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Scandinavian · Swedish · Norwegian

Gravlax with mustard-dill sauce

Non-vegetarian

Gravad lax

Fresh salmon cured for two days under salt, sugar, dill and pepper, then sliced thinly and served with a sweet mustard-dill sauce.

Gravlax with mustard-dill sauce is a Scandinavian starter, ready in about 48 hours 20 minutes and made with salmon and dill. It serves 8 and is rated intermediate to cook.

Start cooking
A serving of Gravlax
Photo: Esquilo / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-3.0
Prep
20 min
Cook
0 min
Rest
48 h
Total
48 h 20 min
Serves
8
Level
Intermediate
Calories
284

Ingredients

8 servings

For the sauce

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Mix the salt, 60 g sugar (opens in a new tab) and crushed pepper (opens in a new tab). Cut the salmon (opens in a new tab) into two equal pieces.

    • 5 min

    Food safety: Keep raw fish chilled and use a clean board.

  2. Step 2

    Scatter a third of the cure in a dish, lay one piece skin-side down, cover with the rest of the cure and the dill (opens in a new tab), then top with the second piece skin-side up.

    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Cover, weigh down lightly with a plate and refrigerate for 48 hours, turning the 'sandwich' every 12 hours and basting with the brine that forms.

    • 2 min

  4. Step 4

    For the sauce, whisk (opens in a new tab) the mustard, sugar (opens in a new tab) and vinegar, then slowly whisk in the oil until thick. Stir in the chopped dill (opens in a new tab).

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Scrape off the cure, pat the salmon (opens in a new tab) dry and slice thinly at an angle off the skin. Serve with the sauce and rye bread (opens in a new tab) or potatoes.

    • 5 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Not attributed to one place · Commonly attributedA shared Nordic tradition, especially in Sweden and Norway.Also popular in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland
Dish
Lunch · Brunch · Appetizers & starters
Cooking method
Marinated / cured, Raw
Taste
salty, herby, sweet & savoury, fresh
Diet
Pescatarian · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsPescatarian · Non-vegetarian · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Without the optional extras: No gluten ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead · Festive & celebration
Cook more with
Salmon · Dill · Sugar · Prepared mustard · White vinegar
Techniques
Marinating · Curing

Allergens

  • May contain: Milkfrom rye bread
  • Contains: Fishfrom salmon
  • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom rye bread
  • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom rye bread
  • May contain: Soyfrom rye bread
  • May contain: Sesamefrom rye bread
  • Contains: Mustardfrom prepared mustard
  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom prepared mustard

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

284 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 121 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 30%
  • Carbohydrate 5%
  • Fat 65%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy284 kcal236 kcal
Protein20.7 g17.2 g
Carbohydrate3.5 g2.9 g
Net carbohydrate3.2 g2.6 g
Sugars2.9 g2.4 g
Added sugars2.8 g2.3 g
Fibre0.3 g0.2 g
Fat20.4 g16.9 g
Saturated fat3.8 g3.1 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol55 mg46 mg
Sodium492 mg408 mg
Salt equivalent1.2 g1 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
401 mg
Calcium
21 mg
Iron
0.7 mg
Magnesium
31 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
73 µg
Vitamin C
7 mg
Vitamin D
—
Vitamin B12
3.2 µg
Folate (DFE)
32 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: rye bread.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Some cooks add a splash of aquavit or a little grated beetroot to the cure.

Common mistakes

  • Curing for too long makes the salmon hard and overly salty.

Serve with

  • Serve on rye bread or with dill potatoes as part of a Nordic buffet.

Food safety

  • Cured salmon is not cooked. Use very fresh fish that has been frozen to −20 °C for at least 24 hours to kill parasites, and avoid for pregnant people, young children and the immunocompromised.

Storage

  • Wrapped, keeps refrigerated for up to 5 days after curing.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

  • Salmon, very fresh, skin-on centre fillet, pin-boned800 g
  • Rye bread (optional)8 slice · 256 g
Used in steps 1, 5

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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