This post on How to Make Gravlax is going to be one you’ll want to try. I’ve always been a lover of salmon… a big-time lover of salmon.  I love it simply grilled, I love it baked in a light sauce, I love it in fish tacos, I love it smoked, and now I love it when it’s cured to produce Gravlax.  Today, I’m using sustainable salmon from Norway to show you a modern take on How to Make Norwegian Salmon Gravlax.

Salmon Gravlax Appetizer

Norwegians and their salmon

For thousands of years, generations of Norwegians have been making a living as highly skilled salmon craftsmen.  Their passion for the sea, deep respect for nature, dedication to responsible fishing and a cultural pride in being the best is what contributes to Norway’s success as being one of the world’s largest suppliers of both wild and farmed seafood.

Norwegian Salmon is farmed in the chilly, clear, arctic waters of Norway by people who have been doing this their entire lives.  Norway is the origin of premium, ocean-farmed salmon, pioneering salmon farming way back in the 70’s. 

Norwegians take great care to do the right thing when it comes to farming, and there are all kinds of systems in place to make sure that things are safe and nature- friendly.  The salmon are slowly grown in a fish hatchery on land for about a year before they are considered strong enough to be transferred to spacious and protected ocean pens.

Every aspect of the salmon development is watched closely.  There are laws in Norway that prevent overcrowding of the farmed fish, they are fed an all-natural diet, and they have monitors in place that alert the farmers and veterinarians to when the salmon are full so that their feeding device can be shut down.  Nice to know that they aren’t fattening them up with anything and everything as quickly as possible, isn’t it?  And isn’t it fun to think that there are salmon veterinarians?  Who knew?!

How to make salmon gravlax

How to make Norwegian Salmon Gravlax:

Start with some fresh salmon. Rinse it well, remove any bones with some needlenose pliers, and then pat it dry.

Making Gravlax

Prepare the curing mixture: salt + sugar + pepper.  Mix it together in a little bowl.

Making Gravlax

Sprinkle half of the curing mixture in a 9×12-inch glass pan.

making gravlax

Top the salt mixture with fresh dill.

how to make gravlax

Place the fresh salmon on top- skin-side-down.

curing salmon

Rub the remaining salt mixture on the top part of the salmon.

how to make gravlax

Top it with the rest of the dill.  Use your hands to pat the dill and the salt mixture lightly into the salmon. Wrap the pan tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Here’s where the “curing” is going to take place.  It will take your salmon 3 to 4 days to be completely cured.  All you have to do during the curing process is peel back the plastic wrap and turn the salmon over once each day.  I cured mine for 3 1/2 days.

making Norwegian Salmon Gravlax

The classic recipe I’m sharing with you today from my Norwegian friends instructs you to scrape the curing mixture off of the salmon and then slice it.  I preferred to rinse it.  Just rinse it off and then pat it dry with paper towels.  The flavors of the cure and the dill still come through beautifully.

Norwegian Salmon Gravlax

When you’re ready to serve it, slice it as thinly as you can with a very sharp knife.  Sample.  And then sample again.  You may not be able to stop sampling!!  I love salmon in every way, shape and form.  I fully expected this to taste exactly like smoked salmon, and this doesn’t really taste anything like smoked salmon.  It’s quite unique.  The flavors of salt and dill and just wonderful, and fresh fish too.  Perfect.

Norwegian Salmon Gravlax

Fill up your whole platter with thinly sliced Gravlax (which you now know is “cured salmon.”)

making salmon gravlax appetizers

Norwegians traditionally eat Gravlax on open-faced sandwiches or with stewed potatoes and gravy (which I included a recipe for below).  I chose to serve it up appetizer-style instead… on toasted baguette slices with a small dollop of creme fraiche, a sprinkle of capers and a garnish of dill.

Salmon Gravlax appetizers

These were devoured at a holiday party I went to recently.  Literally devoured.  Folks enjoyed hearing the background behind the salmon and the Norwegian’s passion for salmon-farming, and they were very interested in the process of curing the salmon.

Gravlax served as an appetizer

Such a simple and pretty appetizer, right?  So even though this took four days to make, it really was effortless, and it actually worked out quite nicely.  I started curing the salmon on Wednesday, my party was on Saturday, and it was so darn easy to assemble on the day of the party.  Impressive little bites too!

