Gravlax

(Updated)

Gravlax is one of the most enjoyable appetizers for all seasons ever! We just love it and I cure salmon just about every month. It takes no more then 15-20 minutes to prepare from start to finish. What takes most time is the de-boning of the fillet. You have to make sure that all the bones regardless of size are removed. Use needle-nosed pliers for this task. At fish market ask for same cut from opposing sides of salmon. I prefer the tail cut because there is no waste like in a center cut where you have to remove the flabby fat from belly.

Ingredients for each pound of fish (has to be scaled):

1 lb. salmon fillet, tail section

2 Tbs. kosher or sea salt

2 Tbs. granulated or brown sugar

2 tsp crushed black pepper corns

2 tsp crushed fennel seeds

2 tsp crushed coriander seeds

1 large bunch of fresh dill

1. Put the salt, sugar, crushed fennel, coriander and black pepper into a bowl and mix until evenly distributed.
2. Spread the mixture on salmon making sure to cover whole fish. There shouldn’t be pink flesh visible. If using two fillets (my preferred method), repeat.
3. Place some dill at bottom of glass or ceramic container that will hold the filet comfortably and then put one fillet skin side down on top of dill.
4. Cover the top of fillet with more dill (big but evenly spread bunch) and now place second fillet on top, this time flesh side down.
5. Cover with yet more dill and wrap container in plastic film.
6. Place heavy weight (brick or similar) on top and refrigerate for at lest 3 days, turning over both fillets once a day.
7. On 4^th day, remove from refrigerator, discard dill and briefly wash under cold running water. Dry with paper towel and remove all seeds that stuck to flesh.
8. Using very sharp knife, slice at shallow angle (just few degrees from parallel to cutting board) starting at the narrow (tail) end. Make the slices as thin as possible.

Gravlax is served same way as smoked salmon; on toasted baguette slice, crackers, mini latke or on top of slice of cucumber. You can top gravlax with squeeze of lemon, chopped capers or gravlax sauce.

Gravlax Sauce:

2 Tbs. grainy Dijon mustard

2 Tbs. Mayonnaise

1 Tbs. cider or red vinegar

2 Tbs sugar

1/3 cup chopped dill
Mix all ingredients in bowl till smooth and well combined.



 



 


 








Wild Pacific Sockeye Salmon Gravlax

Last week I bought whole side of wild Pacific Sockeye salmon and decided to make gravlax for New Year snacks. I was surprised how this salmon differs from farmed Atlantic salmon in color, taste and texture. For cooking I prefer the Atlantic salmon but for Gravlax I like the Pacific better. I don’t think that it has even half of the oil that farmed salmon has and the color is deep rich red versus pink-red of Atlantic. Process for curing is exactly the same as in my Gravlax blog.

Notice the deep red color. I just trimmed the pictures but the color wasn’t modified.

Open Sandwiches - Chlebíčky

( Obložené Chlebíčky, Czech)

No matter how you pronounce Obložené Chlebíčky aloud in front of person that was raised in Czech Republic or Slovakia, you will notice instant reaction: they will start to salivate like Pavlov’s dog, the eyes will start to get glassy and breathing will get faster in anticipation of incredible feast. Just like potato salad, which is used on some sandwiches as a base spread, it is an absolute must for Christmas, New Year’s Eve and Easter and at majority of Name Day celebrations. And, just like the potato salad, it is very tedious to prepare due to all the cutting and slicing. That, of course, is on top of making different base spreads for these jewels. Once you have the spreads prepared and gherkins, eggs and pimentos are sliced in traditional cuts, then it is just a question of assembly. Yeah, right, simple assembly...not! These sandwiches are nothing like what you see here in Canada or US. Here, the bread is covered with same flat ingredients end to end. On Czech version, every slice of meat or cheese is shaped into cones, bow ties, rolls...Because of that, every bite has different taste and texture. For example on my hot salami and cheese version in one bite you might have spicy and soft Hungarian salami and crunchy gherkin and other bite will have harder Swiss cheese and slice of pickled egg with mustard. Every family, restaurant and caterer has their own combinations.

Let’s start with spreads. Of course, you could use just a plain butter but why to take shortcuts when you want to prepare something incredible, ne se pas?

#1) Spread for fish based sandwiches (smoked salmon, gravlax, sprats, crab meat...)

1/3 cup cream cheese, room temperature

1/4 cup sour cream (real sour cream, not light imitation)

1/4 cup salted butter, room temperature

1 Tbs. dried dill weed or 1-1/2 Tbs. chopped fresh dill

Place everything in a bowl and mix with fork till smooth.

#2) Spread for meat based sandwiches:

(Ham, salami, pastrami, Montreal smoked meat, etc.)

Same as above but replace dill with 1 Tbs. Dijon mustard.

#3 Spread for almost any combination of toppings:

1 cup potato salad

2 tsp finally chopped parsley

Chop to spread like consistency

Toppings:

Shaved or thinly sliced ham, thinly sliced Hungarian or any hard salami, thinly sliced pastrami and/or Montreal meat, thinly sliced Swiss and Edam cheese, small chunks of Brie, Camembert, Gorgonzola or any blue cheese, gravlax, smoked salmon, sprats, smoked sardines, crab meat, lobster meat, smoked oysters, etc.

Garnish:

Sliced hard boiled or pickled egg, lengthwise sliced gherkins or baby kosher pickles, julienne pimento or roasted red pepper, lemon zest (for fish), parsley, sliced radish or cocktail tomato, chopped capers (salmon),

Here are some popular combinations:

Spread #3, Ham, Swiss cheese, slice of egg with pimento on top, parsley, sliced gherkin.

Spread #2, Hard salami with pickle slice, egg slice on top of soft cheese.

Spread #1, Egg slice, 1 or 2 Sprats, lemon zest, pimento.

Spread #1, Salmon, capers, small piece of lemon, lemon zest.

Spread #3, Swiss cheese, egg slice, pimento, pickle.

Etc, etc, etc….Just use your imagination and use pictures as a guide.

My spread for two people, Christmas 2009. Second plate is just out of picture on top right.

Professional presentation by caterer.

One bite of any of these sandwiches will have you hooked!

Note: For bread I always use baguette sliced about 3/8" thick on diagonal across for more real estate for toppings, but no bigger then what you can eat in two bites. Again, it is a personal choice.

Pickled Eggs

Pickled eggs are almost a necessity for preparing snacks, sandwiches, potato salads, or any salad for that matter. I t is hard to imagine any celebration table without a food that doesn't include at least one dish that has hard boiled or pickled egg in it . Use older eggs, they will be much easier to peel; very fresh eggs do not have a membrane between shell and whites. Easy and foolproof test for freshness is to drop egg in a tall glass full of water. Fresh egg will lay down on its side on the bottom, older egg’s pointed end will rise.

12 large eggs

1-1/2 cups cider vinegar

1-1/2 cups water

1 tablespoon pickling spice

1 clove garlic, thinly sliced

1/2 sweet onion, thinly sliced

1/2 cup sugar

2 t. salt

Place eggs in a pot and cover with about 3” of cold water above the eggs. Bring to boil, cover, turn off the heat and let stand for 8 minutes. Drain and cool immediately under cold running water, peel and set aside.

Boil rest of ingredients for 5 minutes, add sliced onions and let cool before pouring over eggs. Keep refrigerated.