Beetroot Cured Salmon (Beet Gravlax)

This beetroot cured salmon is the most show-stopping appetizer you've ever seen, and it's delicious! Easily cure this at home and slice it thinly to serve on a bagel or toast for brunch.

5 from 3 votes

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Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Snack

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Low Lactose

Prep Time: 30

Cook Time: 0

Cure Time: 2

Total Time: 2 30

Servings: servings

Calories: 132kcal

Author: Emily

Ingredients

▢ 2 lb Salmon *see notes* boneless, skin on, whole filet, (trout or arctic char can be used as a substitute)
▢ 14 oz Beetroot raw. peeled, grated
▢ 1 cup Kosher salt NOT table salt.
▢ ½ cup White sugar
▢ ¼ cup Gin or vodka
▢ 1 teaspoon Lemon zest
▢ 4 teaspoon Black peppercorns
▢ 4 teaspoon Juniper berries optional
▢ 4 teaspoon Coriander seeds optional, recommended

Instructions

Buy a skin-on whole piece of salmon. When you buy it, it will likely not be trimmed, so buy a little more than 2 pounds.
Using a sharp knife, carefully trim off the thin pieces of the salmon. The belly, the "tail," and the head/neck.
You should have a rectangular piece of salmon, even in thickness, weighing around 2 pounds.
Begin by peeling and dicing 3 medium sized beets. It should be around 14 ounces after peeling.
To a food processor, add the chopped beets, 1 cup of kosher salt, ½ cup of sugar, 4 teaspoon coriander, 4 teaspoon black peppercorns, 1 teaspoon lemon zest, and ¼ cup of gin or vodka.
Pulse in the food processor until soupy but still thick and somewhat chunky.
On a sheet pan, place a long piece of plastic wrap vertically.
Place another long piece of plastic wrap horizontally.
Pour about ⅓ of the mixture onto the plastic wrap and use a rubber spatula to spread it across. It should be evenly distributed and thick enough to not see through it.
Place the trimmed salmon flesh-side down onto the beet mixture.
Pour another ⅓ - ½ of the curing mixture onto the exposed skin side of the salmon and, again, use the rubber spatula to spread it.
Be liberal in your use of the curing mixture and make sure all of the salmon is covered.
Wrap the salmon like you would wrap a burrito. First wrap one horizontal side, then tuck in both vertical sides, then the other horizontal side.
I suggest taking another long piece of plastic wrap and giving it a second wrap to prevent excess leakage.
Make sure the wrapped salmon remains flesh-side down, skin-side up.
Place the salmon flat in the refrigerator in a container or sheet pan.
Wait 48 hours or more.
Remove the salmon from the fridge.
In a clean sink, carefully use scissors to remove the plastic wrap. (This will be messy).
Gently rinse the salmon with cold water until all of the cure is gone.
Pat dry.
Optional, let it sit for another 12-24 hours without the cure to help it dry out and even out the saltiness. It is fine to omit this step.
Once ready to eat, slice thin pieces with a sharp knife going from the top down to the skin.
Slice away from the skin, not through. Do not eat the skin, it is chewy and not enjoyable.
Keep refrigerated and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Buy a skin-on whole piece of salmon that weighs around 2 pounds. The one I purchased was more than two pounds, but you want to remove the thinner pieces so that it cures evenly. 2 pounds after trimming is ideal.
KOSHER SALT is the only kind you should be using for this recipe. I will repeat: do. not. use. table salt. Either Diamond Crystal or Morton's kosher salt will be fine.
If you can't or choose not to consume alcohol, you can omit it. Substitute with about ½ the amount in water, this helps the mixture blend properly.

Nutrition

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