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Gravlax Salmon Recipe

Katie Wells Avatar

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how to make gravlax lox
Wellness Mama » Blog » Recipes » Seafood Recipes » Gravlax Salmon Recipe

This is one of those foods that I was very hesitant to try when I was younger, and I absolutely love it now! If you haven’t had gravlax before, the basic idea is that you are curing raw, wild caught salmon in salt, sugar, and spices. It. Is. Delicious.

I tried a lot of recipes to figure out how to make this (because it is $7 per 4 ounces to buy!!) and finally found one that works well. Gravlax has become my new favorite food! The recipe below is a slight adjustment from the other ones I tried, and I think it’s an improvement.

If you haven’t tried gravlax before, I highly recommend making this recipe. It is absolutely wonderful by itself, or on cucumber slices, or with cream cheese, or many other ways!

how to make gravlax lox

Gravlax Salmon Recipe

A raw salmon preserved with sugar and salt for a delicious appetizer or meal.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 2 days 5 minutes
Calories 193kcal
Author Katie Wells

Servings

6 servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Cut the salmon filet in half into two equal size pieces.
  • Sprinkle the sugar and salt evenly over the flesh side of both filet pieces making sure you coat well.
  • Sprinkle half of the dill evenly on ONE piece of the salmon.
  • Place three or four lime slices on top of the dill on that piece.
  • Sprinkle the other half of the dill on top of the limes, making sure they are covered.
  • Carefully, place the second piece of salmon on top of the first one.
  • Wrap very tightly in plastic wrap and place carefully in a Ziploc bag
  • Put the bag in a baking dish or plate with high sides and place in the refrigerator.
  • Flip over every 12 hours or so.
  • Wait 2 days (and no more than 3!!).
  • To serve scrape off the excess dill and limes and slice thinly with a sharp filet knife to remove from the skin.
  • Enjoy!

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Gravlax Salmon Recipe
Amount Per Serving (65 grams)
Calories 193 Calories from Fat 111
% Daily Value*
Fat 12.3g19%
Saturated Fat 2.6g16%
Cholesterol 44mg15%
Sodium 683mg30%
Carbohydrates 1.8g1%
Sugar 1.8g2%
Protein 19.3g39%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

Delicious served on cucumber slices or with cream cheese. Enjoy within a couple days of finishing.  

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Every made gravlax? Ever eaten raw cured fish? Tell me below!

Katie Wells Avatar

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

21 responses to “Gravlax Salmon Recipe”

  1. Sam Avatar

    Are there any alternatives to using plastic wrap to keep it all together? I have a phobia 🙂

  2. Hannah Sexton Avatar
    Hannah Sexton

    5 stars
    Salmon is my absolute favorite and I’m always trying new ways to prepare it! I’ve actually found that I just don’t like it any other way than with a little bit of olive oil and Himalayan pink salt! Cook it for about 20 minutes and it’s perfection.

  3. Hein Avatar

    Norwegian Gravlaks

    2 Salmon fillets with skin, ca 1kg
    2 small egg cups cognac
    2 T salt
    1 T sugar
    A large pinch of yellow mustard seeds
    3 bunches fresh dill

    Dry the fish with paper towl. It should Not be rinsed in water!

    The 2 fillets should be the same size, or if you only have one, cut it in half down the middle.

    There should be no bones left, remove them with a tweezer.

    Rub in both fillets with the coganc. Then rub the sugar salt and mustard mixture carefully but thoroughly into the fillets.

    spread a bunch of dill on the bottom of the container you are using.
    Put one fillet, skinside down on the dill.

    Chop one bunch of dill finely and cover the filet with it. Put the other fillet on top, skin side up.

    Spread the last bunch of dill over the top.

    Put some plastic wrap on the fish and weight it, wiht a carton of milk for example. This alleviates having to turn the fish over.

    The fish should get some “air”, it shouldn’t be covered totally.

    takes 2 to 3 days.

    Varations: add freskly ground roasted black pepper to the salt/sugar mixture. You can replace the coganc with Norwegain Aquavit, not Danish, and the mustard seeds with caraway, but not both togehter.

    The gravat laks is cut from the thick side at a very flat angle so after a few cuts the slices become quite big. They should be as thin as carpaccio.

    This is traditionaly eaten with Sennepssaus, a sweet mustard sauce:
    4 T Dijon Mustard
    1 T sugar
    1 T 7% vinegar
    3 T grapeseed oil, or any other oil without taste
    4 T cream
    2 T fresh dill, finely chopped
    Salt and Pepper

    Mix all ingedients and season with salt and pepper to taste.

    This is accompanied with scrabled egg and potato salad

    1. Jack Avatar

      Is that a warm or a cold potato salad? Vinaigrette or something like mayonnaise? Sounds perfect to me, either way! Julia Child did Gravlaks about forty years ago. It was on one of her television series and I’ve wanted to try it ever since. Thanks for the inspiration.

    2. Amy Stewart Avatar
      Amy Stewart

      5 stars
      This sounds fabulous! I lived in Germany many years ago and this just brings back memories of weekend Abendbrot ( cold evening meal). This would be great with a really good Bauernbrot cob (whole grain farmer’s rye bread) and any local European beer. Yum!! Going to the market to get some salmon. . . .

  4. Wilhelmina Avatar
    Wilhelmina

    Sugar? I live in Sweden and make gravlax frequently, but I have never heard of adding sugar to the recipe! I bet you can do easily without it!

  5. Linda Baker Avatar
    Linda Baker

    i buy frozen salmon at Walmart and it’s only 10.00 per pound. It’s in the freezer section and is wild caught. You think there is any catch there as to why it’s so much less expensive than the price you mentioned above?

  6. Merry Avatar

    About 15 years ago I made gravlax using Atlantic salmon; it was OK. But I never made it again. HOwever,  right now on Cape Cod, one local supermarket is running a special on wild king salmon ($14.99 lb), the other on wild sockeye salmon (9.99 lb). Both markets advertise that the fish is flown in daily. Both prices are half what I pay home in NYC.  So I’d like to try making it again using wild salmon. Which would you opt for: King or sockeye?

  7. Lorri Miller Avatar
    Lorri Miller

    Did the two pieces go together face to face or skin to face? I’m guessing face to face, right?

  8. Matt Virgo Avatar
    Matt Virgo

    This is my family’s traditional christmas day breakfast with asparagus and has been for as long as i can remember.

  9. Lauren Avatar

    question- when you take it out after the 2nd day to eat, how long after that will it last in the fridge?
    no more than one day?

    1. Wellness Mama Avatar
      Wellness Mama

      I took about 3 days to eat before and it was definitely still good, but it is definitely better the fresher you eat it.

    2. Nancy McManus Avatar
      Nancy McManus

      I know that I’m late to the party, but I cure it over three days, and we often take three or four days to finish it. It doesn’t lose any of it quality, as far as we can tell.
      I make this recipe for every holiday, and all our birthdays. Even my youngest (he’s 22 now) loves it, and he is NOT a fish fan.
      I have a question: I cannot find nutritional info for this. Been searching (that’s how I found your page).
      Thanks.

  10. Sue Avatar

    I have a chest freezer full of salmon. I usually make ceviche out of it, but this looks very good.
    I will give it a try.

  11. Jean Avatar

    This looks really good!  Since I have tons of salmon we caught this summer so I will give it a try. 

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