Juniper Flavored Gravlax Recipes

Steps:

• Combine salt, sugar, zest, pepper, juniper, and dill in a bowl. Add gin; stir until mixture resembles wet sand.
• Rinse salmon and pat dry. Line a baking sheet with plastic; scatter one-third of sugar mixture on it. Lay salmon, skin-side down, on sugar mixture; spread remaining mixture evenly over top. Wrap tightly in the plastic; place a second baking sheet on top and weigh down with canned goods. Refrigerate, flipping fish and pouring off excess liquid every 24 hours, for 3 days. Rinse excess sugar mixture off salmon; pat dry.
• Place fish flesh-side down, and slide the tip of a long, sharp knife between flesh and skin at a short end. Using a paper towel to grip, gently pull skin off. Flip fish; thinly slice at a 45-degree angle. Serve with relish, roe, crackers, capers, creme fraiche, fennel, and onion.

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the salt, sugar, peppercorns and juniper. Using your hands, rub 1 cup of the mixture all over the salmon. Transfer to a glass baking dish and cover with the remaining mixture. Scatter dill over the salmon and set aside at room temperature for 2 1/2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 to 5 days.
• When ready to serve, remove plastic and discard dill. Transfer the salmon to a cutting board and drizzle with the gin. Slice thinly on the diagonal. Serve with bread and garnishes of choice.

Steps:

• In a bowl, combine the salt, sugar, peppercorns and juniper. Using your hands, rub 1 cup of the mixture all over the salmon. Transfer to a glass baking dish and cover with the remaining mixture. Scatter dill over the salmon and set aside at room temperature for 2 1/2 hours. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 3 to 5 days.
• When ready to serve, remove plastic and discard dill. Transfer the salmon to a cutting board and drizzle with the gin. Slice thinly on the diagonal. Serve with bread and garnishes of choice.

Steps:

• Place arctic char skin side down on a large piece of plastic wrap. Mix 3 tablespoons grapefruit zest, 3 tablespoons salt, both sugars, 1 tablespoon crushed green peppercorns, and crushed juniper berries in a small bowl; sprinkle mixture over fish, spreading evenly and pressing gently so spices adhere. Wrap plastic tightly around fish, then wrap with another large sheet of plastic. Gently poke 24 small holes through plastic (not fish) on both sides of fish with a thin skewer or the tip of a sharp knife to allow juices to escape. Put fish on a rimmed baking sheet. Top with another rimmed baking sheet; weigh it down with two 15-ounce canned goods. Refrigerate for 2 days, turning fish after 1 day.
• Remove canned goods and top baking sheet. Unwrap and discard plastic, keeping cure intact. Rewrap in clean plastic and poke holes in plastic as before. Place in a clean resealable plastic bag; refrigerate, skin side up. Chill for 1 more day. Gently scrape off cure.
• Whisk crème fraîche, 2 teaspoons dill, and remaining 1 teaspoon crushed green peppercorns in a small bowl. Season with salt. Thinly slice gravlax on a diagonal and serve on crackers. Top with crème fraîche and garnish with remaining 2 teaspoons grapefruit zest and 1 teaspoon dill.

Steps:

• Pat the salmon dry with kitchen paper and run your hands over the flesh to see if there are any stray small bones - if there are, use a pair of tweezers to pull them out. Set the salmon fillets aside.
• Tip the salt, sugar, peppercorns, lemon zest, juniper and dill into a food processor and blitz until you have a bright green, wet salt mixture or 'cure'. Unravel some cling film but keep it attached to the roll. Lay the first fillet of salmon skin-side down and then pack the cure over the flesh. Drizzle with gin, if using and top with the 2nd fillet, flesh-side down. Roll the sandwiched fillets tightly in cling film to create a package.
• Place the fish in a shallow baking dish or shallow-sided tray and lay another tray on top. Weigh the tray down with a couple of tins or bottles and place in the fridge for at least 48 hrs or up to 4 days, turning the fish over every 12 hours or so. The longer you leave it, the more cured it will become.
• To make the sauce, tip all the sauce ingredients into a blender. Blitz until you have a thickened dressing.
• To serve, unwrap the fish and brush off the marinade with kitchen paper. Rinse it if you like. You can slice the fish classically into long thin slices, leaving the skin behind, or remove the skin it and slice it straight down. Serve the sliced fish on a large platter or individual plates with pumpernickel bread, dill and mustard sauce.

Steps:

• Mix together the salt, sugar, and dill. Put the salmon, skin side down, on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Cover the flesh side of the salmon with the salt mixture, being sure to coat it completely (there will be lots of salt mix; just pile it in there).
• Wrap the fish well. If the air temperature is below 70°F and it is not too inconvenient, let it rest outside the refrigerator for about 6 hours, then refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours more. Otherwise, refrigerate immediately for about 36 hours.
• Unwrap the salmon and rinse off the cure. Dry, then slice on the bias. Serve plain or with lemon wedges, crème fraîche, sour cream, or a light vinaigrette.
• Variations
• Low-Salt Gravlax: Use 1/2 cup salt and 1/4 cup sugar. Combine a couple of chopped bay leaves, 1/4 cup minced shallot, and 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper with the dill. Refrigerate for 48 hours and proceed as directed.
• Citrus Gravlax: Use 1 cup each salt and sugar, combined with the grated zests of 2 oranges, 2 lemons, 2 limes, and 2 grapefruit, 2 tablespoons juniper berries; 1 tablespoon cracked coriander seeds; and 1 bunch of dill, stems and all. Marinate for 12 to 24 hours.

Steps:

• Remove the bone from the salmon, leaving two triangular fillets with the skin intact.
• To make the curing mixture, mix together the Maldon Crystal Salt, sugar and peppercorns,juniper berries and the gin.
• Place the salmon, skin side down, on a board and place half of the curing mixture over the surface of each fillet, pressing it well into the flesh. Now cover each fillet with the chopped dill.
• Place one fillet on top of the other to make a sandwich with the dill in the centre and the skin on the outside. Wrap tightly in Clingfilm and place on a shallow dish or plate. Place a plate over the top and weight with a heavy tin. Put in the fridge for 24 - 48 hours turning the gravalax twice during the curing time.
• Unwrap the gravlax and slice thinly Serve with rye bread and a sauce made from equal quantities of mayonnaise and wholegrain mustard mixed with a little sugar and chopped dill.