Gravlax is very old method of curing salmon with salt, sugar and dill originating in Scandinavia. This recipe keeps the basic pickling ingredients but takes an Asian turn, replacing the dill with fresh cilantro (coriandre) and adding some spices and a splash of mirin. Lapsang Souchong tea adds a smoky note.
The ratio of salt to sugar used in gravlax varies widely. Too much salt will make the salmon tough, not enough and the texture will be mushy. After a lot of trial and error, I go with slightly more salt, but the total amount of the brining mixture I use is less than traditional recipes. Although this was a method to preserve fish, today we are only flavoring it, so you can get by with a lighter touch.
For the best flavor and texture the salmon should cure for seventy-two hours. Serve these with Buckwheat blinis, regular or gluten-free.
Gravlax with Cilantro and Mint
Ingredients
- Serves 6-8
- 1 tablespoon Lapsang Souchong tea leaves, crumbled
- 2 tablespoons salt
- 1½ tablespoons sugar
- 1½ teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
- 1½ lb sushi grade salmon, skin on
- 1 tablespoon mirin (Japanese sweet rice wine)
- 2 cups coarsely chopped cilantro
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Instructions
- Put the tea in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Let the tea sit 3-5 minutes, then drain and cool.
- Mix sugar, salt and Chinese 5-spice powder. Line a Pyrex dish large enough to hold the salmon with plastic wrap and place the salmon on top, skin side down. Dribble the mirin over the salmon filet, coat with the moistened tea then spoon the salt mixture over the salmon in an even layer. Place the chopped herbs on top then bring up the sides of the plastic wrap to enclose the fish. Remove the bundle from the Pyrex dish and wrap in several more layers of wrap, then return to the dish skin side down.
- Put the salmon in the refrigerator for at least 12 hours and up to 3 days. Turn twice a day.
- When ready to serve, remove from the plastic wrap. Brush off the cilantro and tea leaves and if necessary rinse lightly under cold running water. Pat dry. Place the gravlax skin side down on a cutting board. Slice the filet at an angle, cutting the flesh away from the skin. The slices should be slightly thicker than smoked salmon.
- Serve with buckwheat blinis and lime-ginger crème fraîche.
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https://www.charlottepuckette.com/recipes/first-courses/cilantro-gravlax/
