Tangy and Refreshing Beetroot & Gin Cured Salmon Gravlax

This Cured Salmon Gravlax is a Delight for your Christmas Eve Dinner

I’ve got a beautiful variation on Salmon Gravlax that will be a show stopper on your Christmas table this year. This recipe is so easy, with NO cooking involved, yet looks extremely impressive and can be served all through your Christmas holiday period. A whole side of Salmon Gravlax is a perfect choice as it can be served alongside a Christmas Eve buffet, with poached eggs and hollandaise sauce for a stunning Christmas breakfast, or as part of the main event for your Australian Christmas Day spread; with prawns, oysters and the lot. The only piece of equipment you’ll need for a whole side of Salmon Gravlax is a long carving knife for thin and even slices to be draped along your serving plate. The Victorinox Rosewood Salmon Knife is the perfect knife for my salmon recipe. It’s a great value for such a crafty knife (also fantastic for PERFECT cake and dessert slices). This knife with its beautifully carved wooden handle is not only lightweight but is 30cm in length. It's the longest knife I’ve ever seen! As you slice, food slides off the blade thanks to its indentations. This means it will carve intricate slices perfectly and cleanly, allowing you to get beautiful serving results! And we all know Aunt Geraldine requires a perfect Christmas plate, right?

How to make Beetroot & Gin Cured Salmon Gravlax

This recipe is for a whole side of salmon, which will feed a crowd while looking impressive on your Christmas table. It is also incredibly easy - set it up 3 days in advance before serving to let it marinate in the fridge. Prep time: 3 days | Serves: 24

Ingredients:

• 1 Whole Side Fresh Salmon
• 2 Beetroots, Peeled and Grated
• ¾ Cup / 250g Rock Salt*
• ¾ Cup / 250g Raw Sugar
• 125ml Gin
• Zest of 2 Citrus Fruits, such as Orange, Lemon or Lime*

To Serve:

• 2 Bunches Fresh Dill
• Zest of 2 Citrus Fruits, such as Orange, Lemon or Lime
• 2 Tbsp Cracked Black Pepper

Instructions:

1. Mix together the salt and sugar in a mixing bowl. Place the remaining ingredients for the cure into another bowl. Mix in ½ of the salt and sugar mix with the beetroot, gin and zest. Reserve the remaining salt/sugar mix.

2. Place some sheets of cling film over a board or platter long enough to hold your salmon. Make sure there is enough to drape over the sides and come up over the salmon to wrap.

3. Pour over the beetroot slurry and spread out over the cling film. Place the salmon, flesh side down on top of the slurry and sprinkle over the rest of the salt/sugar mix onto the skin side. Wrap tightly, then wrap again over the salmon.

4. Place the salmon into the fridge, still flesh side down. Allow this to cure here for one day. On the 2nd day, turn the fish over. Then on the 3rd day turn over again. Serve the following day.

5. To serve, take the salmon out of the fridge. Unwrap in a clean sink and rinse all the content off well under cold running water. Pat the salmon with paper towels to dry and place on a large cutting board.

6. Trim away any edge areas that didn’t cure, such as the belly of the salmon (this area will look a lot flatter than the rest. It is fatty so the white fat won’t take on the red cure).

7. On a separate cutting board, finely chop the dill with a chef’s knife and mix with the pepper and zest. Spread this all over the top of the salmon and lightly press down.

8. To serve, make thin slices with a long knife by lifting up at the bottom when you reach the skin to release the slice. Start cutting slightly on an angle (towards the end of the fillet) to achieve a thicker slice.

9. Serve with bread or crackers, fresh lemon or lime, and a sauce (see recipe notes).

Notes when making your homemade Salmon Gravlax:

• Gravlax is a cure that preserves the fish. It makes a firmer texture than raw very similar to smoked salmon – just without the smoke flavour. While it looks deceptively raw, especially inside (don’t worry, it is not), the salt and sugar draw moisture out and the alcohol in the gin adds another layer of light preservation. You can think of gravlax a little like a pickled fish. This gravlax can be used for up to 5 days after coming out of the cure.
• Make sure to choose a fresh fish, from a reputable supplier, not previously frozen. A fish shop is best rather than the supermarket.
• Rock salt gives the best curing results. Do not use fine salt as the fish will be over salted then.
• If you are doing less than a whole side, use 1 Tbsp salt, 1 Tbsp sugar and 1 Tbsp gin per individual fillet size (around 120-150g)
• Do not be tempted to use the juice of the citrus fruit in the cure as the acid changes the structure of the salmon flesh. It will turn opaque, like ceviche. It won't work in this recipe.
• This is fantastic served with a sauce, such as classic Mustard Cream Sauce: Whisk ½ cup cream with ½ cup Dijon mustard, 2 tsp honey and 1 tsp hot sauce, such as Tobasco.
• If you have a lot of leftover salmon, it can be made into a beautiful meal by cutting into fillets and pan searing skin side down, then transferring to a hot oven for 5-10 minutes.

---

Next Read: Double Chocolate Chip Cherry Ripe Cookie Recipe

---