/ck/ - Food & Cooking

>>6043228
Bumping with pics of gravlax

>>6043246

>>6043250

>>6043256

>>6043269

>>6043228
You don't have to mind food safety, the salt will kill all bacteria and parasites in the fish.

>>6043299
I thought you were supposed to freeze it for a couple weeks first just to be safe?

And have you made / eaten this before?

>>6043329

>>6043385

>>6043395

>>6043329
As long as you follow the recipe's proportions properly it doesn't matter. If you add too little salt the bacteria will grow in the sugar however and be potentially deadly.
My father used to make gravad lax.

>>6043329

not him but i've made it, you just let it sit in the fridge for a few days

>>6043406
http://allthatcooking.com/2012/12/22/gravad-lax-dill-cured-salmon/

Does this recipe look good to you?

>>6043423

>>6043445

>>6043423
Nope. You need to measure by the exact weight of the fish or if your fish is larger than what the recipe expects the ratio of salt to sugar might be too low.

I can translate a Swedish recipe by a professional chef.
1kg of clean middle salmon filet.
0.5dl of salt
1dl of sugar
0.5dl of chopped dill
1 tablespoon of crushed white pepper

Clean the fish, but preferably keep the skin if it isn't already.

Mix salt, sugar and pepper, then rub it into the salmon with a little bit of water on your fingers.

Roughly chop dill and put it over the fish.

Put in a plastic bag, if you are using a whole salmon and has two sides of fish, put them together, thick part to thin part.

Refrigerate for 48 hours, turning regularly about five times.

Scrape of dill and rub from the surface, slice thinly diagonally and serve.

>>6043512
Thanks man. I can't wait to make this. Do you think getting the fish from Wegmans will be high enough quality and fresh enough? And how do you like to eat it once prepared? The crackers and cream cheese pics I've found look really good

Oh boy.

I've actually tried to make Gravalax quite a few times, and I've yet to reach perfection.

First, there are two ways of salting the fatty salmon fillet. One is by applying the salt/sugar mixture directly on to the fish and leaving it for a specific amount of time. And the other is so make a salt/sugar brine, which essentially means you add salt and sugar to a specific amount of water to reach a desired ratio of salt/sugar to water.

The brine method is more likely to produce a silkier, smoother texture while the direct salt method is more likely to produce a chewier almost beef-jerky like texture. Some people don't like it too soft and some people don't like it too hard, you can get a soft texture by using the direct salt method but you have to be aware of what % of salt you are using to the weight of the fish and the exact amount of time you are letting the salt sit on the fish.

As for the salt/sugar ratio, 2 parts sugar to 1 part salt is considered normal. Some people like 1 to 1, others like 2 parts salt to 1 part sugar. I've even seen 3 parts sugar to 1 part salt. It depends on you, but the sugar really helps to balance out the taste. I do 1.25 parts sugar to 1 part salt.

For safety, you need to keep the fish very cool. 40 degrees in your fridge is optimal. This is a raw product.

Oh, and don't expect perfect slices without a good carving knife.

Let me know if you have any more questions.

>>6043554
Do you put anything in other than salt, dill, and sugar? And do you have any pics of your past tries? And do you prefer salting or brining? I might get two fillets and try both methods

>>6043568

>>6043543
It's usually eaten with gravlaxssås, a sweet mustard sauce, but I'm not sure that's available outside of Scandinavia, so you'd have to make it yourself. This recipe looks legit.
http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/hovmstarss-gravlaxss-gravlax-mustard_topic120.html
I think my favorite way to eat them is simply on toast with lemon and the sauce. Just keep in mind it's very salty, fatty and sweet, so pair it at least partially with something dull like potatoes, crackers or bread.

>>6043593
I'm not a huge fan of mustard but it would be wrong not to make it if I'm going through all this other effort

Thanks for the recipe. Do you cure or pickle anything else?

Salt and sugar form the foundation, and the ratio at which you use them forms the second foundation. After that you can really flavor it however you want.

You can rub it with Aquavit, Lime Vodka, Brandy, Cognac even Maple Syrup. You can spice it with curry powder, white pepper, black pepper. You can put fresh dill, fresh parsley, some people even put beets on top to make it purple.

I suggest putting all the extra flavorings after the fish has cured in the salt/sugar mixture since you will need to wash the fish anyway to get off the extra salt/sugar

The classic way is the best for you to first try, you probably desperately want to put your own twist on it. But if you want to have a great recipe that you can wow other people with, than you need to start with the foundation.

Salting is easier but can fuck up the texture if you're not careful. Brining is harder but leaves you with an amazing smooth, silky texture. Of course, the quality of the knife you use to make ultra thin slices really matters.

Sorry, I don't have pictures. Just my successes and failures memorized.

>>6043641
Yeah, I figure it's best to start with following the recipe then see what I like and don't like about it

What made you decide to try this anyways?

