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Gravlax Salmon Recipe

September 12, 2011 by Katie Wells
how to make gravlax lox

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

Katie Wells
A raw salmon preserved with sugar and salt for a delicious appetizer or meal.
4.75 from 4 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Total Time 2 d 5 mins
Course Seafood
Cuisine Scandinavian
Servings 6 servings
Calories 193 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 side wild caught salmon (with skin on)
  • 2 TBSP sugar
  • 2 tsp sea salt or Himalayan salt
  • ½ cup fresh or dried dill
  • 1 lime (sliced very thin)

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!

Notes

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

Nutrition

Serving: 65gramsCalories: 193kcalCarbohydrates: 1.8gProtein: 19.3gFat: 12.3gSaturated Fat: 2.6gCholesterol: 44mgSodium: 683mgSugar: 1.8g
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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

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Category: Recipes, Seafood Recipes

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder and CEO of Wellness Mama and Co-Founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a wife and 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.

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Reader Interactions

Discussion (21 Comments)

  1. Hein

    April 8, 2014 at 1:25 PM

    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

    Reply
    • Jack

      September 16, 2014 at 2:16 PM

      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.

      Reply
    • Amy Stewart

      July 24, 2016 at 9:54 AM

      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. . . .

      Reply
  2. Wilhelmina

    February 13, 2014 at 12:11 PM

    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!

    Reply
  3. Linda Baker

    February 14, 2013 at 10:21 AM

    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?

    Reply
  4. Merry

    July 24, 2012 at 7:09 AM

    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?

    Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      July 24, 2012 at 8:49 AM

      Probably sockeye, but either would be good.

      Reply
    • Reznil

      April 29, 2016 at 11:39 AM

      4 stars
      I have heard King (Chinook) is the ideal salmon for lox/gravlax.

      Reply
  5. Lorri Miller

    January 19, 2012 at 5:12 PM

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

    Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      January 19, 2012 at 11:28 PM

      Yes, face to face… should have specified, sorry!

      Reply
  6. Matt Virgo

    September 28, 2011 at 7:52 AM

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

    Reply
  7. Lauren

    September 26, 2011 at 9:29 PM

    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?

    Reply
    • Wellness Mama

      September 26, 2011 at 9:32 PM

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

      Reply
    • Nancy McManus

      January 2, 2016 at 11:52 AM

      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.

      Reply
  8. Veronica

    September 14, 2011 at 1:59 AM

    Just put mine in the fridge.  Will let you know how it turns out!

    Reply
  9. Sue

    September 13, 2011 at 12:46 AM

    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.

    Reply
  10. Jean

    September 12, 2011 at 10:26 PM

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

    Reply
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