Since we spend a fortune on smoked salmon, I decided, "Why not try to make Gravlax at home"?
The reasons to not try at home (that quickly bubbled up in my head) are:
1. Food Safety: What if I die from some unknown salmon-related disease?
Answer: Buy pre-frozen salmon, completely thawed before preparation. Freezing it commercially kills the parasites that may be in there.
2. Food Safety: I'm not cooking it, is it safe?
Answer: Well, I eat sushi. I know the sushi-fish is great quality. Make sure the quality of the fish you're using is great. Look at the colour of the fish: Should be a healthy pink. Smell the fish: It should not smell of fish. It should be pretty much odourless. Buy from a store that cycles through their food very regularly.
3. Taste: Will it turn out ok?
Answer: Only way to know is to try it :)
So, I went online and this is the website I liked the most:
http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/132/Gravlax
After one trial, I changed the recipe: I used 2 parts sugar to 1 part salt. And I only cured it in the fridge for 48 hours. I did have a thinner piece of salmon.
You have to judge how long your fish stays in the fridge by feeling the firmness of your fish every 12 hours or so. The fish will get pretty firm before it's ready to be eaten. Once you've taken away the packaging, you'll see the fish is still nice and easy to cut through.
Don't use water to wash away the spices and herbs. Just wipe it away with kitchen towel. If you're going to store any of it back in the fridge, then the water might affect the shelf life of your fish. The cured fish, safely stored with kitchen towel wrapped around it to catch excess moisture, will last in your fridge for at least 2 weeks. It will last about 6 months if you slice it and store it in the freezer in air-tight ziplock bags.
Just try it once. It worked out great for us. And we finished the half fillet of salmon in one meal. The smoked salmon we purchased would have cost us $15. This preparation cost us $5.
Pretty neat, huh? Next time I make it, I'll take a picture to post up here.
