Spoon & Shutter

From Susan: Due to the schedule for my new job, we will not be going to Maine for Thanksgiving this year. However, we are delighted that our good friends, Alex and Smadar Berlingeri, have invited us to join their family feast. The Berlingeris are great cooks, and since we know  we will be eating lots of delicious and rich food with them (and of course drinking wonderful wines from their importing company, Wine Sources!), we thought we’d bring something light as a starter. I’ve been wanting to make gravlax – cold-cured salmon – for a long time now, and this seemed like the perfect occasion. If you like good smoked salmon, but have never had gravlax, this is well worth a try; the fish ends up with the same silky texture but with a fresh and bright – instead of smoky – flavor. This recipe was given to me by our dear friend Joel Katz, who got it from The New York Times years ago. I have no idea who Cyril Renaud is, but his gravlax is not hard to make and the result is fabulous!

Cyril Renaud’s Citrus Gravlax

2 cups salt (I used kosher salt)

2 cups sugar

Grated zest of 2 lemons, 2 limes, 2 oranges and 2 grapefruits

2 tablespoons juniper berries

1 tablespoon cracked coriander seeds (I cracked them with a mortar and pestle)

1 bunch dill, stems and all, roughly chopped

2 tablespoons gin

1 2-to-3 lb. fillet of salmon, skin on, pin bones removed

Mix together all ingredients (except for the salmon!) being sure to combine them well.

Place salmon, skin-side down, on a large sheet of plastic wrap (I lay sheets of plastic wrap in a glass baking dish, letting a generous amount of the wrap hang over the sides.) Cover the flesh side of the salmon with the salt and sugar mixture, making sure to coat it completely and evenly. Wrap the fish well and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

Unwrap the salmon and rinse off the cure. Dry, then slice on the bias. Serve plain or with lemon wedges, creme fraiche or sour cream.

We’re not showing you the finished product, but will when we get it ready to serve on Thanksgiving morning. From the Times: “it is worth noting that the timing for gravlax is imprecise; the longer it sits, the drier and stronger flavored it will become.” Our plan is to leave the cure on for 48 hours, then rinse it off, dry the salmon, wrap it and refrigerate it until Thanksgiving day. It will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days after you are finished curing it.