieces of salmon and definitely a must for us is capers. Actually, I wouldn't eat it without capers and a dot of sour cream.

 
Hi Moyn..about freezing.

You wrap yours in plastic wrap, like Saran...then into a freezer ziplock with the air sucked out.

I've never had great luck with freezing. You don't get freezer burn after a year? Or are you using some other plastic wrap?

Of course it could be that my freezer is so jammed with future 'projects' that everything is fighting in there. I am determined to get this under control though, at some point, and am curious about the most successful methods. My attempts with foil and saran and ziplocks have not worked either.

 
Hi Marg.... Yup, I just use regular saran, & double it.... then a really>>>

heavy quality freezer bag. I've never had a problem. Of course the longest I've kept it was for a year. And that was the last time I'd made it, and wanted to give it to a friend, who owns a French bakery here in town, who wanted to sample it, to see if the recipe suited her. I wasn't quite sure how it had held, but when I opened it & sliced it, it was perfectly delicious. I wouldn't want to keep it any longer than that, tho, for the maximum flavor preservation.
If you do it, do let me know how it turns out.
Happy New Year!

 
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