Honey mustard beetroot gravad lax
All you need is a little fridge space and some patience to make this classic gravad lax.
Ingredients
- 2 large cooked beetroot, quartered
- 2 good handfuls fresh dill, roughly chopped
- 6 tbsp sea salt
- 2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
- 140g/5oz caster sugar
- 1 tbsp runny honey
- 1 tbsp wholegrain mustard
- 2 x 200g/7oz salmon fillets
- Swedish crisp bread, to serve
- watercress sprigs, to serve
- fresh dill sprigs, to serve
For the cucumber pickle
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 tbsp cider vinegar
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ small shallot, very thinly sliced
- ½ cucumber, thinly sliced
For the dill crème fraîche
- 200g/7oz crème fraîche
- good handful fresh dill, finely chopped
- ½ lemon, juice only
- freshly ground black pepper
Method
Put the beetroot in a food processor and blend to a smooth purée. Tip it into a bowl, then add the dill, sea salt, pepper, sugar, honey and mustard and mix well.
Lay out a large piece of cling film and sprinkle with one-third of the beetroot mixture. Put one piece of salmon, skin side-down, on the mixture. Top with half the remaining mixture, then put the second salmon fillet on top, flesh side-down. Sprinkle with the remaining mixture. Wrap the salmon tightly with the cling film.
Put the wrapped parcel in a high-sided dish and weigh it down with a plate and some full food tins. Leave the salmon to cure in the fridge for five days, turning halfway through.
The day before serving, make the pickle. Put the sugar and vinegar in a bowl and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Mix in the salt and shallot, then the cucumber. Cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for 2 hours, or overnight if you have the time.
For the dill crème fraîche, put the crème fraîche, dill, lemon juice and black pepper in a bowl and mix well. Cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for at least for 2 hours, or overnight.
When you are ready to serve, unwrap the salmon and wipe it clean. Separate the sides and slice thinly using a large, sharp knife. Put the Swedish crisp bread on a serving plate and top with the slices of salmon and dollops of the dill crème fraîche and a small amount of cucumber pickle. Garnish with the watercress and dill to serve.