>>6043617
I got a hold of some local Swedish bitter cucumbers from an organic farm. I just pickled them overnight, they got the right texture but was a bit too salty, I wouldn't chop them up if I did it again.

>>6043664
My dad makes pickles every year from cucumbers he grows in the backyard. They're so good but he's always heaving on the salt, so if you eat too many it acts as laxative ha

>>6043672

>>6043654

I love the taste of raw salmon and I tend to hyper-focus on making particular dishes. Sorry, if I overwhelmed you with a bunch of information, but there's no greater feeling of accomplishment than when you have every little variable under control and you execute a dish perfectly.

It's the difference between loving good food and loving a good photo you can post on your blog.

>>6043722
I love raw salmon so much...

Nah, I loved all your info. You prob saved me a lot of trial and error by talking about your process in learning the dish. Thanks so much. I've been screenshotting your posts so I can refer to them again later

You have anything else you're really proud of?

>>6043753

>>6043617
I'm swedish and my favourite way to eat it is with boiled new potatoes and a sauce of sour cream, chives and red onion. I find hovmästarsås overly sweet. Also, the cream cheese thing is jewish thing, I think? Americans can correct me if I'm wrong. Rarely seen it eaten like that in sweden.

>>6043799
Not sure. I just really like dried fish with cream cheese so I figured this would be similar

>>6043799
Dane here and the only way I've ever liked lax is on larded rye bread with slice of sweet pickled onion and the lax.


Never made my own lax though, going back to great-grandparents it was something that was just bought from the shops.

>>6043912
It's not a really common thing in the states so I wouldn't even know where to buy it or if I could. Plus itll be fun to experiment with a brand new recipe

>>6044090

>>6044624

>>6044754

>>6044775
This one is really pretty but something about its folds reminds me of vag lol

>>6044779
I don't like capers but this looks good

>>6044797
Forgot pic

>>6044800

For the marinade with horseradish and beetroot:

2 teaspoons ground sea salt (if the fillet is small and thin, the salt can be reduced to 2 teaspoons)
1 1/2 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons (30 ml) vodka
zest of 1 lemon
100-150 g beetroot, grated finely
3 tablespoons (30 g) freshly grated horseradish finely
1/2 bunch parsley, coarsely chopped

In a mortar and pestle crush the coriander, fennel seeds and pepper. Mix with all other products.

The recipe is from a bulgarian blog, you can translate the whole thing with google. http://www.kulinarno-joana.com/2014/12/gravlax-i-mnogozarnest-rujen-hliab/

>>6044815
I respect horseradish but I don't like it. Is there a substitute I could use that would balance the same but not have that quite pungent of a flavor?

Gravad lax is tasty as hell, i didn't know it was this uncommon outside of scandinavia.

>>6044829
Ooh this one is super bright and pretty. Those super thin slices make me want to go knife shopping. Anyone have a favorite knife for fish?

>>6044841
Where are you from / where do you live?

>>6044845
Sweden.

>>6044846
Any other similar dishes I should try if I make this? I'm a big fan of Asian / hispanic dishes but I am a noob as far as European dishes go except for potato candy or boiled cabbage

>>6044853
>>6043799
Me again. Try pickled herring if you're into pickling things. It's a staple in scandinavian cuisine at times like christmas, easter, midsummer. It's not as tasty as gravad lax, and possibly more of an acquired taste, but it's very good.

>>6044895
Yeah, I love pickled things and will def look into it. I guess I'm just looking for things a little more outside of my comfort zone

Thanks for the idea tho

>>6044090
>It's not a really common thing in the states


Guy in Ohio here to let you know that Gravlax is sold in just about every grocery store I can think of in my region, sold year round.
Usually in vacuum packaging and at least 3 different herb/smoke flavors.

Go check the open cool case in the Seafood dept.

>>6044947
Is that a specialty store or a regular grocery?

>>6044951
I have seen and purchased Gravlax at:
Meijers
Krogers
Fulmers (no longer exists)
Big Bear (no longer exists)
Giant Eagle
Marsh (been forever since I went to one, so not sure if still have Gravlax)
Remke
Jungle Jim's (the worlds LARGEST grocery store)

>>6044951

Texan here. I've seen it at regular grocery stores including Kroger, Randalls, Fiesta, and HEB. It's not hard to find at all.

>>6044951
Western Canada here. Variuos types of cured/smoked salmon are available at all major grocery chains.

>>6044895
>>6044901
I think you can get some types of pickled herring at most IKEA stores across the world. At least my grand uncle who lives in Florida buys it there.
Trying it before you make it might be a good idea, so you have an idea of what to aim for.

>>6045179
>>6045213
>>6045265
I have none of those groceries where I live
we have giant, food lion, superfresh, whole foods, and Wegmans
I'm not familiar with local ethnic markets yet tho