Festive Salmon Gravadlax Recipes

GRAVADLAX

Steps:

• Peel and trim the beets and place in a food processor with the salt, sugar, vodka and dill.
• Finely grate in the lemon zest, add the horseradish, finely grating it if fresh, then blitz until combined.
• Rub a little mixture on to the salmon skin, then place the salmon on a large tray, skin side down, and pat the remaining mixture all over it so that the flesh is completely covered.
• Cover the tray tightly with clingfilm. Pop a weight on top to help pack everything down evenly, then put the whole thing into the fridge for 36 hours. Please use your instincts here - if you have a particularly chunky side of salmon you may want to leave it for up to 48 hours to allow for proper penetration.
• Once cured, unwrap the fish, then, holding the fillet in place, pour the juices down the sink and rub away all the salty topping (it's messy, so you might want to wear gloves).
• Pat the fillet dry with kitchen paper, then tightly wrap in clingfilm (sometimes I like to cover the salmon with freshly picked dill before wrapping, for bonus flavour). Put back into the fridge until needed, where it will keep happily for up to 2 weeks.
• To serve, use a long sharp knife to slice the salmon thinly at an angle and, as the knife touches the skin each time, kink it off, lifting away the salmon.
• Arrange the slices on a board or platter as you go. Delicious with a simple salad and good wholemeal sourdough, as part of a seafood platter, served up at a party or even as part of a festive brekkie spread.

FESTIVE SALMON GRAVADLAX

Steps:

• Up to two weeks ahead of the big day, or at least 48 hours before you want to serve, scrub the beets and horseradish, then coarsely grate them into a bowl. Finely grate in the lemon zest, then add the salt, sugar and vodka. Mix together well.
• Place the salmon in a large tray and cover with the beetroot cure, patting everything down to ensure all of the flesh is in contact with it, then cover tightly with cling film. Place a weight on top to help pack everything down, then chill in the fridge for 36 hours, or until the salmon is cured and firm to the touch.
• Carefully unwrap the fish and remove it from the curing mixture. Run it under a tap to wash away any excess, draining all the juices, then pat dry with kitchen paper.
• Pick and finely chop the dill, then scatter it over the salmon flesh. Tightly wrap in cling film once again, then weigh it down and pop it back in the fridge.
• To make the scones, preheat the oven to 190°C/375°F/gas 5. Tip the yoghurt into a large mixing bowl.
• Use the empty yoghurt pot to measure out one pot each of rye flour and self-raising flour and add it to the yoghurt, along with the honey, 1 egg, bicarbonate of soda and a large pinch of sea salt. Stir with a fork until everything just comes together, then get in there with your hands and shape the dough into a ball. Dust a clean surface with flour and flatten the dough into a large disc, roughly 2.5cm thick.
• Grease a couple of large baking trays with oil. Stamp out 24 rounds with a 5cm crinkle cutter, dipping the cutter in flour if the dough starts to stick, and place them on the trays. Beat the remaining egg and use it to eggwash the scones, then sprinkle over the oats. Bake in the centre of the oven for 20-25 minutes, until puffed up and golden.
• Meanwhile, make the horseradish cream. Put the crème fraîche in a bowl and finely grate in the horseradish and lemon zest. Mix well and season to taste, squeezing in a little lemon juice if you like.
• To serve, use a long sharp knife to slice the salmon thinly at an angle, then dish it up with the warm scones and horseradish cream. Delicious with good quality butter, a little bunch of fresh cress, lemon wedges and a shot of Christmas-infused vodka (see tip below).

GRAVADLAX

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.

GRAVAD LAX

Steps:

• Place salmon on a parchment paper-lined work surface. Remove any remaining bones. Wipe salmon with a damp cloth, being careful not to tear fish.
• In a medium bowl, combine salt, sugar, and peppercorns. Select a shallow dish big enough to hold one fillet; place one-third of the dill in the bottom. Place 1 salmon fillet, skin-side down, on top of dill. Rub one-third of the salt mixture into flesh of fish, and top with half of remaining dill. Rub half of remaining salt mixture into flesh of the second half of salmon, and place, flesh-side down, on top of dill. Rub remaining salt mixture into skin, and top with remaining dill.
• Wrap dish tightly in plastic wrap. Place a small board or baking dish on top, and weight it down. Refrigerate for at least 36 hours and up to 48 hours.
• Scrape off seasonings; discard. Slice salmon on the bias, and serve garnished with pumpernickel bread, cucumber slices, hard-boiled eggs, salmon roe, and sour cream.