The Swede Makes Gravlax...FINALLY!
Printed From: Foods of the World Forum
Category: Other Food-Related Topics
Forum Name: Curing of Meats, Charcuterie and Smokehouse Specialties
Forum Discription: From basic sausages and smoked bacon to specialised meat products such as cured hams or other charcuterie, this is the place to discus it!
URL: http://foodsoftheworld.ActiveBoards.net/forum_posts.asp?TID=1065
Printed Date: 26 March 2026 at 21:56
Topic: The Swede Makes Gravlax...FINALLY!
Posted By: Hoser
Subject: The Swede Makes Gravlax...FINALLY!
Date Posted: 06 January 2011 at 13:01
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Ok, ok...i finally took the plunge. I'm posting here in the New England section only because we already have a couple of very good gravlax posts in the Scandinavian forum. I'm a little paranoid about the nasty critters that live inside some fish, so I went out and bought a couple of small fillets which had been commercially frozen, which means they were frozen to -40° for a long enough period to kill any parasites that may be residing in the flesh. Of course my local grocery store decided that today would be the perfect day to run out of fresh dill weed, so I was forced to improvise with dill seed and dried dill weed. That, along with some unrefined turbinado sugar, pepper and kosher salt will make up the very short list of ingredients used today. Here are the fillets, small, but very nice salmon indeed  First a healthy sprinkling of dill seed  Then some dill weed  Ok...I know those ingredients are being put on out of order...normally the salt and sugar would be first, but since I do not have fresh dill, i wanted to be sure I'm imparting enough dill flavor to the flesh. This will all be vacuum sealed, so i am not concerned about the salt cure getting to the fish. Here is a shot of the salt/sugar/pepper mix  And as it is applied  Then vacuumed it..check back occasionally for updates...I'll let you know how it's going.  ------------- Go ahead...play with your food! |
Replies:
Posted By: TasunkaWitko
Date Posted: 06 January 2011 at 13:09
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hey, dave - i took the liberty of moving it to scandinavia but also making it so that it shows up here, too! looks like you're doing great with it and i am eager to see how you enjoy it. i think that, even substituting the dill weed and seed, you will do very well with it!
did you apply the cure/dill to both skin side and flesh side? the reason i ask is because i can see cure on the "outside" portions. you definitely want the flesh side touching the flesh side to aid in the curing - the skin side should be outside, like two slices of bread in a salmon sandwich. anyway, if you have to change them, now would be the time!
be sure to flip it every half day or so, so that the curing juices penetrate well into both sides. ------------- If you are a visitor and like what you see, please http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/registration_rules.asp?FID=0" rel="nofollow - click here and join the discussions in our community! |
Posted By: Hoser
Date Posted: 06 January 2011 at 13:31
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Yep...it is flesh to flesh and skin on the outside Tas...just tough to discern that in the pic. Thanks for the heads-up though, anyway  ------------- Go ahead...play with your food! |
Posted By: Hoser
Date Posted: 07 January 2011 at 12:20
After only 24 hours, look at all the lovely brine as the moisture is extruded from the salmon. ------------- Go ahead...play with your food! |
Posted By: Hoser
Date Posted: 07 January 2011 at 14:18
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I'm going to let this cure for a full week; I intend to sample it during next week's Patriots victory over whoever they play, and with some gravlaxas, and of course, some Ti-Malice. I really can't think of a better place to try the Ti-Malice than on some nice salmon...can you? ------------- Go ahead...play with your food! |
Posted By: TasunkaWitko
Date Posted: 07 January 2011 at 17:49
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very nice-looking dave! you shouldn't need to rinse but a good pat-down will be fine.
as for the patriots - time will tell!  ------------- If you are a visitor and like what you see, please http://foodsoftheworld.activeboards.net/registration_rules.asp?FID=0" rel="nofollow - click here and join the discussions in our community! |
Posted By: Boilermaker
Date Posted: 07 January 2011 at 18:31
Just curious but what types pf parasites live in fish? I have found worms in their flesh before (Yecchhhh!) but what else do they carry? ------------- |
Hoser wrote:Posted By: Hoser
Date Posted: 08 January 2011 at 02:06
Anisakis and Tapeworm for starters Andy http://www.beyondsalmon.com/2006/10/parasites-in-fish-part-2-anisakis-and.html - Here is some interesting reading on the subject ------------- Go ahead...play with your food! |
Posted By: Hoser
Date Posted: 17 January 2011 at 03:33
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OK...it's been a week so it's time to get the gravlax out of the fridge, clean it off, slice it and sample it. As you can see, it has become very dark, and produced a great deal of brine ...I measured over a half cup of liquid when I open it, so the salt was certainly working. Here it is next to a small bowl of gravlaxas that I made this morning.  I cleaned it off a bit and sliced some up...it sliced quite easily, the flesh firmed up and it cut like a very tender steak.  I sampled it three ways...first was sliced all by itself............. Yuck! I'd just as soon eat a raw clam. Then I plated some up on cocktail Pumpernickel bread. The first one I topped with my gravlaxas, and the second was piled high with some amazing Ti-Malice.  So what's the verdict you might ask? It was far from becoming a favorite of mine at any time in the future. The texture was not one that I am fond of, and the basic flavors of the gravlax itself were lacking in my opinion. There was an undertone of bitterness that was a bit offensive. I enjoyed the gravlaxas very much, and the Ti-Malice was special as well, but any salmon I preserve from this time forward will be smoked....the way I like it. This is a dish that is all about personal preferences, and it just didn't to it for me....Rocky the cat, however is a lucky little feline this morning, because he adores it...dill and all. So.....I'll stick to the Swedish meatballs and potato sausage, and you guys can have the gravlax all to yourselves. Here is one Swede that can live without it.  ------------- Go ahead...play with your food! |