Citrus Cured Gravlax Recipes

Steps:

• Tip all the ingredients for the salt mix into a food processor and whizz until everything is combined and the spices are completely ground.
• Stroke your hand along the salmon fillet to check for any stray bones. If you find any, pull them out with a pair of tweezers or small pliers.
• To skin the salmon fillet, lay the fish skin-side down with the tail end closest to you. Insert your knife at an angle at the tail end and cut through the flesh to the skin. Turn the blade so it's almost flat against the skin, then take hold of the skin with the other hand. Pull and wiggle the skin towards you so as to cut the fillet away. Halfway through removing the skin, hold the knife firmly and flip the fillet over. Gently lift the fillet away from the skin and discard the skin. Trim away the thinner part, plus any fat around the edges, so that the fillet has an even shape.
• Scatter about a third of the salt mix onto a large tray in a line about the size of the salmon fillet. Lay the salmon, skinned-side down, over the salt and pack the rest of the salt on top. Cover with cling film, put another tray on top and weigh it down with a few cans or an empty casserole dish. Leave in the fridge overnight or for at least 10 hrs.
• Under cold running water, wash the salt mix off the salmon fillet, then dry with kitchen paper. Finely chop the dill. Lay the salmon on a board and cover with the dill, pressing it down to pack it onto the salmon.
• If serving as a plated starter, use a sharp carving knife to cut the salmon straight down into fine slices, allowing 6 slices for each plate.
• To make the horseradish cream, whisk together the cream and crème fraîche. Add the horseradish, lemon juice and seasoning, then continue to whisk until thick. Dress the salad leaves in a little olive oil. You are now ready to plate up.
• Arrange a neat pile of baby salad leaves in the centre of each plate. Curl slices of the salmon into bow shapes around the leaves. Continue all the way around the plate in a petal fashion. Use 2 teaspoons to make small quenelles of horseradish cream and spoon each into each bowl.

Steps:

• Rub Cointreau over flesh side of salmon. In a half-gallon zip-top plastic bag, combine sugar, salt and fennel. Add zests, thyme and bay leaf; mix well.
• Put salmon in bag, gently roll to coat, then press sugar-salt mixture into meat. Place plastic bag on a plate, put a weight on top (like a heavy skillet) and refrigerate overnight or for about 12 to 14 hours.
• When ready to serve, remove bag from refrigerator and thoroughly scrape off citrus-salt mixture, dabbing with a damp cloth if necessary. Before serving, slice gravlax paper-thin on a diagonal and serve on crackers, with a dollop of citrus crème fraîche with tarragon.

Steps:

• Mix together the salt, sugar, zests, juniper, coriander, dill and gin. Place the salmon, skin side down, on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Cover the flesh side of the salmon with the salt mixture, making sure to coat it completely.
• Wrap the fish well, and refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours.
• Unwrap salmon, and rinse off the cure. Dry, then slice on the bias (see illustration). Serve plain, or with lemon wedges, creme fraiche, sour cream or light vinaigrette.

Steps:

• Mix the salt, sugar, dill, lemon zest and grapefruit zest together in a bowl. Line a platter or small baking pan with plastic wrap and spread about a third of the salt mixture on top of the plastic in the general size and shape of the salmon. Lay the salmon on top and make 5 to 6 shallow slits into the flesh using the tip of a paring knife, then rub the orange liqueur on top. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining salt mixture and wrap the plastic over the fish to cover it completely. Place the wrapped salmon inside a ziptop bag, remove as much of the air as possible and seal the bag. Put a plate on top of the wrapped fish and weigh it down with a small can or something similar. Refrigerate for 24 hours (the fish will release some liquid as it sits).
• After 24 hours, scrape the salt mixture off the top of the fish and wipe the surface with a damp paper towel. Serve immediately or wrap in plastic and keep refrigerated up to 5 days.
• When ready to serve, use a very sharp knife to make thin slices on a bias. Serve with the Lemon Creme Fraiche, toast points, red onions and lemon wedges.
• Combine the creme fraiche, lemon zest and juice and chives in a small bowl; season with salt.

Steps:

• Into a zipper-lock bag, pour salt, sugar and dill. Squish around until combined. Add vodka, squish around some more. Add salmon to the bag. Rub and press some of the marinade over the salmon flesh. Press the two pieces together sandwich style. Rub the rest of the marinade over the skin side of the salmon. Seal the bag. Place in the refrigerator overnight.
• Every time I thought of making gravlax at home, I nixed the idea because I couldn?t imagine trying to stuff a whole salmon into my refrigerator. My mother says to me one day, "Why don?t you just try a pound, Kathleen? You?re not feeding an army." .

