Who doesn't love smoked salmon? A real delicacy! But it can be pricey or hard to find sometimes, so I prefer to make my own version, Nordic style. It is called Gravlax, a Scandinavian name that means "to cure fish." You'll be surprised how easy it is to make, and it requires only a few ingredients, besides a nice piece of fresh salmon.
Ingredients
Directions
STEP ONE: Mix sugar, salt, fennel seeds and dill and spread half of the curing mixture in a fitting glass pan.
STEP TWO: Place the piece of fresh salmon on top and rub with the remaining mixture.
STEP THREE: Cover the salmon with a plastic wrap and place a cutting board, and a heavy book, a clean brick, cans or any other heavy object on top.
STEP FOUR: Let it sit in the fridge for 24 to 36 hours.
STEP FIVE: Rinse out the curing mixture over fresh water and path dry with paper towels.
Note: you can add fresh ground pepper to the curing mixture.
Salmon will keep one week in the refrigerator and the left over can be frozen.
Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer, with or without sour cream!
You will be impressed with how good it is!
It just melts in your mouth... Enjoy!
Pairing tips: any good Chardonnay.
RELATED: 4 Ingredient Cedar Plank Salmon
Sometimes, just the taste of what we ate during our holidays is enough to bring back the best memories. Of course, it is almost impossible to reproduce exactly the same recipe because the ingredients will vary, depending of which country or which region we are in, but trying the closest may just do the trick. Since I feel a little nostalgic about Maine at the moment, I tried to reproduce my best food memory in this easy Chowder recipe. I hope this recipe will make you feel just like being near the ocean.
Ingredients
Directions
In a big pot, heat the olive oil and the butter, and add the onion, celery and potatoes. Cook for about 2-3 minutes.
Incorporate the flour to coat the vegetables and slowly add the wine to turn it into a thick sauce. You can add some water if the sauce is too thick, but not too much, you want to keep the texture creamy.
Add the clams and close the lid for about 2 minutes or until the clams open up and give their juice.
Add the broth, bring to a boil and let it cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes. Add the corn at the very end and serve with sea salt water crackers and if you like it creamy, with a teaspoon of sour cream.
Note: if you are using clams in a can, just add them at the same times as the broth.
Serves 4
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