Recipe: Nordic Gravlax with Mustard Sauce

From time to time, our friends at Viking River & Ocean Cruises are nice enough to share one of the great recipes you’ll enjoy in their fabulous dining rooms. Here’s today’s edition:

No smørrebrød would be complete without one of Scandinavia’s most distinctive dishes, gravlax. The name literally means “buried salmon,” referring to the medieval practice of curing the raw fish by burying it in the sand at high tide. These days, the fish is seasoned, weighed down, and placed in the refrigerator until it’s ready. Serve gravlax as either an elegant appetizer or as a topping for smørrebrød open-faced sandwiches.

Ingredients
3 lbs. fresh salmon, center cut
1 large bunch of dill, plus 1/4 cup chopped dill for serving
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup sugar
Pumpernickel bread, for serving
Mustard Sauce, recipe follows

Directions
1. Cut the salmon in half crosswise and place half the fish skin side down in a deep dish. Wash and shake dry the dill and place it on the fish.
2. Combine the salt and sugar in a small bowl and rub it evenly into the piece of fish. Place the other half of salmon over the dill, skin side up, facing the two salmon sides against each other and place a plate on top. Refrigerate overnight.
3. Turn it the next day, basting it with any liquid that collects. Drain the remaining liquid and put it back in the refrigerator for one more night.
4. Lay each piece of salmon flat on a cutting board, remove the bunch of dill, and sprinkle the top with chopped dill. With a long thin slicing knife, slice the salmon in long thin slices as you would for smoked salmon.
5. Serve with dark pumpernickel bread and mustard sauce. You can also serve with chopped red onion, capers and/or juniper berries, if desired.

Mustard Sauce:
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1 tsp. ground dry mustard
3 T. sugar
2 T. white wine vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
3 T. chopped fresh dill

Combine the mustards, sugar, and vinegar in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in the oil and stir in the chopped dill. Serve with the gravlax.

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