Beet Gravlax (Beet-Cured Salmon)

Silky, melt in your mouth texture with a vibrant color that demands center stage, beet gravlax is the ultimate holiday appetizer. If you love the rich flavor of salmon or are a fan of sushi, this festive salmon recipe is for you.

You won’t just impress your friends and family with this lush and luxurious colorful salmon recipe, you will also impress yourself. There is something magical that happens when you begin to slice into this jeweled salmon, and see that with a little patience, and very minimal work, the process pays off in all of its stunning glory.

As gorgeous as this classic Scandinavian dish is, it’s also equally as delicious. With hints of citrusy dill, sunny lemon zest, and the natural sweetness of the beets, they are layers of flavor in each velvety bite, yet the natural flavor of the salmon completely shines through. It’s mild, delicate, and absolutely irresistible. So, pop open the bubbly and let’s dive into how you can easily recreate this at home.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Simple process with no cooking required. Unlike smoked salmon, gravlax is cured, raw salmon. The majority of the process is completely inactive time, just occasionally giving it a flip in the refrigerator. If you can mix together a few seasonings and grate beets, you can totally make this beet-cured salmon.
• Customizable flavors. We’re just using a basic cure of salt, sugar, lemon zest, pepper, and dill for this beet gravlax, but you can easily add in your favorite aromatics. You can also play around with the amounts of salt vs. sugar depending on whether you like a more savory gravlax or want it a little sweeter.
• Versatility. The possibilities of how you serve this are endless. Add it to a bagel board. Serve it up with all of your favorite lox toppings. Top off cucumber and cream cheese slices with the beet cured salmon. You can even use it in a fresh salad for an easy pop of protein.
• The ultimate make ahead. Once you have unwrapped your cured salmon, given it a quick rinse, and then dried it off, it will last up to five days in the refrigerator. You can easily make this in advance for a weekend brunch or holiday party.

Ingredients

• Wild Caught Salmon – The most important part of this recipe is making sure that you have sashimi grade salmon, or salmon that has been frozen. Because this is a cured preparation of salmon and not cooked, you want to ensure that you’re using salmon that has been properly frozen. For this recipe I used king salmon from Salmon and Sable. Wild caught salmon has a richer, more buttery flavor, and a firmer texture. Sockeye salmon, and coho would also be delicious, depending on what is in season, and what is available.
• Kosher Salt – Salt draws out the moisture in the salmon while seasoning the meat. Don’t use table salt for this recipe as it will make it too salty.
• Dark Brown Sugar – Many traditional gravlax recipes will call for white sugar, but I prefer the more complex flavor of brown sugar for this. It isn’t as cloyingly sweet because it has that slight bitter note of molasses. You can easily swap the dark brown sugar for light brown sugar if that’s what you have.
• Lemon Zest – This gives a faint note of citrus to the salmon. You don’t want to add any actual citrus juice to the cure as the acid will begin to break down the fish and change the texture.
• Fresh Dill – Dill and salmon just belong together. It’s bright, a little citrusy, but also has a slight note of sweet licorice. It doesn’t overpower the salmon in any way.
• Cracked Pepper –
• Beets –

Variations and Substitutions

• Swap out the lemon zest in this recipe for orange zest. It pairs beautifully with both the salmon, and also the beets.
• If you don’t have dark brown sugar, light brown sugar will also work.
• Add different spices besides the pepper. Coriander, juniper berries, and fennel seeds are all classic gravlax pairings.
• Give the beet cured salmon a little spice. Add crushed red pepper flakes to the salt and sugar mixture.

How to Make Beet Gravlax

• If you have one large filet of salmon, cut it in half creating two equal sized pieces. Trim off any skinny ends.
• Peel and grate your beets. You will want to grate them into a glass bowl, or even paper plate to collect the juices as well as prevent staining.
• Add the salt, sugar, dill, pepper, and lemon zest to a bowl and using your hands mix to combine. Rub the mixture between your fingers to release the natural oils of the zest and dill.
• Spread two to three large pieces of plastic wrap over a baking sheet, or in a baking dish, making sure they overlap.
• Sprinkle 1/4 of the salt/sugar mixture in an even layer in the middle of the plastic wrap, slightly larger than the first piece of fish.
• Place the first piece of fish skin side down over the salt mixture. Add another 1/4 of the curing mixture over the flesh.
• Spread the shredded beets and their juices over the top of the flesh of the salmon, allowing it to spill down over the sides and onto the plastic wrap.
• Sprinkle 1/4 of the cure over the flesh of the second piece of salmon, and sandwich the flesh over the shredded beets.
• Spread the remaining cure mixture over the skin of the top piece of salmon.
• Tightly wrap the salmon in the plastic wrap. You may need to add an additional layer.