Here are a few more salmon appetizer recipes you might like to try:

5 from 3 votes

Norwegian Gravlax

By RecipeGirl.com (shared with permission from The Norwegian Seafood Council)
One of Norway's distinctive dishes, Gravlax literally means "Grave Salmon, " and it refers to the medieval practice of curing the raw fish by burying it in the sand above the high tide level. Today it's dry-cured and traditionally eaten on open-faced sandwiches or with stewed potatoes. It's traditionally served with a sauce (recipe included here). It may also be served appetizer-style.
Prep: 45 minutes
Curing Time:: 3 days
Total: 3 days 45 minutes
Servings: 20 servings (appetizer portion- salmon and sauce)
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Ingredients

SALMON:

GRAVLAX SAUCE:

  • 4 large pasteurized egg yolks
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup vegetable oil or mild olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon mustard
  • ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped dill

Instructions 

PREPARE THE SALMON:

  • Trim the salmon fillets. Scrape the skin well and remove all bones with needle-nose pliers.
  • In a small bowl, mix the salt, sugar and pepper. Sprinkle half of the salt mixture in the bottom of a 9x12-inch glass pan, then sprinkle on half of the dill. Place the salmon fillet skin-side-down in the pan. Sprinkle the remaining salt mixture and dill on top and press it lightly into the salmon. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for three to four days. Turn the salmon over every day.
  • On the third or fourth day, rinse the salmon under cold water. Move to a cutting board and use a sharp knife to cut very thin slices.

PREPARE THE SAUCE:

  • In a medium bowl, stir the egg yolks with the salt until it reaches a thick consistency. Slowly pour in the oil while whisking quickly until the sauce is a consistency similar to mayonnaise (you may need to use a blender or an immersion blender to help this process along). Stir the sugar, vinegar, mustard and pepper into the sauce. Just before serving, add the dill.

SERVE:

  • As a main dish, serve the salmon with the gravlax sauce, stewed potatoes or bread and salad. There are 8 servings if used as a main course.
  • If you'd prefer to serve the gravlax as an appetizer (as shown), just toast up some thinly sliced baguette, place a piece of the cured salmon on top and garnish with a small dollop of creme fraiche, capers and dill. Alternately, you can serve it on top of cucumber slices.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving, Calories: 131kcal, Carbohydrates: 2g, Protein: 10g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 62mg, Sodium: 1135mg, Potassium: 230mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 74IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 12mg, Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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44 Comments

  1. Ashley@BakerByNature says:

    And I know what i’ll be dreaming about…

    Reply
  2. Max says:

    I love this recipe, I used it for a few of our functions that I catered for and everyone loved it. As an added cure, I spinkle some Vodka on the salmon after placing in the dish and before adding the top spice cure and dill. It comes out so moist and yum!

    Reply
  3. Melissa Loh says:

    I always thought curing fish would be a very complicated and tedious process, but you’ve totally demystified it and I cannot wait to try it with some fresh salmon for Christmas lunch!

    Reply
  4. Cookin' Canuck says:

    This is such a beautiful dish, Lori. It would be fantastic for you to be able to travel to Norway and learn about the industry personally. I know I’d love to read your posts about the trip!

    Reply
  5. Tickled Red says:

    We always have Salmon for our Christmas party but I’m going to change it up make these. My surfer will flip!

    Reply
    1. Lori Lange says:

      There is still time- go for it!

  6. Cookbook Queen says:

    Very very cool. Loved all the beautiful photos. My husband loves Salmon so I’m definitely filing this away for later!

    Reply
    1. Lori Lange says:

      If he’s a salmon lover, he’ll love Gravlax too!

  7. Bev Weidner says:

    Um, oh my gosh. I love salmon and now I love GRAVLAX. I love saying the word GRAVLAX.

    This is amazing!

    Reply
  8. Tessa @ Handle the Heat says:

    I love the idea of appetizers! I was sure I was going to dislike cured salmon when I first tried it a few months ago at school – it’s surprisingly addictive. I think we should meet up in Norway to celebrate 😉

    Reply
    1. Lori Lange says:

      Deal- see ya there!

  9. Cindy says:

    Oh my… That seems so tasty and effortless…
    My father makes his own smoked salmon every year for Christmas but I think this year I will surprise him with this recipe.
    Do you think I can do it with an individual fillet first, to try?
    Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    1. Lori Lange says:

      Sure!

  10. Caylee says:

    Oh Lori, these pics are gorgeous. I’ve always been too wary to make my own gravlax but after this in depth set of instructions, I have no excuse.

    Reply
    1. Lori Lange says:

      Yep, no excuse! It’s really so easy to make with delicious results!