People are so impressed when they hear that the gravlax is homemade but the truth is nothing could be easier. Yossi says he knows when gravlax is in his future when he sees containers of Tropicana orange juice on their side in the refrigerator. I use the juice as weights, to press on the fish while it is marinating.
Ingredients
3 – 3 ½ pounds salmon, scaled and boned, cut into two filets of equal size
1 bunch fresh dill, washed
¼ cup Kosher salt
¼ cup sugar
2 tablespoons black peppercorns, crushed (see step 2)
Mustard-Dill Sauce:
3 ½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon powdered mustard
2 ½ tablespoons sugar
1 ½ tablespoons white vinegar
⅓ cup vegetable oil
3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
Preparation
Place one of the fillets skin side down in a deep glass baking dish. Layer the dill on top of the salmon.
In a small bowl, combine salt, sugar and crushed peppercorns. To crush peppercorns, wrap whole peppercorns in a dish cloth and hit them with a rolling pin or use a mortar and pestle.
Sprinkle the salt mixture over the fish in the dish. Top with the remaining salmon fillet, skin side up.
Cover dish with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. Cover with weights such as a brick or cans of food or containers of juice and refrigerate. Every 12 hours, turn the fish and baste it with accumulated juices. Baste between the fillets, too. Continue to refrigerate and baste for 2 – 3 days.
When ready to serve, scrape off dill and seasonings. Put the separated halves on a carving board, skin side down. Slice the salmon very thin to serve. Serve with mustard sauce.
To make the sauce: combine the mustards, sugar and vinegar in a small bowl and blend well. With a wire whisk, slowly beat in the oil to form a thick sauce. Stir in dill.
Yield: 8 – 10
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