Test batch came out of the wrap last night. Total cure time was 2 1/2 days. Went straight to the smoker for 2 hours of cold smoking. Cleaned it off and gave it the taste test. IT WAS WONDERFUL. I now know what people mean by "buttery". I had only had store bought gravlax before and it was always really "fishy". But not this. I will never buy from the store again.

A couple of notes.

This first batch was "by the book" except that I added 1/2 teaspoon of aquavit to the cure. Didn't seem to influence it that much.

I didn't really taste much dill. I think I will pile it on even more in future attempts.

It was pretty sweet. I think I will slightly alter the sugar/salt next time as I would like a little more balance.

The smoking hardly dented it, which is good, because I only want a hint of smoke.

One last question - it's probably been asked but I missed it in scanning the comments. Can this now be frozen for future use? I guess I can take one half and try but thought there might be some guidance on freezing.

Hi there,

I've been making gravlax for a few months now and it's come out perfectly every time. I was attracted to this recipe and all your claims but am sorry to say that this is the first failure I've had. It simply didn't cure ... and I left it for a week, turning regularly. Gutted :o( That's AU$25 down the drain >o(

Hi, Just seen Keta Salmon on offer - wild caught and wonder if you have ever used it for gravlax with any success before I waste any??

Wow this is a really simple recipe. Seems like people are having a lot of success with it.

I just made gravlax for the first time and got the hard crusty outter parts and the too soft middle. It was very hard to slice. Very disappointing because it doesn't taste like I remember either.

I can't wait to try your version. - Thanks!

Very informative site. Thank you

I'm making this for my father in-law for his birthday, he remembers it from forever ago eating it in Scotland at a restaurant. He remembers it being amazing but said it was served with a light side sauce. Does anyone know what this would be.

I've finally gotten around to making this recipe (first time making my own gravlax!) and it's currently curing in the fridge.

But, I realised after re-reading the instructions that I rubbed my salt/sugar cure into the salmon evenly instead of just piling it in the middle. My 1.7 lb cut of salmon is a totally even piece though as it's not the entire fillet, so there's no thin tail.

Is there anything I should do to rectify it at this point?

Also, I used 2 T sugar + 2 T salt for my cure as I generally don't like sweet tasting food.

Do you think this will work well too?

Thanks for all your help!

Can I use previously frozen salmon? It's of meh quality. Where I live there isn't any fresh salmon, and certainly no wild salmon at all, so I take what I can get...

JS,

The gravlax was absolutely divine, possibly the best I've eaten. Even though I rubbed the salt & sugar cure in instead of leaving it in the middle of the fillet, the fish cured very evenly. It really had that melt-in-your-mouth texture, just the way I like it.

I used 2 T sugar + 2 T salt. Next time I think I'll only use 1 T sugar + 3 T salt (do you think that will work?) as I would have preferred a slightly saltier taste.

Also, what exactly does a hard cure mean? Does that mean the fish is 'cooked' more or that the fish retains a stronger flavor from the cure?

This recipe is about to become a staple around here, I just want to tweak the salt and sugar ratios a little. It was the first time I've ever bought sugar too and I have no other use for it!

Thanks for making that clear.

One more thing - what's the point of leaving the skin on? I actually find it kind of annoying to slice it while the skin is on and sometimes lose a little salmon that remains on the skin.