Gravlax Recipe: How to Cure Salmon

Silky, luxuriously rich, and herb-packed, Curing Salmon at home is shockingly easy to do—you don't need a smoker, oven, fancy equipment, or even a sous chef. Buttery, salty, infused with dill, and kissed with citrus, just 6 ingredients, a little fridge magic, and a touch of patience stands between you and melt-in-your-mouth gourmet gravlax salmon!

📝 Ingredients

• 1 2- pound Skin-On Center-Cut Salmon Filet- Sushi-Grade
• 1 TBS Vodka (– OPTIONAL (SEE NOTES))
• 2 whole Lemons (– zested (about scant 1 1/2 TBS))
• 2 whole Oranges (– zested (about heaping 2 TBS))
• 1 Cup Fresh Dill (– roughly chopped; plus more for garnish)
• 8 TBS Coarse Sea Salt (– preferably freshly cracked pink Himalayan (SEE NOTES))
• 6 TBS Granulated Sugar (– or more, to taste (SEE NOTES))
• 1/4 scant tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Make Salmon Cure: To a medium bowl, add the lemon zest, orange zest, fresh dill, salt, sugar, and pepper. Grab a fork or spoon and stir the ingredients well until fully combined. Then set the cure aside.
2. 2Apply Cure to Top of Salmon: Place the salmon, skin-side-down, on a clean work surface. Drizzle the vodka evenly over the top of the salmon and use your fingers to gently massage it into the flesh. Then sprinkle 1 ½ cups of the cure (reserving about 5 to 6 TBS of the salt and sugar cure) over the salmon. Next, use your fingers to gently massage the cure into the salmon. Press two large pieces of plastic wrap down on top of the salmon, arranging the plastic wrap so that it’s slightly overlapping – you want the plastic wrap to be large enough to wrap around the entire fish, like a parcel. Then, flip the fish over.
3. 3Apply Cure to Bottom of Salmon: Sprinkle the remaining sugar and salt cure evenly over the skin side of the salmon.
4. 4Wrap and Weigh Down Salmon: Wrap the salmon up completely in the plastic wrap, sealing the fish like a tight package. Then transfer the salmon to a baking dish or rimmed baking sheet large enough to hold the fish. Finally, top with a weight, like a smaller baking dish or a plate topped with a can of beans.
5. 5Let Salmon Cure in Fridge: Place the salmon into the refrigerator and let cure for at least 1 day (24 hours for a very mild cure = lightly flavored and soft) to 3 days (72 hours for a harder cure = saltier, firmer fish), turning the fish over at every 12-hour mark and replacing the weights. (Note 1: There will be liquid in the bottom of the dish. Just use paper towels to wipe out the dish when flipping the salmon.) (Note 2: I personally like a 36- to 48-hour cure.) (SEE NOTES)
6. 6Rinse Off Cure, Dry Salmon in Fridge: Rinse Off Cure: Remove the plastic wrap from the salmon and discard. Then use a rubber spatula to gently scrape the cure off the fish and gently rinse with lightly running cool water. Next grab paper towels and pat the salmon as dry as possible.
7. 7Dry Salmon in Fridge: Place the salmon on a plate or back into the baking dish (just make sure it's dry) and place it back into the fridge, uncovered, for at least 1 hour or up to 8 hours to allow the salmon to dry out and the cure to settle.
8. 8Slice Cured Salmon: Use a very sharp slicing knife to cut the gravlax on a bias (angle) into paper thin slices, but do not cut through the skin, starting at the head, and working towards the tail.
9. 9Serve Gravlax Salmon: Arrange the slices of cured salmon on a platter and garnish with dill fronds. Serve with toasted rye or pumpernickel bread, lemon wedges, capers, thinly sliced red onions or shallots, and mustard sauce (SEE NOTES). Alternatively, store the gravlax tightly wrapped in plastic in the fridge for up to 5 days after curing.