Gravlaks - End of Year Delicacies

We have friends coming over for New Year's Eve. It's the first time ever that we're hosting in our own home... In previous years we've organised big NYE weekends in various country houses - and every time we created a cooking rota where everyone was responsible for a meal each. It was always good fun and not very stressful at all when it came to our turn to cook (it was just a case of dishing out the main NYE meal to the best cooks of course, no one blamed us for that!) This time we're entirely responsible, since although I started by suggesting that our guests might bring zip-lock bags of peeled and chopped vegetables as contributions, my husband said no, it's not the done thing, we'll do it all ourselves. Huff! Time to start planning!

Anyway, I have knocked my husband's idea of a casserole dish on the head and am heading to an old-fashioned butcher in London later today to see if I can find a good joint of beef. But before that, as we're now just 2.5 days away from the event, I need to get some gravlaks on the go as I am planning to serve that as a starter. I have a really top-notch recipe for gravlaks by Norwegian food blogger Anne Cathrine who posts superb recipes on her blog Enestående Mat. I served this gravlaks at our Norway Day party in May and it was very well received.

Photo: enestaaendemat.no

GRAVLAKS by Anne Cathrine's Mamma
ca 500g boneless salmon fillet (if you use fillets with skin on one side they will be easier to slice when you serve)
2 tbsp cognac
1 tbsp salt
0.5 tbsp sugar
1 small handful mustard seeds
1 large bunch of dill (approximately 3 packets if you buy from a supermarket)

Use salmon (or trout if you prefer) which has been frozen for at least 24 hours before you use it. This acts as a kind of sterilisation process. Defrost the fish in the fridge. Once defrosted, pat it dry with a kitchen towel or kitchen paper - do not rinse it with water!
Ensure that you have two pieces of salmon. If you start with one large fillet cut it in two half lengths. Pour the cognac over the fish and massage it in gently with your fingers. Mix the salt, sugar and mustard seeds together and sprinkle over the fish, then massage the mixture in gently making sure you cover the whole surface of both fillets.
Make a bed of around 1/3 of the dill in a shallow dish and place the first fillet (skin down) on this. Chop the remaining dill and spread half of it over the salmon fillet in the dish. Then place the second fillet (fleshy side down/skin up) on top and cover with the remaining chopped dill. Place a chopping board on top of the two salmon fillets - I put a heavy book on top of this in order to make sure it is weighed down properly - and place it in the fridge for 3 days. It is important to let the fish breathe, so resist any temptation to use clingfilm, the fish needs to breathe.  Leave the fish alone, there is no need to turn it or touch it at all, it will mind itself.

After 3 days the gravlaks will be ready to serve, but if you leave it for 4 days it will be absolutely heavenly. It will last up to 1 week if you store it carefully in the fridge (or on the balcony if it's cold where you live - this is what my parents do, it's great for expanding your fridge capacity! Though not if temperatures are sub-sub zero). Gravlaks is traditionally served in all the Nordic countries as a special treat: in Swedish it is called 'gravadlax', in Danish 'gravad laks' and in Finnish 'Graavilohi'. In Norway it is often served with a creamy potato salad, but we're having roast potatoes with our main course, so to avoid carb overload I am planning to make a crisp red cabbage salad and a creamy celeriac salad plus a dark rye loaf.

The traditional mustard sauce which is served with gravlaks is made of roughly 3tbsp mustard, 1tbsp sugar, 1 tbsp white wine vinegar and a finely chopped bunch of dill - stirred thoroughly.