Beetroot and dill gravlax
<p>The word gravlax comes from the Scandinavian word grav, which means "to bury", and lax, which is "salmon". Pre-refrigerators, Nordic fishermen would first salt and then bury the fish in sand above the high-tide mark, where it would dry out and ferment slightly. This rustic approach has fallen out of fashion, but by all means go and bury your fish at the beach – I would be hugely impressed. This is damn delicious with some horseradish cream on a bit of toasted sourdough or rye. It's also pretty good with scrambled eggs and chopped chives. Use it as you would smoked salmon. </p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Serves:</span></strong> 10-15 as nibbles</p>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Ingredients: </span></strong></p>
<ul>
<li>1 side salmon (about 800g), boned, skin on</li>
<li>200g coarse sea salt</li>
<li>3 tbsp soft brown sugar</li>
<li>zest and juice of 1 lemon</li>
<li>400g raw beetroot, grated</li>
<li>large bunch of dill, roughly chopped</li>
</ul>
<p><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Method:</span></strong></p>
<p>1. Unroll a long length of cling-film flat on the bench, at least four times as long as the salmon is wide. Place salmon skin side down about 15cm (6in) down the length of cling-film from the left. </p>
<p>2. In a bowl, combine salt, brown sugar, lemon zest and juice, grated beetroot and chopped dill, and spread over the surface of the salmon so it is completely covered. Fold the left-hand-side piece of cling-film over top of salmon, and then carefully roll the whole thing down the length of the plastic so that it is completely and tightly wrapped. Then wrap it lengthways with another length of cling-film, so that there is no way that anything can escape.</p>
<p>3. Place in a ceramic dish, then weigh it down with a board and a couple of tins. Place in fridge and leave salmon to cure for about two days. </p>
<p>4. Remove from fridge, remove weights and cling-film, and drain any liquid. Under a cold tap, wash away excess salt then pat down with kitchen towels. (Re-wrapped in cling-film, the salmon will last in the fridge for up to two weeks.) To serve, slice the salmon thinly off the skin on an angle. </p>
<p><em>Written by Sam Mannering. First appeared on <a href="http://www.stuff.co.nz/" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff</span><span style="text-decoration: underline;">.co.nz.</span></strong></a> Image credit: Sam Mannering via Stuff.co.nz.</em></p>
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