Cook up some Gravlax
Cook up some Gravlax with Oscar.Ingredients:
1 small salmon, whole (about 1kg)
20g white peppercorns (or a mixture of equal parts white peppercorns & allspice berries)
60g salt
25g sugar
2 bunches of dill
(1) Get a whole fish, clean it and remove the head. Split into two filets, removing the backbone but leave the skin on. Dry off the filets and remove all the little bones.
(2) Crush the peppers and seasonings in a mortar, add the salt and sugar. Mix well, and press the mixture into the filets.
(3) In a glass or ceramic dish, put some dill on the bottom, then one of the filets, skin side down, then more dill, then the other filet, skin side up. Put the thick side of one filet against the other one’s thin side. Cover with plastic wrap (NOT TIN FOIL) and put a cutting board or similar on top with some weight on it (e.g. a couple of beer cans).
(4) Put it in the refrigerator for a day or so. (Thin filets are ready in 1 day, thicker in 2 days.) Turn the filet over once or twice during this time. Pour off the brine, otherwise the fish will be too salty. The fish will keep for a week in a refrigerator after pouring off the brine.
(5) Make the sauce, “Maitre’d sauce”. Mix together the mustard, sugar, salt, pepper, and vinegar. Add the oil drop by drop as if making a mayonnaise. Add the dill. Let the sauce sit for about 10 minutes.
(6) Cut off either thin (nearly horizontal) slices, or thick vertical slices, to taste. (Don’t cut through the skin). Serve as an appetiser on thin slices of buttered rye bread (with a little lemon juice and some finely chopped dill), or as a main dish with boiled new potatoes and Maitre’d sauce.
