Tom Valentis Low Salt Gravlax Food

THIS LOWER-SODIUM GRAVLAX WILL BE THE STAR OF YOUR NEXT BRUNCH

Steps:

• Combine dill, sugar, salt, and caraway seeds in a food processor; process until bright green, about 1 minute.
• Brush gin over flesh side of fish; rub both sides of fish with dill mixture to cover completely. (Use more dill mixture on thicker portions of fish and less on thinner portions.) Wrap fish tightly in several layers of plastic wrap, and place in a baking dish; place another baking dish on top of fish, and refrigerate. Flip fish twice a day; allow fish to cure until it's firm to the touch but not leathery, 1 to 2 days. Scrape dill mixture from fish; rinse fish well with cold water. Pat completely dry with paper towels; cut into very thin slices. Serve cold or at room temperature.

CITRUS GRAVLAX

Steps:

• Mix the salt, sugar, dill, lemon zest and grapefruit zest together in a bowl. Line a platter or small baking pan with plastic wrap and spread about a third of the salt mixture on top of the plastic in the general size and shape of the salmon. Lay the salmon on top and make 5 to 6 shallow slits into the flesh using the tip of a paring knife, then rub the orange liqueur on top. Sprinkle evenly with the remaining salt mixture and wrap the plastic over the fish to cover it completely. Place the wrapped salmon inside a ziptop bag, remove as much of the air as possible and seal the bag. Put a plate on top of the wrapped fish and weigh it down with a small can or something similar. Refrigerate for 24 hours (the fish will release some liquid as it sits).
• After 24 hours, scrape the salt mixture off the top of the fish and wipe the surface with a damp paper towel. Serve immediately or wrap in plastic and keep refrigerated up to 5 days.
• When ready to serve, use a very sharp knife to make thin slices on a bias. Serve with the Lemon Creme Fraiche, toast points, red onions and lemon wedges.
• Combine the creme fraiche, lemon zest and juice and chives in a small bowl; season with salt.

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.

TOM VALENTI'S LOW-SALT GRAVLAX

Steps:

• Place salmon, skin side down, on a large sheet of plastic wrap, and sprinkle it with the vodka or aquavit. Mix together the salt and sugar, then sprinkle onto the flesh side of the salmon. Mix together the bay leaves, dill, shallots, pepper, caraway seeds, tarragon and green peppercorns. Cover the flesh side of the salmon with this mixture, making sure to coat it completely.
• Wrap the fish well, and refrigerate for about 48 hours.
• Unwrap the salmon, and rinse off the cure. Dry, then slice on the bias. Serve plain or with lemon wedges, creme fraiche, sour cream or a light vinaigrette. (Mr. Valenti serves it atop a chickpea pancake, with caviar and mustard oil, at his restaurant.)

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.

TOM VALENTI'S LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• 1.Preheat oven to 325°F. Season the lamb with salt and pepper.
• 2.Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add the celery, carrot, and onion; cook until very soft, 8 to 10 minutes.
• 3.Add the tomato paste and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add the thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns, anchovies, and garlic; cook 3 minutes.
• 4.Add the wines, vinegar, and sugar; raise the heat to high and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and add the broths. Leave over medium heat while you brown the lamb shanks.
• 5.Pour the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil into a sauté pan. Over medium-high heat, brown the lamb shanks well on all sides, using tongs to flip them over.
• 6.Transfer lamb shanks to a roasting pan and pour the braising liquid on top. Cover with aluminum foil and cook in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Remove the foil and cook 2 1/2 to 3 hours more, turning the shanks over every half hour until the meat is very soft.
• 7.Remove the shanks from the braising liquid and strain the liquid. Skim any fat that rises to the surface, then use the liquid as a sauce. Serve in shallow bowls atop White Bean Puree.

GRAVLAX, SALT-CURED SALMON

Steps:

• It's best to buy two sides of the same salmon, or at least two opposites sides that are fairly close in size.
• The above ingredients are for 1lb of salmon, so adjust (presumably) upwards as required.
• Defrost salmon and pat dry with paper towels.
• Remove any bones you detect with clean pliers.
• Lay flat on a baking sheet covered with plastic wrap, skin side down, so that you can easily flip one side onto the other, back the way they would be if it were a whole fish.
• Take the salt, sugar and pepper and mix thoroughly in a bowl.
• Evenly apply the salt/sugar/pepper mix onto the salmon flesh, being careful to cover every part, with a little less for the thin ends, and more on the thicker parts.
• Sprinkle the dill over the salted fish.
• Flip one side over onto the other making a sandwich.
• Place one end of a long strip of muslin underneath the fish.
• Roll the fish over toward you, and tug a little on the muslin to tighten. Repeat until out of muslin.
• You don't need to tug very hard, each time you do it the pressure increases more and more.
• Place the fish on the baking sheet to catch drips and place in the fridge.
• Turn once or twice per day for three days.
• Unwrap, and rinse off the cure mix and dill quick as you can so the salmon doesn't soak too much. Carefully pat dry with paper towels. This will keep for a week or freeze for 3 months.
• With a sharp knife carefully slice on the diagonal to get slices as thin as you can without them falling to bits, leaving the skin.
• With practice you can become pretty good at this.