Using this same curing method, you may prepare the traditional Finnish freshly salted powan, salt-cured raw whitefish.

one fillet or a piece of fresh salmon fillet with skin
coarse-grained sea salt  —  3 - 4 tbsp per 1 kg of fish *)
sugar  —  4 tbsp per 1 kg of fish
large bunch of fresh dill

The salmon must be absolutely fresh and kept chilled. Place the salmon fillet skin-side down on a large piece of clean parchment paper. Run your fingers on the surface of the fillet to feel any bones and remove them by pulling them out using fish tweezers (or use regular tweezers). Make sure your hands and all the utensils you are using are clean.

Mix together the salt and sugar and sprinkle evenly on the fillet. Distribute the dill sprigs, with their stems slightly crushed with a back of a spoon, on top (see the pictures below). Do not use chopped dill, as the small leaves will only get soggy during curing and become difficult to remove afterwards. One can never use "too much" dill to season gravlax!

Note: when making traditional gravlax, only salt, sugar and dill are used to enhance the wonderful, natural flavour of raw salmon flesh. Adding all kinds of "exotic" spices on the salmon or drenching it in liquors, like vodka, aquavit, cognac or brandy, will completely adulterate the delicate flavour which makes this dish so uniquely delicious. Of course you can use whatever ingredients you want to cure your salmon  —  but then don't call it gravlax, as it would be an insult toward this ancient dish and the Nordic culinary heritage :-)

Piece of fresh salmon fillet		Sprinkle with salt and sugar		Distribute dill on surface		Wrap and place in a dish

Tightly wrap the fillet in the parchment paper, then in plastic and place the package in a deep dish (see the picture above). There is no need to turn the fillet during curing or place any weight on top of it, as stated in some recipes. Place the dish in refrigerator for about 12 - 24 hours  —  but no longer than 48 hours. The longer the fillet is kept this way, the saltier it becomes. In my family, we find the salmon best when it is only very lightly salted.

Unwrap the paper package, pour out the accumulated juices, remove the dill and gently wipe the surface of the fish clean. Cut the flesh into thin slices along the skin with a filleting knife (see the pictures below). Discard the skin (although in Finland, it is a delicacy to sometimes serve the skin as well, cut in narrow strips and grilled or fried until crisp and curled up). Arrange the salmon slices in a serving dish and sprinkle lots of fresh, chopped dill on top.

Slicing a fillet / piece of salt-cured salmon

Serve gravlax as it is, garnished with dill and lemon slices or wedges, or with the traditional Swedish mustard sauce, or use it to make gravlax canapés, or more elaborate open-faced sandwiches, garnished with lettuce, mayonnaise, crème fraîche, lemon, dill, slices of hard-boiled egg, shrimps, etc.

Wrapped in plastic and refrigerated, gravlax made according to this recipe will keep for up to two to three days.

Additional information:
Also smaller cuts of salmon fillet may be salt-cured  —  just reduce the amount of sugar and salt in proportion to the weight of the fillet cut. Let salmon pieces that are thin and/or weighing less than 400 - 500 grams marinate only for about 8 to 12 hours. Cut out and eat a slice of the fish to see, whether it is salty enough for your taste. Note that the flesh on the surface is saltier than that next to the skin side. Gravlax should not be overly salty  —  while the original purpose of salting raw salmon was to preserve it, today salt is only used as a seasoning.

*) If you do not happen to have coarse-grained salt, use half the amount ordinary salt.