How To Make Beetroot Gravadlax
Beetroot gravadlax is a showstopping dish! Here is a full guide to making it at home, including cure ratios and professional chef tips.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2.2 lb) salmon whole side, or partial side
- 250 grams (8.8 oz) salt flaky sea salt or sea salt crystals (not table salt)
- 250 grams (8.8 oz) sugar
- 2 beetroots
- 1 orange (zested)
- 2 juniper berries
Instructions
- Weigh your salmon, and then make your cure accordingly. The weight of the salt and sugar combined needs to equal half the weight of the salmon. See notes below.
- Blitz the peeled beetroot, orange zest, and juniper berries in a food processor and then mix them with the salt and sugar to form a paste.
- Spread half the paste on the base of a baking tray or dish, and lay the salmon on top, ensuring that the paste will cover the whole base of the fish.
- Spread the remainder of the paste over the surface of the salmon. Make sure it is completely covered.
- Cover the dish with food wrap and refrigerate the salmon for 24 hours.
- Drain the liquid out of the dish, and flip the fish over, ensuring again that the cure covers the whole surface of the fish. This time, place the food wrap directly onto the surface of the fish, forming a seal. Place a piece of parchment paper on top, and weight it down. I do this by placing a smaller dish on top of the salmon. Return to the fridge for another 24 hours.
- Gently scrape the beetroot cure off the salmon and rinse it in cold water. Pat dry with paper towels and return to a clean plate or dish. Allow it to rest, covered in the fridge, for another 2-3 hours before carving.
- To aid carving, freeze the gravadlax for 20-30 minutes and then slice against the grain using a sharp, non-serrated knife.
Notes
Your cure weight will entirely depend on the weight of your salmon. An example for US readers, a 1-pound piece of salmon will need a cure that weighs 8 ounces, consisting of 4 ounces of sugar and 4 ounces of salt. If using grams, a 1kg salmon needs a 500 gram cure, 250 grams each of sugar and salt. This is important!
You can cure the salmon for 36 - 72 hours. I personally get the best results at 48 hours.
For some caramel undertones, use half demerara sugar and half white granulated sugar. Do not use liquid sugars like honey or maple syrup.
I like to serve beetroot gravadlax with fresh dill, horseradish, and crusty bread.
Nutrition
Calories: 186kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 25gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 69mgSodium: 71mgPotassium: 679mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 57IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 1mg
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