Tea cured Gravard Lax
During the curing process the salt/sugar mixture will become very wet while it pulls the water out of the salmon. If you decide to cure for the longer end of the spectrum, replace the sugar/salt mixture if it becomes totally saturated (like turning into a clear liquid, for example). Just make sure to use two parts sugar to one part salt when replacing the curing mixture, and try to keep as much of the tea on the salmon as possible. Some people advise freezing it for at least a week to destroy any potentially harmful parasites, but personally I've never bothered.
About the author: Sydney Oland lives in Boston where she completed her graduate work in Gastronomy and Food Studies in 2009, after a Professional Chef diploma from the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. Find more information at www.sydneyoland.com (or read www.eatingnosetotail.com)
Special equipment: glass or pyrex dish large enough to fit filet, 1 pound can, cardboard wrapped in foil
serves Serves 4 (or 6-8 as hors'dourves), active time 20 minutes, total time Up to 1 week
3/4 – 1 pound filet of salmon
1 tablespoon jasmine tealeaves
1 tablespoon green tealeaves
1/2 cup kosher salt
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
Mix jasmine and green tea in small bowl. Cover with boiling water and let sit 3-5 minutes until tealeaves are fully soaked, drain and cool.Combine salt, sugar and cracked black pepper and mix until well combined.
Place 1/2 cup of salt/sugar mixture on bottom of pyrex or glass dish. Place salmon filet skin side down on salt/sugar mixture. Evenly coat top of salmon filet with moistened tea then coat with remaining sugar/salt mixture.
Wrap a piece of cardboard that is small enough to cover with filet without touching the sides of the dish with foil. Cover dish loosely with plastic, place cardboard wrapped with foil on top of plastic followed by a one-pound can. Refrigerate for 3 days, or up to a week.
When ready to serve remove from cure and wipe off remaining tea and salt/sugar mixture. Slice very thinly and serve with bagels and cream cheese for brunch, or on rye bread or blinis with a dab of sour cream or crème fraiche for cocktail parties. A glass of sparkling wine goes very well with this gravlax at either time of day.
Kate Hartke, America's Test Kitchen.
You will need a 13 by 9-inch baking dish to hold the gravlax, and a second glass baking dish (square dish or pie plate) and 2 or 3 cans to use as weights. If your salmon weighs more than 1 pound, increase the amounts of the remaining ingredients proportionally. Serve the gravlax with minced fresh dill, capers, finely chopped or thinly sliced red onion, and/or cream cheese on rye toasts.
Ingredients:
⅓ cup packed (2 ⅓ ounces) light brown sugar
¼ cup kosher salt
1 (1-pound) skin-on center-cut salmon fillet
3 tablespoons brandy
1 cup roughly chopped fresh dill
Method:
Combine sugar and salt in small bowl. Place salmon in 13 by 9-inch glass baking dish and drizzle brandy slowly over top (it will drip down sides).
Cover salmon evenly with sugar-salt mixture, firmly patting on mixture with hands, then cover with dill, patting down again.
Cover salmon loosely with plastic wrap, then place glass pie plate or square baking dish on tallest part of salmon (should be close to center of fillet).
Weight baking dish with 2 or 3 heavy cans; transfer salmon to refrigerator.
For next two days, remove cans, baking dish, and plastic wrap and baste salmon thoroughly with liquid released into baking dish, replacing dill that has fallen off.
Replace plastic wrap, dish, and cans.
On third day, drain off liquid and scrape off dill. Slice salmon thinly on bias and serve
Salmon can be refrigerated for up to 1 week; it should be left whole and not sliced until ready to serve.