Gravlaxsosa The Real Deal Recipes

GRAVLAX

Steps:

• Mix together the salt, sugar, and dill. Put the salmon, skin side down, on a large sheet of plastic wrap. Cover the flesh side of the salmon with the salt mixture, being sure to coat it completely (there will be lots of salt mix; just pile it in there).
• Wrap the fish well. If the air temperature is below 70°F and it is not too inconvenient, let it rest outside the refrigerator for about 6 hours, then refrigerate for 18 to 24 hours more. Otherwise, refrigerate immediately for about 36 hours.
• Unwrap the salmon and rinse off the cure. Dry, then slice on the bias. Serve plain or with lemon wedges, crème fraîche, sour cream, or a light vinaigrette.
• Variations
• Low-Salt Gravlax: Use 1/2 cup salt and 1/4 cup sugar. Combine a couple of chopped bay leaves, 1/4 cup minced shallot, and 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper with the dill. Refrigerate for 48 hours and proceed as directed.
• Citrus Gravlax: Use 1 cup each salt and sugar, combined with the grated zests of 2 oranges, 2 lemons, 2 limes, and 2 grapefruit, 2 tablespoons juniper berries; 1 tablespoon cracked coriander seeds; and 1 bunch of dill, stems and all. Marinate for 12 to 24 hours.

MARYLAND CRAB CAKES, THE REAL DEAL

Steps:

• Mix first 6 ingredients in a large bowl.
• CAREFULLY fold in crabmeat by hand into well blended ingredients, so as not to break up crab lumps.
• Add bread crumbs and, using hands, blend all ingredients -- still taking care to not break up lumps.
• Carefully form into 10 slightly flattened cakes.
• Refrigerate cakes several hours or overnight.
• Prepare by either frying in olive oil or butter, or broiling.
• Note: Frying in electric skillet in a little olive oil and butter for several minutes per side works very well for me.

GRAVLAX

Steps:

• Cure the salmon: Lay salmon skin-side down, flesh-side up in a glass or stainless-steel baking dish. (A large lasagna dish works well.) In a small bowl, toss together the salt, sugar and pepper until blended. Sprinkle the mixture over the salmon evenly, with abandon, until fully covered, as if under a blanket of snow. Use all of it.
• Spread all the chopped dill on top of the cure-covered salmon to make a thick, grassy carpet.
• Lay plastic wrap or parchment paper over the salmon to cover and press down, then place a heavy weight - such as a 2-gallon zip-top bag filled with water - on top, to weigh heavily on the curing fish. Refrigerate just like this, without disturbing, for 5 days, turning the salmon over midway through the cure - on Day 3 - then covering and weighting it again.
• To serve, mix together the softened butter, dill, shallot and mustard until well blended.
• Remove salmon from the cure, which has now become liquid, brushing off the dill with a paper towel, then set fillet on a cutting board.
• With a long, thin, beveled slicing knife tilted toward the horizon, slice salmon thinly, stopping short of cutting through the skin. Generally, you begin slicing a few inches from the tail end and you slice in the direction of the tail, moving your knife back, slice by slice, toward the fatter, wider belly portion of the fillet. The last slices are always hard to get. Once you have shingled the fillet, run your knife between skin and flesh, releasing all the slices, then transfer them to parchment until ready to serve.
• Spread the compound butter on bread, then drape sliced gravlax on top, and eat as open-faced sandwiches.

CHINESE FRIED RICE (THE REAL DEAL)

Steps:

• Prepare the jasmine rice. Combine 4 cups of jasmine rice and 4 cups of water in a rice cooker. Once the rice is cooled place in the refrigerator until chilled.
• Scramble eggs in seperate pan using whatever oil you normally cook eggs with. Make sure to fold the eggs over, so they can be cut into thin strips.
• Heat wok and 3-4 tablespoons of wok oil to medium heat.
• Saute the white onion until soft and partially transparent (usually takes me 3 minutes or so) along with 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, frozen peas and/or carrots. ***If you opted for green onions skip this step and saute the peas/carrots in wok oil.***.
• Add the rice making sure to seperate the grains (with fingers) and mix with the vegetables. Add another 3 tablespoons of wok oil, sesame oil, egg strips, ginger, chicken stock, and sugar (green onions if you opted for these).
• Raise the heat to HIGH add soy sauce to desired darkness/taste and STIR-FRY. (I usually use anywhere from 1/2 to a full cup of soy)***it is crucial for the stove to be as hot as possible*****.
• Basically you are going to Stir-fry till all the liquids are dissolved and the fried rice has reached the dryness desired.
• While cooling salt to taste in order to enhance the flavor.

GRAVLAXSOSA (THE REAL DEAL)

Steps:

• In a 3 cup or larger bowl, whisk the 1st 8 ingredients to combine.
• Gradually add olive oil in a stream & whisk to combine well. Add salt & pepper to taste & refrigerate for 24 hrs to allow flavors to blend.
• NOTE: I use a wide-mouth jar w/screw-on lid + my immersion blender to make & store this in a single step.
• TO SERVE: Simplicity is the most-favored presentation - as a bruschetta-type appy where 1/2-in slices of baguette bread are spread w/cream cheese, topped w/very thinly sliced smoked salmon & then this sauce is spread over the salmon slices. A few tiny capers can be centered as an opt garnish.
• HINT: For never fail perfect slicing of smoked salmon, freeze the salmon to a near frozen state & use your sharpest knife to shave slices of desired thickness.