Grav Lox

[mishalak]

The grav lax I made was from a food network recipe that I found through google. I followed the recipie with a few departures that I shall note.

It said to start with a 2lb side fillet of salmon with the skin on. I had picked up a filet with the skin off. I decided not to worry about that too much. It also called for quite a lot of fresh dill, 3/4 of a cup once chopped up. I couldn't find any so I used dried dill and that seemed to work just fine. The preparation consisted of checking for bones (I couldn't find any) and washing and then pat it dry with some paper toweling.

I cut the fish in half across the length so I had two roughly 1 pound rectangular pieces. Putting on the dill in a even layer completely covering the fish. Then I sprinkled the fish with vodka. I think this was to kill off germs more than to add flavor and to stick the dill to the fish a bit. Previous to this I mixed up a cup of salt, a cup of sugar, and 2 tablespoons of fresh cracked white pepper. With the fish on a long strip of plastic wrap I poured the salt on the fish, then turned the two faces to each other. I also put a touch of the mixture on the backside as I wrapped up the fish. It was difficult to keep the sugar and salt between the two pieces as I wrapped the fish pieces in another layer of wrap.

I put my package in a glass pan then I put another glass pan on top of it with several wine and soda bottles on top. I'd estimate the total weight at about 5-8 pounds. Into the fridge with the set up for 12 hours. I started it in the evening so that 12 hours would fall in the morning. I kept turning it ever 12 hours for two days in total. The recipe said that two days was good and in no case should it stay in for longer than 3 days. It also says that if washed and then wrapped up again it will keep for several days. That makes sense, but I didn't try it. I preferred to time the fish being done in time for the party so I could just take it out, wash it off, and cut it up into thin slices with a sharp knife.

EDIT: Since this first time I've found a better platic wrap technique. I put a short peice across the pan and then a longer length down the pan, three times as long as one of the fish pieces. I then put down just a little cure mixture in the middle and center the first piece of fish on the wrap after having given it a rub with the vodka. Sprinkle on the dill pour almost all the cure on top. Then rub the other piece with vodka and sprinkle with dill and put it dill side down on top of the cure pile. Pull in one side and then the other of the long strip of plastic wrap. THen the short piece can pull in the sides without spilling as much of the cure. Wrap once more and you're ready to put it in the fridge with the weights.

Comments

[armoire-man.livejournal.com]

And lovely it was, indeed. Thanks for documenting it, because I want to try making it someday.

I think that I need to start a tickler file - in October, there'll be an entry for fruitcake, and in November and December things for various holiday recipes and traditions.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I need to do something like that too. I forget a lot of things I want to do like to make fruitcake early.

[thette.livejournal.com]

Incredibly cool.

And this is me not telling you what I thought gravlax tasted like when I ate it.

[mishalak.livejournal.com]

Since you don't like eating the flesh of animals I'm sure it is nothing good. But I don't mind, nothing can put me off my food. I have had people describe horrible operations to me while I eat, nothing a person says will gross me out to the point where I won't eat.

I have just started annother batch for the Yuletide.