Cooking For Engineers

[mrmimulus]

Thanks for the recipes and the thread. I've done this a dozen times or so, every one comes out different - type and thickness of fish, unmeasured seasoning mix variations, etc. I use not too much brown sugar, salt, and pepper, with first a light sprinkle of lemon juice and liquid smoke and caraway if I have them. I have the skin taken off, and broil it and the center bones for dinner the first night if they have any meat left on them.

The herbs sound interesting. But there's no right way -- accept that your home-made non-industrial batch will be what it will be. Find out how much salt works for you; if too salty, use less. I turn my fillets daily, spooning the juice over them to keep them moist. Tasting little slices from the thin end and the sides, which look too brown anyhow, rinsed with water, gives me an idea of the saltiness, and how long I should rinse the fillet before patting it dry between paper towels on newsprint. Oh, when starting, after taking out the pin bones I rinse the fillets and pat them dry before rubbing in the curing mix. The constant touching is important: making gravlax I feel I am participating in some ancient and important ritual, rather than merely cooking a recipe out of a book.

Regards to all!

Rich

[yvonne]

can you make the gravlax with skinned salmon?

[yvonne]

can you make the gravlax with SKINLESS salmon?

[Dilbert]

yes - it works with skinned salmon as well.

[vildo]

Hi. Any one know why commercial gravlax has a 2-4 weeks of shelf time, while mine, home made, also vacuum packed, smells fishy in only one week?. would it be that hey use nitrate curing salt even with out saying it?.

Cheers

[Dilbert]

>>would it be that they use nitrate curing salt even with out saying it?.

as least in USA, those kinds of "label failures" would be inviting a lot of trouble.

odds are the commercial folks have spent a lot of time and effort to pin down all the variables to "perfect" their process - moisture level of fish, etc.
they probably also have much better control over the process than the average home kitchen.

and that ignores stuff like "irradiated" for preservation . . .

[Pleasantly Surprised]

Hello fellow engineers and non-engineers,
I honestly thought I was going to botch-up the recipe. So I was extra careful in following all the steps. I filleted the salmon myself because it was cheaper that way.
And what can I say? The results are fabulous!! Can't tell the difference between store bought and the one I made.
This time I used a 1:1 ratio of salt and sugar - and it was a bit salty. Next time I'll use the recommended 1:2 ratio of salt and sugar. The overkill with dill is important for the authentic flavour.
The end result is amazing. Husband and I are going to try and finish it in 3-4 days, but I suspect it'll stay well in the fridge for a great deal longer. Possibly 10 days or so.
The entire curing process was done in the fridge... we Canadians like to err on the side of caution. I'll be leaving it in the fridge for the rest of it's life that will be made short by me and my husband.

[Bobby Molden]

My first and only experience in making Gravelax resulted in giving it away to someone that raged ravenous about how good it tasted. To my wife and i, we just could not get past the taste of the dill. It just took over and was overpowering. Perhaps our tastes are a little too fine tuned to the taste of lox which it does resemble. Well, i won't give up yet and purchased a side of salmon about two weeks ago and have been freezing it ever since. I will soon try again and needless to say, the Dill is out. I have read about some of the substitues like fennel, corriander and such but think i will try it minus the above. Less salt, more sugar and contemplating a thin verneer of liquid hickory smoke rubbed on prior to adding the rest of the recipie. Thanks for the site. The info and experiences shared by everyone has been invaluable. Oh" after trying it this way i shall return and give the results. Also, i used a brick last time but may try the water balloon this this time as i do believe that pressure on the flesh of the fish resulted in a firmer cut, making it easier to slice thinly the last time around. Well, thats my two cents and i'm out!

[B0bby]

Ok today is the 4 th day of the cure for which i made some definate changes to what i said i would do this time around. First i cut the salt in the mixture. 1-2. one part Grinding sea salt , two parts white sugar then for good measure a slight sprinkle of old Bay seafood seasoning just to keep everthing honest. All this of course after i spread a thin coat of liquid hicory smoke onto and into the fillet. I then decided to do away with the bricks, weights of any kind as i wanted to go neat and drop the mess. No dill alowed here! I wrapped the fillet tightly in several layers of cheese cloth and inserted it into a plastic Vacuum sealed bag. The reason for this was to try to achieve the Cold smoked Lox type flavor that i and the wife love so much. Well i opened the bag today, unwrapped the cheesecloth and the fillet was cured through and through, both in color and feel. After rinsing some of the mixure away, Straight to the cutting board went i with a brand new special Fillet knife for the occasion. After a couple see through thin slices i went for the taste. Ummmnn sooo good! My tongue ran around inside my mouth so much with flavor, I feared it might jump out between my lips and slap my brains out. I kid you not. Everything turned out perfect with that great lox type flavor and texture. We are so pleased. I made up a party platter with gravlax and sauces on the one side and some prosciutto on the other with bruschetta in the middle and i'm a black guy. figure that one out. I just love delicious eats where ever you find them.

[Dilbert]

heehee, doncha' luv it when a plan comes together?

don't feel bad about the dill - (....long story omitted) I can't stand sage, it's not I've never had it - I had so flippin' much of it I never want to see/smell/taste the stuff again!

now,,, dill I like (g)

[val]

Am I the only person who has left gravlax curing in the fridg for 3, 4, 5 weeks? I have never cured it for less than a week. Tastes and smells great ever after 5 weeks. I use a 1:1 ratio salt:sugar, not very coarse salt, and fresh dill. Never tastes too salty. Anyone care to comment?

[yocona]

[Dilbert]

I am only expert in eating the stuff, not so much in making the stuff....

my understanding is the one-weekish thing is out of sanitary concerns with homespun stuff - i.e. going fuzzy in the fridge.....

obviously "commercially prepped" stuff can be 'sterilized' - irradiation, etc.

does make one wonder how humans survived all this time . . .

[Grendel]

I have used this recipe for about six years exactly as described with great success. I stumbled upon this recipe in an attempt to re-create a dish my mom made for us. This is the closest i have found after numerous experiments. Thank you to the author/s

[pectin232]

If I do not use Shushi grade salmon... I am confused with the part on freezing the fish for 7 days at -10 degrees. Do I freeze the entire fish 'DURING' preparing the Gravlax with the Kosher Salt+ SOME SUGAR inside already with the dill or DO I prepare the plain salmon first by killing the organism by freezing it? I am not sure if I am saying this right.... please let me know. Do I kill AND prepare the Gravlax at the same time or do it one at a time??