Steps:

• Combine the salt, peppercorns, dill, sugar, and zest in a medium-size mixing bowl. Mix well. Lay a piece of plastic wrap twice the size of the salmon on a flat surface. Cross another piece of plastic of the same size over the first piece horizontally. Place the salmon in the center of the pieces of plastic wrap, with the skin side down. Spoon the seasoning mixture over the top and sides of the salmon. Using your fingers, spread the mixture evenly over the salmon. No part of the flesh of the fish should be exposed. With the palm of your hand, gently press the mixture into the salmon. Fold the 2 pieces of plastic wrap very tightly around the salmon, folding in the ends securely. Wrap the salmon a second time with another large piece of plastic. Place the wrapped salmon in shallow glass baking dish. Top the salmon with another baking dish. Place 2 heavy cans or 2 clean, wrapped bricks on the baking sheet to weight the salmon. Refrigerate for 24 to 30 hours, depending upon the thickness of the fish. Remove from the refrigerator and unwrap the salmon carefully. Discard the wrap and scrape off the seasoning mixture. Rinse the salmon under cold water to remove the seasoning mixture. Pat dry. To serve, remove 2 inches from the tail of the salmon. Slice the salmon, at an angle, into paper-thin slices. Serve with accompaniments.
• In a large container with an airtight closure, place 1/2 of the sugar. Add the bean quarters and cover with the remaining 2 cups of sugar. Close tightly. Place in a cool, dark place. Twice a day shake the container to distribute the vanilla essence. Continue the process for at least 1 week and up to 3 weeks. Replace the sugar as it is used.

Steps:

• Combine salt, sugar, zest, pepper, juniper, and dill in a bowl. Add gin; stir until mixture resembles wet sand.
• Rinse salmon and pat dry. Line a baking sheet with plastic; scatter one-third of sugar mixture on it. Lay salmon, skin-side down, on sugar mixture; spread remaining mixture evenly over top. Wrap tightly in the plastic; place a second baking sheet on top and weigh down with canned goods. Refrigerate, flipping fish and pouring off excess liquid every 24 hours, for 3 days. Rinse excess sugar mixture off salmon; pat dry.
• Place fish flesh-side down, and slide the tip of a long, sharp knife between flesh and skin at a short end. Using a paper towel to grip, gently pull skin off. Flip fish; thinly slice at a 45-degree angle. Serve with relish, roe, crackers, capers, creme fraiche, fennel, and onion.

Steps:

• Peel cucumbers, and cut lengthwise around seeds; discard seeds. Cut cucumbers into 1-inch squares.
• Mix together mustard, mayonnaise, and chopped dill. Spread 1/2 teaspoon on each crostini. Arrange a piece of gravlax on top of each, then top with a piece of cucumber. Garnish with dill sprigs, and serve immediately.

Steps:

• Pat the salmon dry with kitchen paper and run your hands over the flesh to see if there are any stray small bones - if there are, use a pair of tweezers to pull them out. Set the salmon fillets aside.
• Tip the salt, sugar, peppercorns, lemon zest, juniper and dill into a food processor and blitz until you have a bright green, wet salt mixture or 'cure'. Unravel some cling film but keep it attached to the roll. Lay the first fillet of salmon skin-side down and then pack the cure over the flesh. Drizzle with gin, if using and top with the 2nd fillet, flesh-side down. Roll the sandwiched fillets tightly in cling film to create a package.
• Place the fish in a shallow baking dish or shallow-sided tray and lay another tray on top. Weigh the tray down with a couple of tins or bottles and place in the fridge for at least 48 hrs or up to 4 days, turning the fish over every 12 hours or so. The longer you leave it, the more cured it will become.
• To make the sauce, tip all the sauce ingredients into a blender. Blitz until you have a thickened dressing.
• To serve, unwrap the fish and brush off the marinade with kitchen paper. Rinse it if you like. You can slice the fish classically into long thin slices, leaving the skin behind, or remove the skin it and slice it straight down. Serve the sliced fish on a large platter or individual plates with pumpernickel bread, dill and mustard sauce.

