The Japanese Kitchen

It’s the time of year again when I usually make bunch of gravlax for the holidays.  This can kind of seem intimidating, but it’s a piece of cake. You just need to find some good, sushi grade salmon.  I usually buy the tail end of the salmon with the skin on. It’s thinner so it will cure faster. I also think it tastes better.

Ingredients:
1/2 fresh salmon, tail part with skin on (ask for sushi grade salmon)
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons  kosher salt  (kosher salt only)
1 teaspoon of cracked white peppercorns
2-3 sprigs of fresh dill, coarsely chopped

Directions:
1. Rinse the salmon in ice water and pat it dry with a paper towel.
2. Combine sugar, kosher salt and white peppercorns.
3.  Rub the salt/sugar mix over both sides of the salmon.
4. Place the salmon in a shallow container and add the dill.
5. Cover and let sit in the refrigerator about 24-36 hours. Turn once during this time.
6. Take it out of the refrigerator and scrape the sugar/salt mix off. Use a really sharp knife and thinly slice the gravlax and serve.

Gravlax is traditionally served with a mustard sauce and crackers. I make the mustard sauce with rice vinegar, honey mustard, dijon mustard, canola oil and chopped dill. You really don’t need a recipe; combine all the ingredients until it tastes right.

A somewhat experimental recipe  I tried that was inspired from a food calendar I saw. First fillet the sanma and remove the bones, and roll it up with fresh, green shiso. After it’s rolled up,  it is then pinned together with a few skewers to hold its shape will frying and then sliced it into smaller pieces for serving. It’s good.