In this Scandinavian delicacy, fresh salmon is cured with salt, sugar, pepper, and dill for 2 to 4 days. With its rich, varied colors and textures, it always seems to me a thing of beauty that is worth every bit of the effort. Have the fishmonger remove the center bone of the salmon without separating the fillets. (This is called butterflying.)

For an hors d’oeuvre, I like to serve gravlax, topped with a drop of sauce, on multi-grain crackers, toasted Potato Bread (recipe follows on page 22), cucumber slices, or endive petals. For an appetizer, I spoon some sauce on top of the gravlax and surround it on the plate with watercress, fresh greens, or cucumbers.

ingredients

Preparation

1. Pat the salmon dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, combine the sugar, salt, and pepper and rub the mixture all over the fish.

2. Fold the fish in half, placing the cut dill between the layers. Place it in a glass dish large enough to hold it. Cover the dish with wax paper, then foil.

3. Place a cutting board on top of the foil and weight it down with a heavy object, such as a pot filled with large cans. (It is important that the fish is weighted down with something heavy.)

4. Refrigerate for 2 to 4 days. Once a day, turn the fish over and pour off the accumulated liquid. Re-cover and replace the weights each time.

ingredients

PREPARATION

1. Whisk all the ingredients in a small bowl to blend thoroughly.

2. Refrigerate in a glass jar.

1. Place the folded salmon on a cutting board. Unfold the fillet. Cut in half, following the line of the removed center bone. Scrape off the curing mixture.

2. Place a sheet of wax paper on top of a sheet of foil. With a gravlax knife or thin-bladed slicing knife, cut the fillets on the diagonal into slices of desired thinness. (I like mine as thin as possible, but others prefer it thicker.) As you cut, place the slices on the wax paper.

3. Serve with the sauce and potato bread, if desired.

Note: To freeze gravlax, place the cut slices on a piece of wax paper over a piece of foil. Separate the layers with wax paper. Cover with wax paper, then a piece of foil, and place in a plastic freezer bag. To defrost, leave the freezer bag at room temperature for a minute or so, and then peel off the desired number of sheets of gravlax. Let the gravlax stand at room temperature for 2 to 5 minutes, depending on thickness.