Beetroot gravadlax

Name: Beetroot gravadlax
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2

Main Serves 2 20 min

This is a version of the traditional Nordic cured salmon, using beetroot to give the fish a deep pinky-purple colour. It might seem like a lot of work but, though you'll need to start making it in 3 days in advance, it's actually pretty easy. Check your piece of salmon for any pin bones down the middle of the fillet before you start; the easiest way to remove them is with a pair of tweezers. Serve with crispbread or thinly sliced and buttered brown bread, and a wedges of lemon for squeezing over the top.

Cook's notes

Serve the gravadlax with a salad of thinly sliced cucumber, dressed with yoghurt or crème fraîche with a little freshly grated horseradish, lemon juice, seasoning and a few dill leaves. If you haven't got any fresh horseradish, jarred horseradish sauce will do (though use very sparingly, just a ¼ of a teaspoon should do).

Ingredients

3 tbsp caster sugar
3 tbsp sea salt
1 beetroot (about 150g), finely grated
3 tbsp dill, chopped
300-350g piece of very fresh salmon, skin on, pin boned

Method

Prep time: 20 min

Step 1
Mix all the ingredients together, except the salmon, in a bowl. Spread a large piece of clingfilm across a dish with enough overhanging each end to cover the top (a baking dish with a rim is ideal, as juice will come out of the salmon).
Step 2
Place the salmon on the clingfilm, skin-side-down, and spread over the beetroot mixture so the fish is completely covered, and press it down well. Wrap the clingfilm over the salmon to seal. Put a plate or another dish on top and weigh it down - use tins of whatever you've got in your cupboard if you've no weights to hand.
Step 3
Keep the dish in the fridge, and drain off any liquid every day.
Step 4
Try and keep it there for at least 3 days before using, so the salmon turns a good dark pink-purple colour. Remove all the curing mixture and slice very thinly to serve.