Gravlax (Swedish: [ˈgrɑ̂ːvlakːs]) or graved salmon is a Nordic dish consisting of salmon that is cured using a mix of salt, sugar and dill. It is garnished with fresh dill or sprucetwigs[1][2] and may occasionally be cold-smoked afterwards. Gravlax is usually served as an appetizer, sliced thinly and accompanied by hovmästarsås (Also known in Sweden as gravlaxsås, in Norway as sennepssaus, literally 'mustard sauce', in Denmark as rævesovs, literally 'fox sauce', in Iceland as graflaxsósa, and in Finland as hovimestarinkastike, literally 'butler sauce'), dill and mustard sauce, either on bread or with boiled potatoes.
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2024) |
 Salmon dishes: gravlax in the middle, cold-smoked on the left and warm-smoked on the right | |
| Alternative names | Gravad lax, grav(ad)laks, gravad laks |
|---|---|
| Course | Hors d'oeuvre |
| Place of origin | Nordic countries |
| Main ingredients | salmon, salt, sugar, dill/spruce |
Etymology
The word gravlax comes from the Northern Germanic word gräva/grave ('to dig'; modern sense 'to cure (fish)') which goes back to the Proto-Germanic *grabą, *grabō ('hole in the ground; ditch, trench; grave') and the Indo-European root *gʰrebʰ- 'to dig, to scratch, to scrape',[3] and lax/laks, 'salmon'.
History
During the Middle Ages, gravlax was made by fishermen, who salted the salmon and lightly fermented it by burying it in the sand above the high-tide line.
Fermentation is no longer used in the production process. Instead the salmon is "buried" in a dry marinade of salt, sugar, and dill, and cured for between twelve hours and a few days. As the salmon cures, osmosis moves moisture out of the fish and into the salt and sugar, turning the dry mixture into a highly concentrated brine, which can be used in Scandinavian cooking as part of a sauce.[4] This same method of curing can be employed for any fatty fish, but salmon is the most commonly used.
See also
- Cured fish – Fish subjected to fermentation, pickling or smoking
- Carpaccio – Thin pieces of fish or meat, served raw as an appetiser
- Gwamegi – Korean dried fish preparation
- Hákarl – National dish of Iceland consisting of fermented shark
- List of hors d'oeuvre
- List of raw fish dishes
- Lox – Brined salmon
- Rakfisk – Norwegian fermented fish dish made from trout or char
- Sashimi – Japanese dish of raw fish
- Surströmming – Swedish fermented Baltic Sea herring
References
External links
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
