This was a special week. I went to a Supper Stars meetup and by coincidence, one of the dishes was salmon gravlax.
I love salmon gravlax and a while ago decided to venture out and make it at home. Modesty aside, it was AMAZING!
I had promised you that I would post the recipe, but honestly, I wasn’t able to sit down to write it properly. The way it’s prepared is quite simple, but it’s a lot of ingredients and it takes time to write down the recipe. ahah This is what people call acute laziness!
But going back to the origin of this post… As I was telling you, I had a Supper Stars event (for those who don’t know, it’s a company that brings good Chefs to the comfort of our homes) and I had the pleasure to come across the Alexandre Catapirra Chef, who made a divine salmon gravlax, accompanied with sour cream and a brunoise. It was a version less Asian than mine, and it immediately made me remember that I had to post this recipe as soon as possible.
I love this dish mostly for its wonderful colors! The contrast between the sweet and sour of the citrus fruits and the saltiness of both the salmon and the soy sauce that accompanies the dish, plus the earthier flavor of the beets, is just UMAMI!
It’s a very complete dish that you can eat with your eyes!
Want to check out more salmon recipes? I’ll leave the link for this salmon and mango ceviche.
Let’s check the step-by-step?
SALMON GRAVLAX RECIPE (approx 2 big bowls):
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 filleted salmon (I usually buy a whole salmon and ask to remove the skin and fillet it)
- 3/4 organic beetroot (it doesn’t have to be organic, you can use a regular one)
- Juice of 1 orange
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Salt to taste
- 1 cup of sushi rice
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cfs sugar
- 1/2 mango
- 1 handful of edamame beans
- Pickled ginger to taste
PREPARATION METHOD:
- Start by preparing the salmon. On a tray arrange the salmon and season with a good amount of salt. Don’t be afraid to overdo it, because at the end of the process the salt will be removed from the salmon.
- Grate 3/4 of the beetroots and wrap the salmon in the beetroot.
- Squeeze the juice of the orange and the lime over the salmon and the beetroot, and then place a sheet of aluminum foil so that it covers the salmon well (you’re not supposed to put the aluminum foil just on top to cover the tray, it’s really to make a kind of foil on top of the salmon).
- Put a weight on top of the tray, for example, a board, a pan, and some cans of beans or chickpeas, so that they will weigh down the salmon. The idea is that the salmon will incorporate not only all the flavors but all that citrus and beetroot sauce.
- Put the tray in the fridge (with the weights on top) and let it rest for 2 hours (it can be a little less, like 1 hour or 45 min, but I think 2 hours is ideal to get it just right).
- While the salmon is resting, prepare the rice. Add 1 cup of sushi rice into a pot with 2 cups of water and let it boil over high heat.
- Once the water starts boiling, lower the heat to medium or low, and when you see that the water has almost evaporated, turn off the heat and cover.
- Let the rice rest for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Now open the lid and let it cool a little.
- Meanwhile, cook the edamame until it is al dente. Set aside.
- Dice the mango into cubes and set aside.
- Also, reserve a pickled piece of ginger.
- In a small saucepan, add the rice vinegar, salt, and sugar and bring to a boil.
- When it starts to smoke, turn off the heat and pour this mixture over the sushi rice.
- Mix well and arrange the rice in a bowl.
- Remove the salmon from the refrigerator and rinse thoroughly.
- Now that the excess seasoning has been removed, slice the salmon into thin strips and place them in the middle of the bowl on top of the rice.
- Add a layer of mango, one of edamame beans, and another of ginger around the salmon (as in the photo).
- Serve with soy sauce or plain.
Suggestion: Use for example avocado, pickled cucumber, and cherry tomato. This combination is also great!
You can also try changing the protein and using tuna or shrimp and use your imagination to change the seasonings (beetroot goes very well with salmon, but I must say I haven’t tried it with other proteins).
Another suggestion is to put some soy sauce on the rice and mix it well. It gives a more intense flavor and I personally love it!
Make up your own sauce to put on top. A good example is to put coriander, lemon, and chili pepper in a blender and drizzle the bowl with this sauce. You can also add a little honey if you like.
I didn’t do it this time, but I like to add sesame seeds on top.