Gravlax (Dill-Cured Salmon)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 3070 min
- Level
- Medium
- Servings
- 10 servings
- Ingredients
- 5
About this dish
Salt, sugar and dill cure the salmon over 36 hours in the fridge, and nothing ever cooks it, so everything starts with fish the supplier confirms was frozen for parasite control.
Read more
Labels like fresh or sashimi grade do not establish that history, and curing does not replace the freezing step. Coarse rock salt matters: fine salt over the same time leaves the surface far too salty. Keep it at 4°C or below from thawing to slicing, leave the skin uneaten, and skip it for pregnant women, children, older adults and anyone with weakened immunity.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
First verify the supplier's parasite-control freezing treatment for raw consumption.
If it cannot be verified, do not start this uncooked recipe; thaw the verified frozen salmon according to its packaging in a catch tray at 4°C or colder for about 12 hours or until fully thawed.
- 2
Remove any pin bones and dry the salmon surface.
Coarsely crush the peppercorns and mix with rock salt, sugar and dill.
- 3
Spread half the cure on large sheets of food wrap in the shape of the fish and place the salmon skin-side down.
Cover with the remaining cure, wrap, place in a deep dish and top with a flat board and about 1.2kg of weight.
- 4
Refrigerate at 4°C or colder for 36 hours total, turning the wrapped fish at 12 and 24 hours and replacing the weight.
Check that the collecting cure liquid stays contained.
- 5
Unwrap, scrape away salt and dill, rinse briefly with cold water and pat dry with clean paper.
Place in a clean dish and refrigerate at 4°C or colder for another 3 hours to dry the surface.
- 6
Slice the cold salmon thinly on a slant, leaving the skin behind.
Serve only the needed quantity chilled and return the remaining fillet to refrigeration promptly.
References checked
These references were consulted when this page was prepared or corrected. A source check does not mean the recipe was independently kitchen-tested.
- Cured Salmon Gravlax
RecipeTin Eats / Nagi Maehashi · Checked: 2026-09-07
- Fish and Fishery Products Hazards and Controls Guidance, Chapter 5
US FDA · Checked: 2026-09-07
- Selecting and Serving Fresh and Frozen Seafood Safely
US FDA · Checked: 2026-09-07
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