Name: Gravlax (Gravadlax)
Ingredients: 1 Tbsp fresh dillweed or ½ Tbsp dried; 1 tsp crushed black or white peppercorns; 1 tsp fresh dillweed or ½ tsp dried; salt, white pepper; 2 Tbsp white wine vinegar or lemon juice; 150 ml (5 fl oz, generous ½ cup) peanut or corn oil (not olive); 1 Tbsp granulated white sugar (omit if using Swedish mustard); 1 large egg yolk; 2 Tbsp mustard, preferably sweet Swedish mustard, but Dijon will do; 1 rounded Tbsp brown sugar; 1 Tbsp brandy, schnapps or vodka (optional); 1 heaped Tbsp sea salt

Preparation info

Difficulty
Medium

Appears in

The Feast of Christmas

By Paul Levy

Published 1992

About

This is nothing more than a pickled salmon. The name (and the recipe) stems from a time before refrigeration, when Scandinavians used literally to bury the fish in the frozen ground. The proportions given in this recipe are Jane Grigson’s, and they provide a good rule of thumb. Ask the fishmonger to sell you a tail piece of salmon weighing slightly less than 1 kg — the proportions given here are perfect for a piece weighing 1½-2 lb. Get him to slice it lengthways in half and remove the back