Recipes from professional Chef Tallyrand:

GRAVLAX, GRAVAD LAKS, GRAVLAKS

Marinate . . . good times . . .come on!

Those ‘oldies’ out there will recognised those play on words from the Kool and The Gang song; ‘Celebration’. To me that is what food is, a celebration of life, something to be celebrated and enjoyed like a present, a gift, something to take one’s time on and enjoy. While I admit to being the occasional victim of fast food imbibing, I am otherwise a full supporter of ‘slow food’. Taking my time to get the best results, then sitting down with friends on a full set table and just slowly enjoying the experience, the food, the wine and chatting during each course, hence my lunch or dinner parties often taking 4 - 6 hours.

Sometimes to get the best results from food, to get the full enjoyment from it, patience is required along with a little forward planning. None more so maybe than with marinating foods.

When I said last week I would tackling barbecuing, I received emails asking about the process of marinating foods beforehand; the whys and wherefores etc. So this week we are starting on a journey, a journey that starts with marinating and curing, which are closely linked. Then next week I will cover bbq’d foods, followed up by recipes for ice cream . . . a great way to help finish a BBQ. So this week is more about learning and understanding than it is about recipes . . . but fear not there will be some

So to find out all about marinating and marinades over to the Tallyrand Food Tips section - click here.

Now a recipe . . . this is a simple recipe for making your own cured side of salmon; known as grav lax, graved lachs and other spellings of. It is a Scandinavian specialty that is expensive to purchase, yet so easy to make yourself . . . as long as you can get cheap sides of salmon that is.

Ingredients

salmon side	1	kg
salt	100	gm
sugar	50	gm
cracked peppercorns	20	gm
cracked juniper berries	20	gm
fresh dill	100	gm

Method

1.	Ensure all bones are removed
2.	Place the salmon in a tray
3.	Combine all the remaining ingredients and rub the dry cure mixture into the flesh lightly
4.	Cover loosely with cling film
4.	Place in the refrigerator overnight
6.	Remove and rinse to remove excess salting mixture
7.	Slice paper thin and serve with some sour cream mixed with fine strips (julienne) of dill pickles, sliced onions, dill and paprika

Chef's Tip

Excellent when comlpimented by a glass of chilled white wine!

Enjoy and bon appetit . . . . .

Published 23 July 2001