Dill and Black Pepper Gravlax

I love gravlax/lox/smoked salmon/whatever you want to call it. But I don't love paying $20 or more a pound. Usually I end up buying the bargain basement lox trimmings. Still delicious, but not necessarily luxurious.

After finding this recipe in an Emeril Lagasse cookbook, I'll never buy it again. Instead, I'll grab a big piece of salmon when it's on sale and make my own. It's beautiful and full of flavor. Bagel, anyone?

Dill and Black Pepper Gravlax
From Emeril Lagasse's Farm to Fork.

½ cup kosher salt
½ cup sugar
¼ cup coarsely cracked fresh black pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh dill
1 two-pound side of wild salmon, scaled, pin bones removed, rinsed under cold water and patted dry

Combine the salt, sugar, and cracked black pepper in a mixing bowl. Transfer half the mixture to a non-reactive pan or baking dish large enough to hold the salmon.

Place the salmon skin-side down on the salt mixture. Cover the flesh side of the salmon with the remaining salt mixture and pack it evenly to distribute. Sprinkle the dill on the flesh side and cover the salmon tightly with plastic wrap on top. Place a flat-bottom container the size of the salmon (another baking dish or sheet) and weigh it with a heavy object such as a skillet, bricks (wrapped in foil) or a few cans. Refrigerate the salmon for 30 to 36 hours, turning it occasionally to ensure even curing.

Remove the salmon from the refrigerator, wipe off as much of the curing mixture as possible (lightly rinse if desired), and pat the salmon dry. Salmon may be wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or parchment paper and stored in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.