What is gravlax? A guide to Swedish cured salmon

Gravlax (also written gravad lax) is salmon cured with salt, sugar and plenty of fresh dill. The name comes from Swedish: grava means "to bury", a reference to the old way of preserving fish in the ground.

How is gravlax made?

A fresh salmon fillet is covered with a mix of coarse salt, sugar, dill and often white pepper, pressed under a light weight and left in the fridge for a couple of days. The salt and sugar draw out moisture and firm up the flesh, giving silky, lightly sweet-salty salmon that is never cooked or smoked.

Gravlax or smoked salmon?

• Gravlax: cured, not smoked. Fresh, herbal taste of dill.
• Cold-smoked salmon: cured and smoked at a low temperature. Delicate smoky flavour.
• Warm-smoked salmon: smoked at a higher temperature, so it is flaky and fully cooked.

How to serve gravlax the Swedish way

Slice it thinly at an angle. Serve it with hovmästarsås, the sweet dill-mustard sauce, boiled new potatoes, and crisp bread or dark bread. Gravlax is part of the Swedish Midsummer, Easter and Christmas tables, and it is just as good as a starter on any evening.

Gravlax at Fiskskaldjur

Browse our smoked and prepared fish, including whole gravlax fillets and sliced gravad lax, and our hovmästarsås to go with it.