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Gravlax for SuperBowl - 2014

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TasunkaWitko View Drop Down
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    Posted: 02 February 2014 at 16:34

I wasn’t able to make any gravlax for 2013’s SuperBowl due to budget constraints, but I sure made up for it in 2014; this year’s gravlax was probably my best yet.


First, if you haven’t already, click here for the background, history, important safety information and step-by-step photos for making gravlax:


http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/gravlax-a-scandinavian-specialty_topic116.html


This year, I used sockeye salmon for the first time, and really was impressed with the deep, vibrant colour that it provided. Here’s the gravlax after about 55 hours of curing, rotating and pressing in the gravlax mix, which consisted of ⅛ cup of kosher salt, ⅛ cup of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of cracked black pepper and 2 teaspoons of dried dill:



As you can see, I vacuum-sealed the gravlax this year, rather than wrapping it in 2 or 3 layers of saran wrap; either way works just fine.


Here are the two fillets after opening the vacuum package, draining off the extracted liquids and patting dry with paper towels:



I also carefully scraped off the excess pepper, dill etc.; this is not completely necessary, but it seemed the thing to do at the time.


Neither my fillet knife nor my knife skills are anything to brag about, but I sliced the gravlax as thinly as I could:



48 to 72 hours seems to be just about the optimum curing time for gravlax; any less, and it tends to be overly-moist and mushy. Any more, and it tends to be off in texture in a way that is difficult to describe. Like the old fairy tale, this seemed to be just right:



But - the fact remains - not nearly as thin as it should be sliced.


No worries, though - it worked fine for an informal SuperBowl Party in the frozen Montana wilderness:



I sampled a few small slices, and was impressed. This is certainly the best gravlax I’ve yet made, and I attribute that to the sockeye salmon, which had a very mild, almost buttery taste and a perfect texture for this:



The SuperBowl tradition lives on!


As always, I invite anyone and everyone to try this; if you have any questions at all, please feel free to ask!

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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 February 2014 at 20:05
Looks really good, Ron.

You might experiment with cutting at an angle instead of straight up and down. That gives you a bit more control when cutting really thin pieces.
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TasunkaWitko Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 02 February 2014 at 23:20
Quote You might experiment with cutting at an angle instead of straight up and down. That gives you a bit more control when cutting really thin pieces.

Good idea, Brook - I keep intending to try that, then I forget.

Thanks for the kind words, too. This tasted amazing; the other times I made it, it tasted "fine," but the sockeye salmon really made a difference here, I think. The only word that comes to mind is "buttery," which might sound ludicrous when describing raw fish flavoured with salt, sugar, pepper and dill - but each time I tried some, that's the word that came to mind. A thicker fillet would have been even better, but absolutely no complaints on my part. 
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote Hoser Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 February 2014 at 02:23
Great looking salmon there Ron.....as you know, it's nit one of my favorites, but you sure did a nice job.
Go ahead...play with your food!
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Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote HistoricFoodie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 February 2014 at 04:10
Buttery is a fine description, Ron. While all the salmons have a high fat content, Sockeye tends to be fatty. Not only does this provide that creamy, buttery texture, but it adds to the flavor as well.

As to the slices, when cutting thinly like that I prefer using a slicer, or even a very sharp chef's knife, because, due to the thinness of the blade, filet knives have a tendency to wander.

But, at base, it's the flavor that counts. And, apparently, you nailed it there.
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