Name: Classic Scandinavian Gravlax with Dill Mustard Mayonnaise
Prep time: 40 min
Cook time: 48 h
Total time: 48 h 40 min
Yield: 6 servings
Cuisine: Scandinavian
Ingredients: 600 g salmon fillet; 45 g kosher salt; 45 g granulated sugar; 6 g white peppercorns; 3 g coriander seeds; 40 g fresh dill; 15 ml aquavit; 1 pasteurized egg yolk; 20 g dijon mustard; 25 g sweet swedish mustard; 10 ml white wine vinegar; 120 ml canola oil; 2 g fine sea salt; 1 g ground white pepper; 15 g fresh dill; 200 g little gem lettuce; 5 g fresh dill; 1 lemon

Equipment

Kitchen scale

Fish tweezers

or Clean needle-nose pliers

Cutting board

Mortar and pestle

or Spice grinder or heavy rolling pin with zip-top bag

Mixing bowl

Baking dish

or Rimmed ceramic dish or glass casserole dish

Plastic cling wrap

Weights or canned food items

or A heavy skillet or foil-wrapped brick

Refrigerator

Paper towels

Whisk

Spatula*

Slicing knife

or Long thin carving knife or flexible fillet knife

Serving platter

* optional

Ingredients

6 servings

Cured Salmon

600 g salmon fillet, skin-on and pin-boned
45 g kosher salt
45 g granulated sugar
6 g white peppercorns, whole
3 g coriander seeds, whole
40 g fresh dill, washed, dried, and roughly chopped
15 ml aquavit

Dill and Mustard Mayonnaise

1 pasteurized egg yolk, room temperature
20 g dijon mustard
25 g sweet swedish mustard
10 ml white wine vinegar
120 ml canola oil
2 g fine sea salt
1 g ground white pepper
15 g fresh dill, finely chopped

Plating and Service

200 g little gem lettuce, washed, dried, and separated into whole leaves
5 g fresh dill, small tender sprigs for garnish
1 lemon, cut into wedges

Nutrition (per serving)

Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.

368

Calories

18g

Protein

Carbohydrates

31g

Fat

Full nutrition

Calories: 368 kcal
Protein: 18 g
Carbohydrates: 4 g
Fat: 31 g
Saturated Fat: 4 g

Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central

Method

Place the salmon fillet on a cutting board, feel along the centerline for pin bones using your fingers, remove any bones with fish tweezers, and pat the entire fillet dry with paper towels.

Weigh the white peppercorns and coriander seeds on a kitchen scale, place them into a mortar and pestle, and crush coarsely to release their essential oils.

2mLook for: Coarsely cracked seeds and peppercorns with prominent aromaticsFeel: Rough gritty fragments rather than fine powder

In a mixing bowl, stir together the kosher salt, granulated sugar, crushed spice mixture, and 40g of chopped fresh dill until evenly blended.

Lay the salmon skin-side down in a baking dish, brush the flesh evenly with aquavit if using, and pack the salt and dill cure firmly over the flesh and sides of the fillet.

Cover the fillet tightly with plastic cling wrap, set a flat dish on top weighed down with weights or canned food items, and transfer to the refrigerator at 3°C (37°F) for 48 hours, flipping the fish once every 24 hours to baste in the brine.

48hLook for: The salmon flesh transforms into a translucent, deep ruby-orange color with tightened edgesFeel: The center feels dense, resilient, and firm to the touch rather than raw and squishy

Remove the salmon from the brine, thoroughly scrape away all remaining salt, sugar, and wilted dill using clean hands or a paper towel, then pat the fillet completely dry with fresh paper towels.

In a clean mixing bowl, whisk together the pasteurized egg yolk, Dijon mustard, sweet Swedish mustard, white wine vinegar, and fine sea salt until smooth and uniform.

While whisking vigorously without interruption, stream in the canola oil drop by drop initially, then in a slow steady thread until completely emulsified into a thick, pale mayonnaise.

