GRAVAD LAX WITH SAUCE SUEDOISE

Gravad lax, or “buried salmon,” gets its name from seventeenth-century sailors who used to cover the salmon in salt and bury it in the sand to preserve it. Today we still cover and cure the fish in salt, but it’s only buried in the back of the refrigerator for five days. This was served often at the palace as a first course, sliced on a bed of lettuce and served with the sauce. But it also was served as a canapé for receptions.

Lax

3 pounds Atlantic salmon fillet, preferably mid-cut

4 tablespoons kosher salt

4 tablespoons sugar

2 teaspoons crushed white peppercorns

1 cup firmly packed chopped fresh dill, divided

Sauce

3 egg yolks

3 tablespoons sugar

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon sweet German mustard

2 cups corn oil or other neutral flavored oil

Salt and freshly ground pepper

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar (optional)

Lemon wedges for garnish

1. Cut the salmon in half across the middle and pat dry with paper towels. Remove the skin from both pieces and save. In a small bowl mix the salt, 4 tablespoons sugar, peppercorns, and ½ cup dill until combined. Toss the cure mix over the fish, and rub it on. Lay a piece of plastic wrap large enough to accommodate the salmon flat on a counter. Place a layer of salmon skin on top of the plastic, lay the fish pieces on top of that, and pack on all the remaining cure mix that didn’t stick on and around the salmon. Place the remaining piece of salmon skin on the top, and wrap the whole fish tightly in the plastic wrap.

2. Place the salmon on a tray and put another tray on top to weigh the fish down. Refrigerate. Turn the fish over once each day, and leave it to cure for 5 days.

3. After 5 days, unwrap the salmon, and wipe the cure mixture off the pieces of salmon. Discard the cure mixture along with the skin.

4. For the sauce, in a large bowl whisk the egg yolks until creamy. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar and the mustard, and drizzle the oil in slowly to make a mayonnaise. Whisk in the remaining dill, and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. For a sauce with a bit more bite, add the red wine vinegar.

5. Slice the salmon wafer-thin onto a serving dish, garnish with fresh dill and lemon wedges, and serve the sauce alongside.

MAKES 8 TO 10 SERVINGS