Gravalax

Ingredients:

500g salmon fillet, skinned, with pin bones removed with tweezers (you can ask your fish monger to do this for you)

40g caster sugar

35g sea salt flakes

50g fresh dill, finely chopped

2 cooked beetroot, grated.

Method

1. Mix the sugar, salt and grated beetroot together in a bowl.

2. Roll out some cling film across your kitchen counter, enough to lie your salmon on, but don’t cut the cling from the roll yet.

3. Place a large handful of the cure mix onto the cling film and spread out to the approximate size of the salmon fillet.

4. Lay the salmon onto the cure mix, then spread the remaining mix onto the top of the salmon.

5. Wrap the fish up tightly in the cling film.

6. Place the salmon into a suitable sized tray and place a board on top to weigh it down. You need a reasonable amount of pressure to help the cure penetrate the fish.

7. Leave in the fridge for three days, turning it over daily so it cures evenly, replacing the weight each time.

8. After three days the fish is cured, and you’ll notice a lot of juice has been drawn out.

9. Rinse the fillets in cold water and pat dry.

10. Enjoy straight away or keep in the fridge wrapped and unsliced for up to 10 days.

* Why not give Gravalax a go and make a truly artisan made authentic cured product?

The key is that you have time and patience on your side which unfortunately mass producers of modern cured food do not have – profit and speed are vital and this leads to inferior ‘fake’ products will stop

If you can produce a good Gravalax (which anyone can) then you can make your own bacon, which we’ll have a go at next month!