Coffee Salmon Gravlax

Prep time: 24 hours

The photo below of uninspiring recipes of salmon cookery from the 1800s comes from Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management and exemplifies an era when salmon was an expensive fish. Most salmon recipes of this time were served at breakfast. 

I’ve adapted the usual approach of cured salmon for this recipe by flavouring it with coffee which makes it a great option for breakfast, served on a bagel with scrambled eggs.

Mrs Beeton’s original recipe

Mrs Beeton’s original recipe

coffee salmon photo.JPG

Ingredients

  • 500g coarse Saxa sea salt

  • 400g white sugar

  • 1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley

  • 60ml (¼ cup) espresso coffee (if you don’t want to use coffee, use the same amount of gin, whisky or maple syrup)

  • 2 tbsp Saxa Black Peppercorns, coarsely crushed

  • 1 orange, zested (lime or lemon can be substituted)

  • 1 (about 1kg) salmon fillet, skin on and pin-boned (bones taken out)

Method

  1. Trim the salmon fillet and ensure all bones are removed.

  2. Combine Saxa salt, sugar, parsley, coffee, orange zest and crushed peppercorns in a bowl. Place two sheets of plastic wrap, long enough to envelope salmon in, overlapping by half, on a work bench and spread with half of salt mixture. Place salmon skin-side down on top, cover fish with remaining salt mixture, wrap tightly in plastic then place on a large deep tray. Top with a smaller tray or board and weigh down with food cans and refrigerate for 12 hours, then remove weights, drain and turn over, replace tray and weights and refrigerate for another 12 hours.

  3. Once ready, slice thinly with a very sharp knife and serve.