madbaker | Lox is not gravlax, and vice versa.

This week's Resolution Recipe: Whey-Cured Gravlax.
People conflating gravlax and lox is a pet peeve of mine. They are different. Lox is traditionally cured salmon belly, generally smoked. Gravlax is specifically Scandahoovian cured salmon, less fatty, unsmoked. Got it?
The linguistic derivation for each is similar, from the Middle High German lahs, salmon. Lox is via Yiddish. Gravlax comes from being buried in the ground, grav or grave.

1000 g midsection salmon filet, skin on, cut in 2 equal pieces
50 g salt
63 g sugar
4 g whole peppercorns, crushed
65 ml whey (I got mine from the curvy upstairs neighbor)
fresh dill

Remove the pin bones from the salmon. Rinse and pat dry. Set a draining mat on a rack set inside a baking sheet.
Mix the salt, sugar, and pepper together. Rub the mix thoroughly into the flesh side of the fish. Sprinkle the surface with the whey and then place the dill on top. Place the pieces of salmon together, flesh sides facing. Place on the draining mat and cover the entire thing tightly with plastic wrap. Top with another baking sheet and weigh down with a 5-lb brick.

Refrigerate for 2-4 days, turning the fish over twice a day. (Note: you have to unwrap the fish to turn it. This is a design flaw.) When ready to serve, unwrap, remove seasonings, rinse off any particles, and pat dry. Cover with cheesecloth and air dry in the fridge for an hour. Diagonally slice thinly while still cold. Serve with creme fraiche, pickled onions, dill, and capers.

What worked: It was delicious. See pictures below.

What didn't: Our whey must be much thinner than what the author is using - it didn't sprinkle over the top so much as cause the dry cure to run off and pool in a brine below the fish. Which doesn't help cure it. I ended up pouring the brine back over it when I flipped the fish around during the process.

Will I make it again? Meh. While it was better quality than, say, Trader Joe's, it wasn't better than good-quality commercial stuff.

gravlax