• Nestle the wrapped salmon into either a baking dish, or on a baking sheet. Keep in mind that the salmon will release liquid during the curing process.
• Weight down the salmon. I used a couple of smaller cast irons nestled into each other. You can also place a smaller baking sheet on top of the salmon and then weight it down with either a brick or heavy skillet.
• Place the weighted salmon into the coldest part of your refrigerator, usually the bottom.
• Allow the salmon to refrigerate for 48 hours.
• Every 12 hours, or twice a day, drain off any excess liquid, and flip the salmon. This will give the best texture.
• After 48 hours, carefully unwrap the salmon, and brush off as much of the salt and beet mixture as possible.
• Give the salmon a quick rinse to remove any excess salt.
• Thoroughly pat the salmon dry.
• For best results, allow it to chill again prior to serving. Keep it tightly wrapped in plastic wrap.

How to Serve Beet Gravlax

• Make a bagel board. Serve up this beet-cured salmon with your favorite bagels, a variety of cream cheese and butter options, and all of the toppings.
• Nordic style with open faced sandwiches. Makle a smørrebrød. This is the traditional Nordic way to serve gravlax, making open faced sandwiches on either rye or pumpernickel bread. Toppings can include cucumber slices, radishes, butter, a dill-mustard sauce. You can also include other types of cured fish if desired.
• Gravlax salad. Top off a gorgeous fresh salad with the gravlax. This is especially delicious in a Niçoise salad.
• Grain bowl. Use the cured salmon as the protein in your favorite grain bowl. It pairs well with farro, quinoa, and rice.
• Breakfast board. Looking to build a breakfast board for the holidays? This makes a lovely addition. Serve it up with jammy eggs, avocado slices, toast, and all of the fixings.

Storage

Because this salmon is cured, it will last slightly longer than cooked salmon. You will want to keep it tightly wrapped, making sure to let out as much air as possible, and keep it refrigerated unless being served. It will last for up to five days.

Gravlax vs. Smoked Salmon

• Gravlax/lox – Gravlax, as well as lox, is salmon that’s cured in a salt mixture that often includes sugar. It intensifies the natural flavor of the salmon while giving it a slightly sweet, briny flavor, often with accents of citrus and herbs such as in gravlax. The texture is incredibly buttery and almost melts in your mouth while giving a clean flavor.
• Smoked salmon – Smoked salmon is first briefly cured, like gravlax, before being smoked. It has a firmer texture and that aromatic accent of smoke. Smoked salmon can be either cold smoked, allowing it to keep a more tender, silky texture with a milder smoke flavor, or it can be hot smoked for a more intense smoke flavor with a flaky texture.

Tips From the Beach

• Trust the process. This is an incredibly easy recipe anyone can make, but it’s a process. The salt to sugar ratio will wildly vary for gravlax recipes. Starting with a 1:1 ratio will keep it from being too salty or too sweet. When you make it the first time, you will have a true taste of the salmon, and it will allow you to adjust to make it a little saltier or a little sweeter the next time. The 48 hours of curing is also part of the process. Most recipes call for 48 hours, but some recipes will go up to 72 hours. The 48-hour mark gives not only the best flavor, but also the best texture. The salmon become firm to the touch but once sliced is so buttery and silky it practically melts on the tongue. Longer cures will give a slightly firmer texture as well as a saltier flavor.
• Skin on salmon is preferred. Using skin on salmon makes it a lot easier to slice and serve the salmon, as well as protecting the fish from becoming too salty.
• You want frozen salmon for this recipe. Because this is a cured preparation and not cooked, you want to use high quality frozen salmon for this beet gravlax. When you are purchasing salmon from a reputable source such as Salmon and Sable, the fish is flash frozen as soon as it is prepared, locking in the flavor, preserving the texture, but also making it safe by killing any parasites.
• Gloves are your best friend! Unless pink tinged hands are your jam, you’ll want to wear gloves any time you come into contact with the beets, from shredding them, to brushing them off the cured salmon. Also make sure that you are shredding them onto or into something that doesn’t stain.

If you are looking for more salmon recipes, make sure to check out baked Caesar salmon.

Frequently Asked Questions

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