Cured Salmon Gravlax - the main star of our Christmas dinner ⭐

It has been a while since my last post in this community. I'm enjoying reading all your great recipes, some of them I've made also in my kitchen and many more are still on my »to do« list. During the Christmas holidays I have some more time to spend in our kitchen and I’ve made this delicious recipe that I want to share with you.

Christmas dinner is one of the most magical dinners of the year. As a host, I always want to make a special effort to make sure that everyone who is invited enjoys the meal. That's why I always prepare the Christmas menu in advance. This year, for the starter, I have prepared marinated salted salmon, The Cured Salmon Gravlax, as it is called by the people of northern Europe, where the recipe originates.

This is a delicious and very simple dish of salmon marinated in beetroot and horseradish. It is very similar in taste and texture to smoked salmon, but the preparation is slightly different. It tastes like fresh fish and the flesh is juicy, light and very tasty. Do not worry about the salty marinade of salt and sugar, as it is removed after marinating. The fillet releases the water due to the salt, but what remains is an intense and very tasty marinated salmon. I probably do not need to point out that it is important to buy the salmon as fresh fish as possible.

Marinated salmon is great for healthy breakfasts, celebrations, but also as a little something different when expecting family, friends or other guests.

Let's jump straight to the recipe,...

• 500g salmon fillet with skin
• 200g fresh beetroot
• 50g horseradish
• 100g sea salt
• 50g sugar
• lemon zest of half a lemon
• teaspoon dill
• teaspoon aniseed
• 50ml vodka or similar (I used gin, but you can leave out the alcohol)

Remove the scales from the salmon skin, if you haven't done so before. The scales prevent the marinade from absorbing, so it is essential to do this.

Wash, peel and cut the beetroot into large pieces.

Peel and grate the horseradish and grate the lemon zest.

Place the beetroot, horseradish, salt, sugar, vodka and spices in a food processor. Blend everything together until you have a red, slightly coarse mixture.

Take a suitable sized casserole dish and place cling film over it. Pour half of our marinade on the foil and place our salmon skin side down.

Spread the rest of the mixture over the salmon, the flesh of the salmon should be completely covered with the beetroot mixture.

Then wrap the salmon tightly with cling film and place in the fridge for 48 hours.

After two days, the salmon is ready. Take it out of the fridge, drain off all the liquid. Rinse the salmon fillets under cold running water and wash them well to remove any marinade. Dry the salmon well with a paper towel.

Slice it very thinly, with a good and sharp knife. I have skinned the salmon beforehand. 🙂

The marinated salmon can be served without any accompaniments, with white or rye bread, or with Nordic seed crackers. A spread made with a teaspoon of horseradish and a teaspoon of sour cream is a great accompaniment. Yummy.

The Gravlax salmon can also be prepared in larger quantities as it keeps well in the vacuum (up to 3 weeks in the fridge). Alternatively, it can be frozen and kept in the freezer for up to 2 months.

Beside the Cured Salmon we served a few more tasty plates. As an alternative to the salmon, we’ve prepared a homemade calf's liver pate (recipe here), warm sourdough home backed bread (recipe here) and crispy Scandinavian crackers (recipe here).

The main course was composed of two fresh salads and meat. One salad was made of boiled celery root, with marinated charlotte and seasoned with pumpkin seed oil. The second salad was made of tomatoes, avocado and boiled eggs.

We've made Viennese-style stakes, but backed in the oven (not fried in the oil).

Judging by the empty plates, the food was very tasty 😀

Fortunately for us, a little of Cured Salmon Gravlax left for the next day. So the next morning I made a salmon sandwich with poached egg and hollandaise sauce,... for a great start to the day. We were all delighted, especially my son, who immediately asked when we planning our next visit to the fish market 🤣

They say you should end the year in style and with this recipe you certainly will!

Bon appetit❗

Thanks for reading,
feel free to leave a comment, I will be glad to reply to.
Best regards, @miljo76