Julia Child's Traditional Gravlax

Chef Kate's Note:

According to Julia, she first ate Gravlax in the Grand Hotel in Oslo and starting making it then. This recipe easily doubles and will keep (after the cure) for a week in the frig or can be frozen. It's easy to do; the hardest part is the slicing. You can serve it with sauce or, my favorite, just plain with cucumber and good bread, and, if you're adventurous, with some ice cold aquavit. Cooking time is curing time. Servings are estimated for appetizers.

• Total Time: 96 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 96 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 15

• 2 1/2-3 lbs salmon fillets, skin on, all bones removed
• 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt (plus more if needed)
• 2 1/4 teaspoons brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons cognac (plus more if needed)
• 1 cup dill sprigs, packed

Directions:

1. Trim the salmon fillet, cutting away any thin uneven edges and the thin end of the tail (which can be reserved for something else).
2. Make sure all the pinbones are removed--run your fingers up the fillet; if you feel any bones, remove them with a tweezer or a needle-nosed plier.
3. Cut the fillet in half crosswise so that you have two pieces of the same length and roughly the same width.
4. Mix the salt and sugar together.
5. Sprinkle half the mixture over each fillet and rub it in with your fingers.
6. Place one fillet in a glass (or other non-reactive) baking dish big enough to hold it.
7. Drizzle about two tablespoons of cognac over each half, rubbing it in with your fingers.
8. Spread the dill over the salmon half in the baking dish.
9. Lay the other half fillet on top (skin side up).
10. Align the two halves.
11. Cover closely with a sheet of plastic wrap.
12. Place a board or pan on top of the fillets.
13. Make sure it is resting on the fish and not on the sides of the baking dish.
14. Weight the top with something heavy (a large can of tomatoes for example).
15. Place in refrigerator.
16. After one day of curing, remove weights and board and turn fillets over(so the top fillet is now on the bottom) and baste with the liquid that has accumulated in the dish.
17. Replace weights and board and return to frig.
18. On the second day, turn and baste again and slice off a tiny piece to taste.
19. If it doesn't taste like it's getting there, add a little more salt and/or cognac on the fish.
20. Return to the frig.
21. Cure for a third day, turn and baste again.
22. On the fourth day, you can serve the gravlax.
23. To serve, clean the dill away and wipe the fish dry with paper towels.
24. Use a long thin-bladed slicing knife (sharpened) and start slicing a few inches from the narrow end of the fillet.
25. Cut with a back and forth sawing motion toward the narrow end to remove a thin slice of fish.
26. Start each succeeding slice a bit farther in from the narrow end; always cut at a flat angle to keep the slices as long and thin as possible.

Reviews

[Mme M]

This is truly outstanding. It takes a few days of turning, and perhaps requires adding to the initial sugar/salt/cognac blend, but the results are better than anything you could buy commercially! The taste is magic, but it's a straightforward recipe!