Gravlax salmon with beetroot Recipe

The classic Scandinavian recipe for salmon gravlax pimped with beetroot: sublime pink-red color on the plates and to the taste.

Here is a delicious, very colorful variation of the famous Nordic dish, salmon gravlax or gravadlax.
Don’t worry, the fuchsia-red color permeates the salmon, giving it a very elegant side which allows you to give free rein to your imagination for beautiful dressings, but the taste remains subtle and balanced, it does not take over.

To prepare gravlax salmon, you must first marinate for several hours raw salmon in a dry marinadethat is to say without adding any liquid ingredient, with 3 main ingredients: salt with sugar, grated raw beetroot. To this can be added herbs most often dill, pepper or 5 berries, lemon zesta dash of vodka or gin… Here we add grated raw beetroot.
After a rest time with marinade 24 to 48 hours, we rinseleave a little rest so that the flesh firms up for another 24 hours. So prepare for the countdown.
So start 2 days in advance for a 24 hour marinade like me.

Beetroot gravlax salmon is often served in thin slicesaccompanied by toasted bread or blinis and a coir cream sauce and/or fromage blanc seasoned with lemon zest, a little pepper or Espelette pepper and chopped dill.
My other suggestion is my fromage blanc, Savora mustard, lemon and dill sauce that we love at home, to serve as toast on blinis or toasted bread.
The recipe here is intended for 4 people as a starter or more if served as an aperitif.

This recipe is also nutrient-rich.
Salmon is an excellent source of protein, omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins B12 and D. Beetroot is rich in fiber, vitamin C and minerals such as iron and potassium. Gravlax salmon with beetroot is therefore a healthy and nutritious dish.

So what does the Gravlax method consist of?

This Nordic technique involves the preparation of a mixture of salt and sugar, enhanced with herbs, spices, or even alcohols (such as gin, vodka, whiskey… depending on preferences).
The food is then coated in this marinade and left to cool for at least 24 hours before being rinsed to be desalinated.
Recipes often give an approximate time of 24 to 48 hours. I think 24 hours is good.

What types of foods can be processed gravlax style? Although Gravlax was initially developed for fish like salmon, this technique can also be applied to other ingredients.
In addition to fish, by favoring those with fatty flesh, this method can be extended to meats, thus offering an interesting alternative to cold meats.

The choice of salmon

For this recipe it is recommended to use very fresh and quality salmon. It is important to choose a salmon with firm texture and bright color.
Ideally choose a red label salmon or one from Alaska, Norway, Scotland or Finland.

Avoid pieces that are too fatty with lots of white parts. Choose a fillet of fairly uniform thickness for a better result.
Ask your fishmonger to unblock it. Otherwise, arm yourself with patience and tweezers, run your finger along the fillet to clearly identify the bones and remove them one by one.
It is also advisable to remove the skinthe salting will be even more effective and the color will be well impregnated.

Should you freeze salmon and why?

It is recommended to freeze salmon for 72 hours before preparing gravlax. This helps kill parasites that may be present in raw fish. Freezing does not change the quality of the salmon, but it guarantees optimal food safety. Let it thaw in the refrigerator rather than at room temperature. This is optional but allows you to avoid any risk.

Dry marinade ingredients

Preparation of Beetroot

Beetroot is the key ingredient in this recipe. You must choose raw beets. You can try with cooked beetroot, but it will release more juice than you want and the marinade will be less effective because let’s not forget that the salt is there to cook the salmon.
The beet must be finely grated and mixed with salt, sugar and herbs. Be careful, it stains!

Which salt to choose

Of coarse salt rather than fine salt. And ideally sea saltit is less aggressive than mineral salt.

sugar

Ideally brown sugar.
Why add sugar when preparing gravlax? The sugar will encourage the opening of the “pores” of the fish, thus facilitating the faster penetration of the salt inside, while balancing the salinity without overly attacking the flesh of the fish. It also gives a milder flavor to the salmon.

Herbs

Ideally fresh rather than driedthey are tastier, but both can be suitable. Gravaldax salmon is traditionally made with dill. It’s true that it goes together wonderfully well. I have never tried other fresh herbs.

Pepper

The pepper helps to enhance the flavors of the gravalax salmon a little, even more softened than normal with the addition of beetroot which has a fairly sweet flavor. There are lots of varieties of peppers. The 5 berry mix combining peppers, pink berries… is ultimately what I prefer and recommend to you in this recipe. I roughly crush it with a pestle.

Citrus zest

Here a mixture of lime and yellow lemon, finely grated with a microplane grater, a grater that allows you to make very fine zest.
Failing that, use a zester to peel the lemon, taking care to only take the colored upper part and not the white, which is called the zest. This part of the zest would bring bitterness. In short, make strips of zest and finely slice them in one direction then the other.
You can also try with orange zest.
And as always when using the zest or skin of a fruit or vegetable, choose biosor at least sustainable agriculture or the zero pesticide residue label.

Why a little gin or vodka?

So I didn’t really understand what that meant. Personally I don’t use any, that’s why I noted this to you as optional. But most of the recipes you find on the internet or in magazines include it. I’ll give you a little update here as soon as I’ve solved this riddle.