Steps:

• Cure the salmon: Lay salmon skin-side down, flesh-side up in a glass or stainless-steel baking dish. (A large lasagna dish works well.) In a small bowl, toss together the salt, sugar and pepper until blended. Sprinkle the mixture over the salmon evenly, with abandon, until fully covered, as if under a blanket of snow. Use all of it.
• Spread all the chopped dill on top of the cure-covered salmon to make a thick, grassy carpet.
• Lay plastic wrap or parchment paper over the salmon to cover and press down, then place a heavy weight - such as a 2-gallon zip-top bag filled with water - on top, to weigh heavily on the curing fish. Refrigerate just like this, without disturbing, for 5 days, turning the salmon over midway through the cure - on Day 3 - then covering and weighting it again.
• To serve, mix together the softened butter, dill, shallot and mustard until well blended.
• Remove salmon from the cure, which has now become liquid, brushing off the dill with a paper towel, then set fillet on a cutting board.
• With a long, thin, beveled slicing knife tilted toward the horizon, slice salmon thinly, stopping short of cutting through the skin. Generally, you begin slicing a few inches from the tail end and you slice in the direction of the tail, moving your knife back, slice by slice, toward the fatter, wider belly portion of the fillet. The last slices are always hard to get. Once you have shingled the fillet, run your knife between skin and flesh, releasing all the slices, then transfer them to parchment until ready to serve.
• Spread the compound butter on bread, then drape sliced gravlax on top, and eat as open-faced sandwiches.

Steps:

• CITRUS-CURED GRAVLAX.
• First, make sure all skin and pin bones are removed from your filet, rinse it under cool water, and pat dry. Set aside.
• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the fruit, salt, sugar, and pepper and process to a paste.
• Center a 2 by 3-foot piece of cheesecloth in a non-reactive baking dish or plastic container large enough to hold the fish flat, about 9 by 13 inches. Pack half of the citrus-salt mixture onto the skin-side of the fish, spreading out to the edges, and top with half of the herbs. Place the fish skin-side down in the middle of the cheesecloth and spread the remaining salt mixture and herbs over the flesh. Fold the cheesecloth in over the fish and carefully roll and turn the fish over into the cheesecloth to completely enclose.
• Top with a second large non-reactive baking dish. Place weights or large heavy cans on the second dish to weight and press the fish. Let cure in the refrigerator for 48 hours, turning once.
• Remove the weights and top baking dish and place the fish on the work surface. Discard the wrap and scrape the remaining salt and herb mixtures from the fish. Rinse the fish under cold running water for 1 minute to remove any remaining mixture and gently wipe dry with paper towels.
• Wrap in plastic wrap, place on a platter, and freeze until firm enough to slice easily, 30 to 45 minutes. (Alternatively, refrigerate until ready to slice).
• LEMON-CAPER CREAM CHEESE SPREAD.
• Place all the ingredients in a medium bowl and cream together using a rubber spatula or heavy wooden spoon. Spoon into a decorative bowl and serve immediately. Yield: 1 1/2 cups.
• CHIVE BLINIS.
• Dissolve the yeast in 1 cup of the warm milk and add 1 teaspoon of the all-purpose flour. Place the mixture in a warm place until it rises and doubles in size, about 10 minutes. Add the rest of the warmed milk. Sift in the remaining all-purpose flour and the buckwheat flour. Add the sugar, 3 of the egg whites, the butter and the chives. Beat until smooth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside to rise until doubled in size, about 1 hour. Stir the mixture lightly and let it rise again for 30 minutes.
• Whisk the remaining egg whites until frothy and add to the mixture. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and spray with nonstick cooking spray (or lightly brush with butter). Drop tablespoonfuls of batter into the skillet and cook until bubbles form and blinis are golden brown on the bottom, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Turn blinis and cook until golden brown on the second side, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Yield: about 5 1/2 dozen (2-inch) blinis.
• Tip: Blinis may be made in advance and frozen, wrapped well in plastic wrap and placed inside a resealable food storage bag.
• Remove the fish from the freezer and slice the salmon as thinly as possible at a slight angle. Arrange the slices decoratively on the platter and serve with the Lemon-Caper Cream Cheese Spread and the Chive Blinis.
• Alternatively, blinis may be spread with the Lemon-Caper Cream Cheese Spread and then topped with a small piece of gravlax and passed or plated as hors d'oeuvres. Garnish with fresh dill or chives before serving.