Gravlax Recipe

Makes 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

  • 1 whole thick salmon filet with the skin
  • 1/2 cup kosher salt
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • Mignonette (crushed, not ground, black peppercorns)
  • 2 bunches chopped dill
  • 3 tbsp cognac
  • Grand marnier

    • Instructions:

    1. Remove all bones from fish. Slide fingers on top of filet to feel the bones in the center and pull them out with pliers.
    2. Mix salt and sugar and set aside.
    3. Perforate fish skin with fork or knife.
    4. Dry fish and sprinkle all the cognac and 1 tbsp grand Marnier on the flesh surface.
    5. Roll fish in pepper and then coat both surfaces with salt and sugar mixture.
    6. Sprinkle with plenty of dill pressing to adhere.
    7. Place fish into a Pyrex large enough to hold it all. Cover with plastic.
    8. Place a second Pyrex on top with weight( I fill it with water).
    9. Chill 3 days, draining liquids every 24 hours and adding a little more of the salt sugar mixture every time it's drained.
    10. At the end of this time fish should be firm to the touch.
    11. Rinse and add more dill and pepper.
    12. Serve very finely sliced on blini or rye with mustard dill sauce. Keeps up to 1 week.