Gravad lax

Oriental fish burger

• 1 WHOLE SALMON
• 100 GRAM SEA SALT
• 50 GRAM SUGAR
• BUNCH OF DILL, chopped
• 1 TBSP FRESH MILLED PEPPER

• 500 GRAM WHITE FISH FILLET
• BUNCH OF GREEN ONIONS, chopped
• 1 CLOVE GARLIC, mashed
• 100 GRAM SMOKED SALMON, chopped
• 6 TBSP BREAD CRUMBS
• 1 TSP SESAME SEEDS
• 200 GRAM COCONUT MILK
• 2 TBSP GINGER SYRUP
• 1 LEMON, juice and rind

Cut two fillets from the salmon, as close to the bone as possible. Mix the salt with the sugar, the dill and the pepper. Put one fillet on a plate, skin side down, distribute the salt mixture over it, put the other fillet on top, skin side up. Put a plate on top and put a heavy item on this plate, like a large can of beans. Put in the fridge. Every twelve hours, turn the whole thing around 180 degrees (careful, because fluid will drip out) for 3 days. Then cut the salmon in very thin slices and serve. You can keep it in the fridge for a few more days or freeze it.

If you make gravad lax and use a whole salmon, you will have a very big quantity. If you do not want to freeze it, why not use some of it to make a lax pudding?

This is a recipe from Sweden. On 10 December 1896 the Swedish inventor of dynamite, Alfred Nobel, died. The 10th of December is kept each year for the award ceremony of the Nobel prize winners in Stockholm, since 1969.  Click on culinary calendar for more links between cooking and worldwide history.