Gravadlax with soda bread and horseradish cream

Gravadlax with soda bread and horseradish cream

Jack Stein’s version of this classic gravadlax with soda bread recipe from Scandinavia is a great make-ahead first course. It’s served cold, so no reheating is required, just the satisfaction of slicing in front of your guests.

Gravadlax with soda bread and horseradish cream

Jack says “It’s easy to cure your own salmon, and the dill gives a wonderful dimension to the flavour that we associate with Christmas.” If you’re not keen on horseradish, you can use mustard instead.

Prefer trout? Try our whisky cured sea trout recipe.

  • Serves icon Serves 4 with leftovers
  • Time icon Hands-on time 30 min, oven time 35-40 min, plus 48 hours curing and cooling

Jack Stein’s version of this classic gravadlax with soda bread recipe from Scandinavia is a great make-ahead first course. It’s served cold, so no reheating is required, just the satisfaction of slicing in front of your guests.

Jack says “It’s easy to cure your own salmon, and the dill gives a wonderful dimension to the flavour that we associate with Christmas.” If you’re not keen on horseradish, you can use mustard instead.

Prefer trout? Try our whisky cured sea trout recipe.

Nutrition: per serving

Calories
521kcals
Fat
26.2g (11.4g saturated)
Protein
22.7g
Carbohydrates
45.6g (4.7g sugars)
Fibre
6.6g
Salt
1.9g

Ingredients

For the gravadlax

  • 50g sea salt flakes
  • 35g caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp white peppercorns (available from all large supermarkets), crushed
  • Handful fresh dill, leaves picked and chopped, plus extra to serve
  • 500g piece sustainable organic skin-on salmon

For the soda bread

  • 400ml whole milk
  • Juice 1 lemon
  • 2 tsp golden syrup
  • 500g wholemeal flour, plus extra to dust
  • 1 tsp fine sea salt
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the horseradish cream

  • 200ml double cream
  • 2 tbsp horseradish sauce
  • Juice 1 lemon

You’ll also need

  • Eco-friendly cling film
  • Heavyweights such as tins of beans
  • Baking sheet lined with floured compostable baking paper
Sticky screen? No thanks! Tap to prevent your screen from going off while cooking.

Method

  1. For the gravadlax, mix the salt, sugar, pepper and dill. Put the piece of salmon skin-side down on a large sheet of the cling film, then cover with the salt mixture and press it evenly all over the flesh. Wrap tightly, then pierce a few holes in the cling film on each side to allow liquid to escape during curing.
  2. Put the wrapped salmon in a non-metallic dish, then top with a second dish and weigh down with tins of beans or anything heavy that can go in the fridge. Chill for 24 hours, then turn over the fish, weigh down and chill for another 24 hours (see Make Ahead).
  3. For the soda bread, heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/gas 6. Mix the milk and lemon juice in a jug, then set aside for 1-2 minutes to thicken – it will split slightly but that’s fine. Stir in the golden syrup until combined.
  4. Put the flour, salt and bicarb in a large mixing bowl, then pour in the milk mixture. Stir well to make a sticky dough, then tip onto a floured surface. Using floured hands, shape into a ball about 18cm across, then transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Flour the handle of a wooden spoon and use it to make a deep cross in the top of the loaf. Bake for 35-40 minutes until risen, golden and the base of the loaf makes a hollow sound when tapped. Cool completely on a rack (see Make Ahead).
  5. Whisk all the ingredients for the horseradish cream together until just holding soft peaks that flop over when you remove the whisk. Season and chill until ready to serve (see Make Ahead).
  6. After 48 hours of curing, remove the salmon from the curing mixture (wipe off and discard any mixture). Finely slice the gravadlax skin-side down and serve with slices of soda bread, the horseradish cream, ground black pepper and extra dill.

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving
Calories
521kcals
Fat
26.2g (11.4g saturated)
Protein
22.7g
Carbohydrates
45.6g (4.7g sugars)
Fibre
6.6g
Salt
1.9g

delicious. tips

  1. The salmon and horseradish cream quantities are easily doubled if you wish. This makes quite a large loaf of soda bread. Halve the recipe if you prefer to make a smaller one.

  2. Once cured, the salmon will keep chilled for up to 24 hours or, wrapped well, can be frozen for up to 2 weeks (if the fish hasn’t been previously frozen). Soda bread is best eaten on the day it’s made but makes great toast the day after. You can also slice it, then freeze, well wrapped to prevent freezer burn, for up to 1 month. Chill the horseradish cream, covered, up to 2 days ahead.

Buy ingredients online

Recipe By:

Jack and Rick Stein

Subscribe

Fancy getting a copy in print?

Subscribe to our magazine

Rate & review

Rate

Reviews

Read what others say...

  1. A really easy recipe and absolutely delicious. We only cured the salmon for 36 hours (I didn’t read the recipe properly at first), but that didn’t matter. Will certainly make again. BTW: no buttermilk needed.

Share a tip

Or, how about...?

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

New Year's Eve recipes

Classic gravadlax (gravlax)

This easy-to-make gravadlax recipe is a Scandinavian classic. It can...

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe
Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Showstopping salmon

Nathan Outlaw’s brandy-cured salmon with Yuletide slaw

Nathan Outlaw cures salmon with brandy in this festive recipe....

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Celebrity chef recipes

Raymond Blanc’s salmon gravadlax with cucumber and dill salad

Raymond Blanc’s gravadlax is an ideal centrepiece for a celebration....

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Summer starters

Gravadlax salad

This lovely, fresh salad recipe uses gravadlax instead of smoked...

Save recipe icon Save recipe icon Save recipe

Salmon pasta

Gravadlax pasta

A pasta recipe with that something extra, this dish combines...

Subscribe to our magazine

Food stories, skills and tested recipes, straight to your door... Enjoy 5 issues for just £5 with our special introductory offer.

Subscribe

Unleash your inner chef

Looking for inspiration? Receive the latest recipes with our newsletter

We treat your data with care. See our privacy policy. By signing up, you are agreeing to delicious.’ terms and conditions. Unsubscribe at any time.