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- Path: decwrl!recipes
- From: minow@thundr.dec.com (Martin Minow)
- Newsgroups: alt.gourmand
- Subject: RECIPE: Gravad lax (gravlax)
- Message-ID: <12450@decwrl.DEC.COM>
- Date: 15 Apr 88 05:37:40 GMT
- Sender: recipes@decwrl.DEC.COM
- Distribution: alt
- Organization: Digital Equipment Corp., Maynard, Mass., USA
- Lines: 107
- Approved: reid@decwrl.dec.com
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- .RH MOD.RECIPES-SOURCE GRAVLAX M "28 Oct 87" 1988
- .RZ "GRAVAD LAX" "Swedish dill-cured salmon"
- Gravlax uses a salt-sugar mixture to cure the fish.
- The fish is flavored by dill and whatever else is handy.
- (I've used gin, Julia Child has used cognac).
- .PP
- I've gathered these versions of the recipe from several sources.
- From \fIVer Cokbok\fR (the Swedish equivalent of \fIJoy of Cooking\fR or
- \fIMrs. Beeton\fR.) From a brochure published by the Swedish Information
- Service. From a booklet written by Tore Wretman, who owned a major
- restaurant and has published several cookbooks of his own.
- .PP
- Gravlax is like barbeque\(ema process that you follow, but can vary
- considerably.
- Don't skimp on the salt. The proportion
- of salt to fish is important to preserve the fish. Here are several
- variations on a single basic recipe.
- .IH "Serves 3\-4"
- .IG "1" "small salmon,"
- whole
- .AB "(2\-3 lbs)" "(about 1 kg)"
- .SH SWEDISH RECIPE I
- .IG "2 Tbsp" "white peppercorns" "20 g"
- (or a mixture of equal parts white peppercorns and allspice berries)
- .IG "4 Tbsp" "salt" "60 g"
- .IG "2 Tbsp" "sugar" "25 g"
- .IG "2 bunches" "dill"
- .SH SWEDISH RECIPE II
- .IG "\(14 cup" "salt" "60 g"
- .IG "3 Tbsp" "sugar" "40 g"
- .IG "2 Tbsp" "white pepper" "30 ml"
- .IG "4 tsp" "allspice" "20 ml"
- .IG "3 Tbsp" "gin" "50 ml"
- .IG "2 bunches" "dill"
- .SH ENGLISH RECIPE I
- .IG "2 Tbsp" "salt" "20 g"
- .IG "2 Tbsp" "sugar" "25 g"
- .IG "3 Tbsp" "white peppercorns" "30 g"
- .IG "2 bunches" "dill"
- .SH ENGLISH RECIPE II
- .IG "2/3 cup" "salt" "150 g"
- .IG "\(12 cup" "sugar" "100 g"
- .IG "20" "white peppercorns"
- .SH MAITRE'D SAUCE
- .IG "3 Tbsp" "dark french coarse-ground mustard" "50 ml"
- .IG "1 Tbsp" "sugar" "15 ml"
- .IG "\(12 tsp" "salt" "3 ml"
- .IG "pinch" "ground white pepper"
- .IG "1 Tbsp" "vinegar" "15 ml"
- .IG "6 Tbsp" "olive oil" "100 ml"
- .IG "6 Tbsp" "dill," "100 ml"
- .PH
- .SK 1
- Get a whole fish, clean it and remove the head. Split into two
- filets, removing the backbone but leave the skin on. Dry off
- the filets and remove all the little bones.
- .SK 2
- Crush the peppers and seasonings in a mortar, add the salt and sugar.
- Mix well, and press the mixture into the filets.
- .SK 3
- In a glass or ceramic dish, put some dill on the bottom, then one
- of the filets, skin side down, then more dill, then the other
- filet, skin side up. Put the thick side of one filet against the
- other's thin side. Cover with plastic wrap (NOT ALUMINUM FOIL) and
- put a cutting board or similar on top with some weight on it (e.g.
- a couple of beer cans).
- .SK 4
- Put it in the refrigerator for a day or so. (Thin filets are
- ready in 1 day, thicker in 2 days.) Turn the filet over
- once or twice during this time. Pour off the brine, otherwise the fish
- will be too salty. The fish will keep for a week in a refrigerator
- after pouring off the brine.
- .SK 5
- Make the sauce, "Maitre'd sauce". Mix together the mustard, sugar, salt,
- pepper, and vinegar.
- Add the oil drop by drop as if making a mayonnaise.
- Add the dill. Let the sauce sit for about 10 minutes.
- .SK 6
- Cut off either thin (nearly horizontal) slices, or thick
- vertical slices, to taste. (Don't cut through the skin).
- Serve as an appetizer on thin slices of buttered rye bread
- (with a little lemon juice and some finely chopped dill),
- or as a main dish with boiled new potatoes and Maitre'd sauce.
- .NX
- You can broil or grill thick slices of gravlax.
- After you've eaten the salmon, you can also cut the skin
- in thin strips, sear them briefly on the skin side,
- and serve them as a garnish.
- .SH RATING
- .I Difficulty:
- easy once the fish is prepared.
- .I Time:
- 5 minutes preparation, several days aging.
- .I Precision:
- measure the ingredients.
- .WR
- Martin Minow
- Digital Equipment Corporation, Maynard, Mass., USA
- Minow@thundr.dec.com minow%thundr.dec@decwrl.dec.com
-