Making your own gravlax is shockingly easy and very satisfying. Adding our premium dill seed to your salt and sugar brine is an easy way to infuse your fish with a bold world of flavor.
Roughly crush the dill seed with a mortar and pestle until the texture resembles that of your coarse salt. Add to a mixing bowl and combine with the salt and sugar.
Place 2 large pieces of plastic wrap on a work surface, slightly overlapping. Spread half of the salt/sugar mixture onto the plastic wrap, roughly in the shape of the salmon.
Place the salmon, skin side down, on top of the salt/sugar mixture. Top with the remaining salt/sugar mixture.
Wrap the salmon tightly with plastic wrap and place on a rimmed baking sheet (note: make sure to use a rimmed baking sheet. The salmon will release some liquid while it’s curing).
Top with another baking sheet, enclosing the plastic-wrapped salmon between the two baking sheets. Place a heavy object(s), such as canned goods, on top of the top baking sheet, weighing down the salmon.
Refrigerate for 8 hours. After 8 hours, turn the salmon over (it will be gloopy and wet, don’t worry, that’s normal). Replace the top baking sheet and ‘weights and return the salmon to the fridge.
After another 8 hours, turn the salmon over again and repeat the process. (For a medium cure, your salmon should be done in about 24-32 hours, or 36 hours for a hard cure. The curing time depends on the thickness of your fish and the granule size of your salt. Larger salt granules = longer curing time, thicker fish = longer curing time).
Unwrap the salmon and scrape off the salt. Rinse under cold water and pat to dry completely. If time permits, refrigerate your salmon, uncovered, to dry completely.
Using a very sharp knife, carefully slice your salmon at an angle into very thin slices (the colder the salmon the easier it will be to slice). Top with a squeeze of fresh lemon and fresh dill.
