Fish Entertaining Entrees

Quick gravlax

Name: Quick gravlax recipe
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 455g sushi-grade salmon, pin-boned; 50g caster sugar; 900g coarse sea salt, or as needed; 80ml olive oil; 6 small sprigs dill, chopped, plus small dill sprigs, to serve; 40.00 ml salt-packed capers; 2 tsp finely chopped eschalot; Toasted baguette slices, to serve

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by delicious. team

delicious. team

Apr 09, 2025

"Gravlax is simple to make, but for a long time (as we wrote in The Cook’s Atelier), we used a three-day cure on an entire salmon. It was delicious, but definitely took a bit of planning. Our new method, which we learned from our fishmonger at La Côte Sauvage in Beaune, involves using smaller salmon pieces, which require just a few hours packed in sugar and salt, followed by a smear of good olive oil and an overnight rest in the refrigerator. The result is equally luxurious and comes together with minimal planning, since petite pieces of salmon cure more quickly. To serve it, we fan out the sliced gravlax on a beautiful white plate and top it with chopped shallot, fresh dill and fried capers for a bit of salty crunch." – Marjorie Taylor and Kendall Smith Franchini

You'll need to start this recipe the morning of the day before serving, and you'll need a baking dish just large enough to fit the salmon.

This is an edited extract from French at Heart by Marjorie Taylor and Kendall Smith Franchini. Published by Abrams, AUD $59.99. Photography by Anson Smart.

455g sushi-grade salmon, pin-boned
50g caster sugar
900g coarse sea salt, or as needed
Extra virgin olive oil to drizzle, plus ⅓ cup (80ml) extra
6 small sprigs dill, chopped, plus small dill sprigs, to serve
2 tbs salt-packed capers
2 tsp finely chopped eschalot
Toasted baguette slices, to serve

Method

1.

The morning of the day before you plan to serve, remove any part of the salmon that is significantly thinner, creating an even block. Remove skin, being careful not to remove too much of the flesh. Cut the block into 2 even, rectangular pieces. Place the sugar in a small bowl. Dip each piece of salmon into the sugar, coating all sides and edges in the sugar. Cover the bottom of the baking dish just large enough to fit all the salmon pieces on top, leaving space between, and completely cover with salt. Refrigerate for 7 hours. (If you're using a salmon fillet that's less than 2.5cm thick, refrigerate for only 6 hours.)
2.

Rinse salmon completely and dry thoroughly. Place each piece on a piece of plastic wrap and drizzle with oil so each is completely coated. Add chopped dill to the top of each piece and wrap in the plastic. Refrigerate overnight.
3.

To assemble, rinse the capers and transfer them to a paper towel, gently pat them dry, and leave them on fresh paper towel to dry further, for about 1 hour.
4.

Remove the plastic from the fish and, using a sharp knife, cut the salmon into very thin slices, about the size of the toasts you'll use. On a large plate, fan out the slices in a few rows. Drizzle with oil.
5.

In a small saucepan, heat ⅓ cup (80ml) extra oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Carefully add the dried capers and cook, stirring frequently, until puffed and lightly browned, about 1 minute. Transfer the fried capers to a paper towel-lined plate to drain briefly.
6.

To serve, top salmon with the capers, eschalot and small sprigs of dill. Serve with toasted baguette slices alongside.