5mLook for: Thick, glossy, pale yellow emulsion that holds soft ribbons on the surfaceFeel: Smooth, viscous body that coats a spoon cleanly

Add the 15g of finely chopped fresh dill and ground white pepper to the mayonnaise, folding gently with a spatula until evenly dispersed, then chill in the refrigerator until plating.

Place the cured fillet on a clean cutting board skin-side down and, holding a sharp slicing knife at an acute 30 to 45 degree angle, carve paper-thin diagonal slices off the skin towards the tail.

8mLook for: Translucent, wafer-thin slices showing glossy ribbons of fat and clean edges

Arrange the washed and dried Little Gem lettuce leaves across a chilled serving platter to form natural cups, drape the sliced gravlax ribbons neatly onto and around the leaves, and spoon the dill-mustard mayonnaise alongside.

Garnish the platter with the remaining fresh dill sprigs and lemon wedges, then serve immediately while cold.

Chef's Notes

Raw fish safety is paramount: source commercially blast-frozen or sashimi-grade salmon to ensure the destruction of aquatic parasites prior to cold curing.
The 1:1 ratio of kosher salt to granulated sugar draws out moisture through osmotic action while mitigating harsh salinity and preserving a glossy, translucent texture.
Scandinavian sweet mustard (often labeled hovmastarsenap) provides an iconic mild, sweet pungency that balances the rich, unctuous salmon fat better than plain sharp mustard alone.
Do not rinse the salmon under running water after curing; scraping and patting dry preserves the delicate surface cures and keeps the exterior from becoming soggy.

Storage

Refrigerator: 5 days — Store gravlax wrapped tightly in parchment and cling film at or below 4°C (40°F). Keep the dill-mustard mayonnaise refrigerated in an airtight jar for up to 4 days.

Freezer: 2 months — Freeze unsliced gravlax double-wrapped tightly in cling film and aluminum foil for up to 2 months. Thaw slowly in the refrigerator before slicing. Do not freeze mayonnaise or fresh lettuce.

Reheating: Serve chilled. Do not reheat cured fish.

Troubleshooting

Salmon tastes unpleasantly salty and the texture is tough or leathery

Cause: The fish was left in the cure beyond 48 hours or too much salt was applied for the fillet weight

Fix: Submerge the cured fillet in cold tap water for 15 to 20 minutes, pat dry, and slice extra thin to diffuse the salinity

Prevention: Weigh the cure ingredients accurately using a digital kitchen scale and do not exceed a 48-hour cure for fillets under 700g

Mayonnaise splits and appears greasy and curdled instead of creamy

Cause: Canola oil was poured too rapidly in the beginning or the egg yolk was straight from a cold refrigerator

Fix: Whisk 10ml of warm water or an extra pasteurized yolk in a clean bowl, then slowly trickle the broken sauce into it while whisking vigorously to re-emulsify

Prevention: Allow egg yolk and mustard to reach room temperature and add the first half of the oil drop by drop while whisking fast

Salmon slices shred and tear into thick, uneven chunks instead of thin ribbons

Cause: The slicing knife blade is dull or the angle of the blade against the flesh is too upright

Fix: Chill the salmon in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm up the fat structure before resuming slicing

Prevention: Use a razor-sharp, long-bladed flexible slicing knife held almost flat against the salmon at roughly 30 to 45 degrees

Cultural Context

Gravlax traces its roots to medieval Scandinavia, where fishermen salted freshly caught salmon and buried it in beach sand or earth above the high-tide line to lightly ferment, giving rise to the name gravad lax (literally 'grave salmon'). Over centuries, this survival technique evolved into an aristocratic delicacy of fresh salmon cured with salt, sugar, white pepper, and dill. Today, gravlax paired with sweet mustard-dill sauce (hovmästarsås) is a centerpiece of Swedish julbord, midsummer smörgåsbords, and festive Nordic celebrations.