Gravlax

Total Time: 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 2 (1 lb) salmon fillets, skin on, any pinbones removed
• 1 tablespoon caraway seed
• 2 teaspoons anise seed
• 5 juniper berries
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or 1 small dried hot red chili pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 3 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
• 3 tablespoons aquavit or 3 tablespoons brandy or 3 tablespoons eau de vie or 3 tablespoons scotch

Recipe

• 1 rinse the fillets in cold water and pat them dry with paper towels.
• 2 crush the caraway seeds, aniseed, juniper berries, red pepper flakes, and black peppercorns using a mortar and pestle.
• 3 or place the spices on a cutting board or other hard surface and crush them with the underside of a heavy skillet.
• 4 combine with the salt, sugar, and dill.
• 5 place one of the fillets skin side down in a deep ceramic dish just big enough to hold the fillets.
• 6 rub the fillet with half the spice and dill mixture.
• 7 rub the other fillet with the remaining mixture and place it skin side up on top of the first, creating a salmon'sandwich' with all the spices and dill in-between.
• 8 pour the aquavit on top, cover the dish with plastic wrap, and place a heavy weight, such as two heavy plates or a saucepan, on top of the fish.
• 9 refrigerate for 3 to 4 days, turning the fish every 12 hours and basting it with the brine that accumulates in the dish.
• 10 to serve, dust off some of the spices and slice the fish into thin slices, on the diagonal- the way they cut smoked salmon, with a sharp thin knife.
• 11 serve with mustard sauce and dark rye bread, for open-faced sandwiches, or with mustard, pickles, and capers.