GRAVLAX (SALMON MARINATED IN DILL)

      Title: GRAVLAX (SALMON MARINATED IN DILL) - MSHOL
  Categories: Swedish, Seafood, Appetizers, Main dish, Smorgasbord
       Yield: 8 Servings
  
       3 lb Fresh salmon fillet; center
            -cut, cleaned & scaled
       1 lg Bunch Dill; fresh, whole
     1/4 c  Kosher salt (coarse, or
            -regular is necessary)
     1/4 c  Sugar
       2 tb White peppercorns (or black)
            -crushed
  
   Cut the salmon in half lengthwise and remove the backbone and the
   small, freebones, as well, or ask your fish dealer to do it for you.
   Leave the skin on.
   
   Place half of the fish, skin side down, in a deep glass, enamel or
   stainless steel baking dish or casserole. Wash and then shake dry the
   bunch of dill and place it on the fish. (If the dill is of the
   hothouse variety and not very pungent, chop the herb coarsely to
   release it's flavor and sprinkle it over the fish instead.) In a
   separate bowl, combine the salt, sugar and crushed peppercorns.
   Sprinkle this mixture evenly over the dill. Top with the other half
   of the fish, skin side up. Cover with foil and set a heavy plate or
   platter on top of it, slightly larger than the salmon. Weigh it down
   with cans or jars and refrigerate for at least 3 days, up to 7 days.
   Turn the fish over every 12 hours or so, basting with the liquid
   marinade that accumulates, separating the halves a little to baste
   the salmon inside. Replace the platter and weights each time.
   
   When the gravlax is finished, remove the fish from it's marinade you
   can scrape away the dill and seasonings and pat dry with paper
   towels, or leave the dill and seasonings in place. Place the
   separated halves skin side down on a carving board and slice the
   salmon thinly on the diagonal, detaching each slice from the skin.
   
   Gravlax is served as part of a smorgasbord or as an appetizer and is
   usually accompanied by a mustard-dill sauce (see recipe). When
   gravlax is presented as a main course, it is garnished with lemon
   wedges as well as the mustard-dill sauce and served with toast and
   perhaps a cucumber salad.
   
   .\\ichele's Notes: This is one of the easiest recipes to make. Long
   as you start it in advance it's basically a no-brainer. Just remember
   to turn and baste every 12 hours. And slice thin. Mmmmmmm, its great!
   
   Source: Time/Life Foods of the World, Recipes: The Cooking of
   Scandinavia (1968) Typos by .\\ichele
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