Silky salt-and-sugar cured salmon with fresh dill — sliced paper-thin and served with a sweet Finnish mustard-dill sauce, graavilohi is the pride of Nordic tables.
Allergen Warning
Contains: fish
Equipment needed
baking dish, plastic wrap
Mix salt, sugar, and crushed peppercorns together
Lay a large sheet of plastic wrap on the counter, spread half the dill on it
Place salmon fillet skin-side down on the dill, cover evenly with the salt-sugar mixture
Pack remaining dill on top of the salmon
Wrap tightly in plastic wrap, place in a dish, and weigh down with a heavy plate
Refrigerate for 48 hours, turning the fish once after 24 hours
For the sauce, whisk mustard, honey, vinegar, and oil together, then stir in chopped dill
Scrape off the cure, slice salmon thinly against the grain, and serve with the mustard-dill sauce
Storage Instructions
Refrigerate for up to 5 days during and after curing. Do not freeze after curing as the texture degrades. The mustard-dill sauce keeps separately for 1 week refrigerated.
Cultural Context
Graavilohi literally means "grave salmon," named after the medieval Nordic practice of curing fish by burying it underground. Today it graces every Finnish celebration table and is considered essential at Midsummer and Christmas alike.