Mike’s gravlax with mustard sauce
My eldest brother is a great cook (as are all my siblings) and his gravlax is a staple every Christmas. This is a particularly festive dish to make and share, but it’s great for any kind of gathering. Gravlax makes a fairly extravagant piece of fish go a very long way and it’s a fantastic centrepiece for any party or grazing platter
Ingredients
- 2 x 700 g 1 lb 9 oz pieces of salmon, pin-boned, skin on
- 1 large bunch of dill
- ½ cup 110 g salt
- ½ cup 110 g caster (superfine) sugar
- 2 Tbsp freshly ground pepper preferably from white peppercorns
- Lemon wedges to serve
- Dark rye bread to serve
MUSTARD SAUCE
- 1 cup 250 ml single (pure) cream
- Juice of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup 20 g mustard powder
- ¼ cup 45 g brown sugar
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp sea salt
HORSERADISH CREAM
- 1 cup 250 g crème fraîche
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 Tbsp horseradish cream or grated fresh horseradish or to taste
- ½ tsp sea salt
- A tiny pinch of ground turmeric
Instructions
- Place one piece of salmon in a glass or stainless steel dish, skin side down.
- Lay the dill fronds on top.
- Combine the salt, sugar and pepper and sprinkle it on top of the dill, then place the other piece of salmon on top with the skin facing up.
- Tightly cover with plastic wrap or foil and then weigh the salmon down with a few tins of tomatoes, beans or whatever.
- Refrigerate the salmon for at least 2 days or up to 3 days, turning it over every 12 hours or so and rubbing it all over with the liquid that’s released as it cures.
- Combine all of the mustard sauce ingredients in a small saucepan and whisk over medium–high heat until smooth.
- Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, by which point the mixture will have thickened into a lovely glossy sauce.
- Pour it into a small jar and place in the fridge to cool and set.
- For the horseradish cream, mix all the ingredients together and season to taste, adding more salt or lemon juice as you prefer.
- Store in the fridge until needed.
- Remove the salmon from the dish, scrape away the dill and excess marinade and pat dry with paper towel.
- Place on a chopping board and discard the skin.
- Slice the salmon very thinly on the diagonal.
- Serve the gravlax with the mustard sauce, horseradish cream, lemon wedges and slices of dark rye or your favourite bread.
Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:
If you can get your hands on fresh horseradish, you’re in for a treat. I have some growing in our garden and it’s the most incredible plant – the peppery leaves are lovely in salads and the fresh root (when scrubbed and washed of dirt) is amazing grated over chargrilled steaks, venison … anything, really. That said, horseradish cream from a jar is also delicious in this recipe.
