Marinated salmon. Gravlax recipe

Recipe for marinated salmon or gravlax. This fish recipe is a dish of Scandinavian origin that consists of preparing the salmon maturing it in salt, sugar and dill.

It is a very old recipe, already in the Middle Ages. The Vikings prepared the salmon seasoning it with herbs, honey and salt, and then buried it, wrapped in skins, under the ground in winter time. Thanks to the low temperatures, the fish was preserved for a long time. At the time of year they had the greatest food shortage, until the next fishing season.

If you look at its name gravlax , it means in Swedish literally buried salmon . Once underground the fish was slowly dehydrated and cured losing moisture. This slow maturation process provided a characteristic flavor to the fish that was perpetuated over time. Although in Spain it is known as marinated salmon  and is highly appreciated in gourmet stores for its quality … and its price. Here you will see that for little money you can have your salmon marinated at home so richly.

We can make this recipe not only with salmon. With any other fatty and firm meat fish we will achieve great results. Although the original and basic ingredients are salt, sugar and dill, this time I added fennel and lemon zest to the preparation. We have a very aromatic fish, nothing salty. Contrary to what it might seem, and with subtle and delicate touches of spices and ingredients with which we accompany its maturation.

You will see super explained this recipe that we prepared in a Scandinavian cooking course. How to prepare gravlax or Scandinavian salmon , a very simple dish that you will surely take advantage of. I encourage you to prepare this recipe that, in addition to being very simple, will allow you to have at home a marinated salmon of authentic category. You will tell me.

Preparation of marinated salmon or gravlax

1. To free ourselves from the danger of anisakis (to avoid parasitic problems), we freeze fresh salmon for 48 hours. After this time we let it thaw at room temperature before working with it.
2. With a sharp knife we ​​remove the skin from one of its faces. With the help of tweezers we try to remove all the thorns that it may have. It is easy to place them if we pass the fingertips on their surface, they are perfectly noticeable. We reserve.
3. We must remove the thorns with tweezers.

Preparation of the gravlax

1. In a bowl mix the coarse salt with the brown sugar. We wash and cut the fennel into julienne strips and cut the fresh dill sprigs. With all the dressing prepared we assemble the marinade.
2. In a deep dish and adapted to the size of our piece of salmon, we place the fish. We distribute the salt and sugar mixture over its entire surface, even covering the sides.
3. We spread the fennel on top, sprinkle with fresh dill and grate the lemon peel all over its surface.
4. Cover with transparent paper and place a weight on it, a milk carton or similar will do.
5. We keep the fish in the fridge for 24 hours.
6. After this time we can see that the fountain has filled with water. It is due to the dehydration that the fish has suffered thanks to the salt. We wash the salmon and dry it with kitchen paper.

Final presentation of marinated salmon

1. We can keep it wrapped in transparent paper for two weeks and cut it as we go to consume it. We can keep it tightly wrapped in the fridge for up to 15 days.
2. With this marinated salmon we can prepare countless canapes, even in salad or enjoy it alone.
3. Accompanied with a yogurt and dill sauce on toast. The options are endless and the result of this homemade marinated yummy salmon.

You can see all the step by step photos of this recipe for marinated salmon in this album. Do not miss any detail and I assure you that you will get a perfect recipe.

Tips for a marinated fluffy salmon

• This marinated salmon is perfect for preparing a salad, a pasta dish, making simple canapes or even a pizza.
• I advise you to accompany it with the yogurt sauce and a little bread and butter with its point of salt.
• Also with some  bagels with cream cheese and lettuce or for any other cold canapé that we feel like.
• Be sure to enjoy all the recipes for fish and seafood that we have on the blog.