Salt and Sugar Cured Salmon (Gravlax) Recipe

Preparation: Fillet the salmon or have the fishmonger fillet it for you; the fish need not be scaled. Lay both halves, skin side down, on a plate. Sprinkle with the salt , sugar, and pepper , spread the dill over them, and splash on the spirits . Sandwich the fillets together, tail to tail, then wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Cover the sandwich with another plate and something that weighs about a pound -- an unopened can of coffee or beans, for example. Refrigerate. Open the package every 12 to 24 hours and baste, inside and out, with the accumulated juices. On the second or third day, when the flesh has lost its translucence, slice thinly as you would smoked salmon -- on the bias and without the skin -- and serve with rye bread or pumpernickel, and lemon wedges. Yield: 12 or more appetizer servings Recipe Source: Fish: The Complete Guide to Buying and Cooking by Mark Bittman (Macmillan) Reprinted with permission.