Golden Gravlax with Creamy Cucumber Salad

One of my favorite Friday shuk routines is stopping by Merkaz Hadagim to buy herring in cream sauce, smoked mackerel, and lox. I love watching as the proprietor, Avraham Koren, bends over a worn white cutting board, cuts slices of salmon with a flourish from whole sides that he and his brother cure at their facility nearby. Inspired by them, I’ve started to make my own at home. Coating the fish with turmeric gives the sliced gravlax a lovely golden edge, and the gentle fennel and dill flavors really come through. It may seem intimidating to do this at home, but once you coat and wrap the salmon, three days’ time does the rest of the work for you. Serve this on open-faced sandwiches with all the trimmings.

Makes 1½ pounds cured salmon

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 3 days

GRAVLAX

One 2-pound skin-on, center-cut salmon fillet, preferably wild, pin bones removed, patted dry

¾ cup kosher salt

½ cup sugar

1 tablespoon crushed fennel seeds

1 tablespoon crushed black peppercorns

½ cup chopped fresh dill

1½ teaspoons ground turmeric

CREAMY CUCUMBER SALAD

6 medium Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon kosher salt, plus more to taste

⅓ cup 4-Hour Labaneh (or store-bought), or sour cream

2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste

TO ASSEMBLE

Rye bread

Butter

Store-bought herring

Capers

Make the gravlax: Line a large rimmed baking sheet with plastic wrap, leaving a generous overhang on all sides. (If you have larger, restaurant-style plastic wrap, that’s great; but if you don’t, layer standard-size plastic wrap so you’ll eventually be able to tightly seal the salmon.) Pat the salmon dry on both sides.

In a medium bowl, combine the salt, sugar, fennel, and peppercorns. Sprinkle half the salt mixture on the plastic wrap, then sprinkle ¼ cup of the dill over the salt. Press the salmon skin-side down into the mixture so that it adheres.

Sprinkle the top of the salmon with the turmeric, then sprinkle the remaining ¼ cup dill, followed by the rest of the salt mixture, on top of the salmon. Using your hands, spread the mixture evenly over the top and sides. Bring the plastic wrap up around the sides of the salmon and wrap it tightly, wrapping it in one more layer of plastic so that it is tightly sealed. Cover the salmon with another baking sheet, weigh it down with a few heavy cans (a barbell works well, too), and refrigerate for 2 to 3 days.

When ready to use, make the cucumber salad: In a medium bowl, toss the cucumbers with the salt and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain the liquid from the cucumbers, and if you can, squeeze and discard even more excess liquid from the cucumbers with your hands. In a small bowl, whisk together the labaneh, dill, lemon juice, and pepper. Fold the dressing into the cucumbers and season with more salt and pepper to taste.

Finish and serve the salmon: Remove the salmon from the fridge and unwrap it, draining off any excess liquid and carefully scraping the salt mixture from the salmon. Thinly slice the salmon on the bias, cutting the slices away from the skin (the skin will get left behind) and serve with the cucumber salad, herring, rye bread, butter, and capers. The salmon will keep, sealed in plastic wrap, for up to 1 week. The cucumber salad will keep for 3 days.