Gravlax

Ingredients

• 1 kg centre-cut salmon fillet, skin on, pin-boned
• 90g coarse sea salt
• 75g caster sugar
• 2 tsp coarsely crushed white peppercorns
• 2 large bunches dill (about 80g), stalks and all
• 2 tbsp aquavit or vodka (optional)
• For the mustard sauce: 3 tbsp Swedish sweet mustard
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp caster sugar
• 120ml neutral oil
• 3 tbsp finely chopped dill
• Rye bread and lemon wedges, to serve

Before you cook

• Run your fingers along the salmon fillet against the grain and pull out any pin bones with tweezers.
• Pat the fillet completely dry with kitchen paper on both sides.
• Cut the fillet crosswise into two equal pieces of roughly the same thickness.
• Mix the salt, sugar and crushed white peppercorns in a small bowl.
• Chop the dill roughly, stalks included, since the stalks carry most of the perfume.
• Line a deep dish just large enough to hold the fish with a double layer of cling film, leaving generous overhang.

Steps

1. Scatter a third of the salt and sugar cure over the cling film in the dish.
2. Lay the thicker piece of salmon skin side down on the cure.
3. Sprinkle the aquavit over the flesh if you are using it.
4. Spread half the remaining cure over the flesh, then pile all the chopped dill on top in a thick blanket.
5. Cover with the second piece of salmon, flesh side down, so the two thick ends meet the two thin ends and the parcel sits level.
6. Tip the last of the cure over the top skin and press it down firmly with your palms.
7. Fold the cling film tightly over the parcel and wrap it once more so no brine escapes.
8. Set a small plate on top and weight it with two tins, then refrigerate.
9. Turn the whole parcel over every 12 hours and spoon the brine that collects back over the fish.
10. Cure for 48 hours in total, or up to 72 hours if you like a firmer, saltier result.
11. Unwrap the fish and scrape away the dill and undissolved cure, then pat the fillets dry.
12. Whisk both mustards, the vinegar and the sugar together in a bowl until smooth.
13. Pour in the oil in a thin stream while whisking hard until the sauce thickens like a loose mayonnaise.
14. Stir the chopped dill into the sauce and season it with a pinch of salt.
15. Slice the gravlax on a shallow angle into wide, almost translucent sheets, stopping at the skin.
16. Arrange the slices on a cold platter and serve with the mustard sauce, rye bread and lemon.