Recipe: Raspberry Citrus Gravlax

We are about to go away on holidays for a few weeks to Vanuatu! Before I leave Sydney's horrible cold, windy weather behind, I thought I would share with you a lovely little recipe that is good for all year round :) 

As you know, I LOVE gravlax. I am a latecomer to seafood, and it definitely took me a while to get the hang of raw fish! I think what I love about gravlax is that it combines the beautiful subtle flavours that work so well with fish, with a certain bacony-meaty-ness that is just oh so good...

After our beetroot experiments, we decided to have a go using different flavours to cure the salmon. I love the flavour of raspberries - that sweet and sharp taste goes well with so many foods! 

The raspberry colours the salmon beautifully, with a delicate pink tinge.

Photo courtesy of Kiah Westlund

I also love the visual of the salmon fillets bathing in that stunning pink soup! 

Without further delay, the Raspberry Citrus Gravlax recipe! 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RECIPE: RASPBERRY CITRUS GRAVLAX

Serves many

Ingredients
1 whole salmon, filleted, skinned and pinboned 
(ask your fishmonger to do this for you!)

500g frozen raspberries
250g rock salt
170g raw sugar
1 tbsp mixed peppercorns
Zest of 2 lemons
Zest of 2 oranges
1 bunch of dill
60ml vodka

Method

1. In a food processor, combine all ingredients except salmon, and whizz until smooth.  Pour into a large baking dish that will fit both halves of the salmon and leave on the bench to defrost.

2. Snuggle your salmon fillets into the raspberry mix and make sure they are covered all over. Cover with clingwrap right to the surface of the cure to try and keep the air away from the curing meat. Put in the fridge.

3. After 24 hours, turn the salmon fillets over in the cure and stir the raspberry mix around. There should be a fair amount of juice come out of the salmon, and you want to mix that into the raspberry cure so that the salt can stay close to the meat.

4. After another 24 hours, take the salmon out of the cure and rinse really well under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towel or a clean tea towel, and wrap tightly in cling wrap. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

5. To serve, slice the gravlax as thin as you can (with a very sharp knife)! It's great with cream cheese, lemon and dill on some lovely rye bread, but try it however you like! 

Enjoy!