Gravlax or Gravad lax (Swedish spelling we have come accustomed to) is traditionally raw salmon cured with salt, sugar and dill, served on a rye bread or with boiled potatoes and a mustard sauce. This dish was first made in the middle ages by fishermen. They would salt and lightly ferment the fish by burying in the sand. Gravlax comes from the word grav, which means buried (hence grave in english) and lax means salmon.

Make sure you get hold of good quality fresh fish – we use The Cornish Fishmonger.

This makes a stunning starter for a Christmas meal or as part of the New Years Eve celebrations!

You need:
90g caster sugar
70g salt (preferably sea salt)
2 tablespoon of Gin
1 tablespoon of Tonic water
2 tsp Sichuan pepper
100g fresh dill, leaves and stalks
500g salmon fillet, skin on

Pop all the ingredients (apart from the salmon) into a blender and mix until you have a paste
Spread half the paste on a cling film an pop the salmon fillet on top, spread the rest on the fillet
Wrap tightly with cling film and place on a tray, pop another tray on top and weigh down with something heavy (canned goods work particularly well)
Leave in the fridge for up to 5 days, turning once a day discarding the liquid
I like to then wrap the filet in more cling film and pop into a freezer bag and then into the freezer – this makes the slicing much easier
Wipe of any excess marinade – not all, as there is plenty of flavour in this
Slice from frozen on a slight slant into vey thin slices, leave to come up to room temperature and serve on a large platter
You can serve with the sauce bellow

You need:
4 tablespoons of Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons of caster sugar
1 tablespoon of fresh dill, finely chopped
Squeeze of lemon juice
4 tablespoons of rapeseed oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Place all the ingredients into a non metal bowl (apart from the oil) and combine
Gradually whisk in the oil and check for seasoning!