Gravlax is very easy to make and only requires a little planning to have it ready on time. Just tried the latest batch and it will work just fine! This is red (sockeye) salmon, but I did a silver salmon at the same time. The red is smaller than the silver, so we have quite a bit more silver than red.
Sunday I will thinly slice about 5 pounds of it and have crackers and cream cheese at hand to make little bites. A caper on top and a shot of hot sauce is a great variation…
Did not have crackers for the test run… But it tasted very good! My son just filled a toasted hamburger bun with lax and cream cheese for an afterschool snack.
Making it is simple, assuming you have the fish. Pull the pin bones from the fillets, do not skin or scale, and cover with non-iodized salt, brown sugar, and white pepper. The sugar should be about double the salt volume, and there should be lots of pepper. Pack the dry stuff on the fish, then lay down a bed of fresh dill in a glass dish and lay the first fillet down on it, skin side down. Cover the fish with more dill and cover with the next piece of fish, meat side down.
The pieces should be nestled together as well as possible. They can be stacked or side by side. Pour a little gin, or other alcohol over the fish if you like, but it is not required. I usually add a bunch of juniper berries to the liquid.
Cover the fish tightly (or wrap tightly in plastic wrap) and refrigerate. Turn the fish every 12 hours and drain after about 18 hours. The fish will be done in about 48 hours, but up to a week is a little better at firming the fish which makes slicing easier.
Rinse quickly in very cold water. Slice very thin on a long bias.
Would it be gloating to mention the hundred or so salmon we put in the freezer last summer? 
art
