Gravlax or Herb-Cured Salmon

This is the classic preparation for gravlax. Dill is traditional, but I like to use a mixture of herbs. Once you’ve mastered this, you can flavor it in limitless ways. Here’s the most important thing: gravlax is ridiculously easy to make, but because few people do it, it’s incredibly impressive. You can serve hot dogs for Christmas dinner, but if you’ve started with a first course of homemade gravlax, your guests will think you’re a brilliant cook.