Skip to content 
Taking fishing tours through the protected taiga of the Putorana Plateau allows you to learn the secrets of preparing delicious and healthy delicacies. And not just Siberian dishes like sugudai. You can also whip up a Finnish fish soup called "Lohikeitto" on the shore, made from a noble red fish. Treat yourself to shashlik and salmon dumplings. Or prepare the Scandinavian delicacy "Salmon Gravlax," a step-by-step recipe for which is presented in this article.
If you examine this delicacy, you'll realize that the foreign word "gravlax" actually refers to a common lightly salted salmon product. However, it's prepared according to a unique, special recipe.
To ensure the delicacy is tender and melts in your mouth, the fish must be buried in the ground. This will preserve its freshness longer. The ingredients for preparing it are limited, and fishermen on rafting trips have them readily available. Nowadays, restaurants in Sweden and Finland no longer bury the fish, but on trophy fishing trips, it's possible to do everything properly.
Buried salmon undergoes a brief fermentation process, becoming an easily digestible product. It's healthy, tender, and delicious. Even the most discerning connoisseurs of Scandinavian cuisine will appreciate this delicacy when enjoyed outdoors.
Ingredients
· Whitefish or another relative of taimen – 0.5 kg.
· Salt, sugar – 2 tbsp each.
· Fresh dill – 50 grams.
· Pepper (ground black and peas) – to your liking, to taste.
The dish is prepared for 3 days.
Gravlax step by step
1. Initially, you need to catch a noble fish.
2. We clean the whitefish, cut off the head, fins, and tail.
3. Wash and dry the carcass with a kitchen towel. Then cut into small strips, removing the bones.
4. In a deep bowl, mix the spices, salt, and sugar, and dip each fillet in the brine on each side. Crush the peppercorns and rub them into the fish.
5. Dill (washed), chop not too finely and lay it around the carcass.
6. Place the fillets on top of each other, skin-side up. All fish should be covered with dill.
7. Wrap the prepared fish in cling film and bury it in the ground for 3 days.
After the specified time, dig it out and that’s it, the Scandinavian delicacy is ready to eat.
Conclusion
In northern countries, many dishes are buried in the ground or snow, like stroganina. After a certain amount of time, the dish is dug up and eaten. Gravlax is also one such dish. The literal translation from Scandinavian is "buried salmon."
When fishing or hunting in the Arctic, taking a refrigerator, even a portable one, is clearly unnecessary. Weather conditions, even in summer, can vary significantly, especially at night when temperatures drop below freezing.
Some chefs add beets to the recipe described above. They wash, chop, and finely grate them. Then, add them to the pickling mixture. Those who enjoy spicy dishes can also add a little chili pepper to experience the unforgettable flavor of real gravlax.
