Gravlax Salmon with Sub Rosa Saffron vodka and Lapsang Souchong smoked black tea leaves

Here’s what you need:

• 1/3 cup coarse salt
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoon freshly cracked white pepper
For the Salmon
• One 2 lb. side fillet of salmon, skin on, any pin bones removed, cut into 2 equal pieces
• Lapsang souchong (smoked) black tea
• Sub Rosa Saffron vodka [several tablespoons worth to a half a cup]

Here’s what you do:

1. Make the cure by combining the salt, sugar and pepper in a bowl.

For the Salmon:

1. Wash salmon fillets thoroughly under cool running water and pat dry. Set aside.
2. Lay out a 2 foot length of plastic wrap and place the 2 pieces of salmon side by side, skin side down.
3. Spread any herbs, or aromatics (i.e. the peppers and a light dusting of Lapsang souchong tea if you like) etc. evenly over the salmon fillets. Sprinkle the fillets with a little of the Saffron vodka, then spread with the salt/sugar/spices mixture. Press down gently to adhere.
4. Bring the 2 pieces of salmon together like a salt mixture sandwich. Wrap tightly with the plastic wrap. Place packet on another piece of plastic and wrap again.
5. Place the packet in a glass baking dish. Place a small board on top and then weigh it down with either heavy soup cans or a foil-wrapped brick.
6. Refrigerate for at least 2 days [until slightly translucent, which may take 3 days], flipping the salmon package over every 12 hours and re-weighting. The salmon will shed a lot of liquid.
7. Open the package every 12 to 24 hours and baste, inside and out, with the accumulated juices.
8. Once the curing period’s over, unwrap the fish over the sink, and gently rinse off the surface salt cure. Pat dry. Re-wrap with clean plastic wrap until ready to use. The gravlax will keep for several days, tightly wrapped in the refrigerator.

To Serve:

On the second or third day, when the flesh has lost its translucence, slice thinly as at an angle as you would smoked salmon – on the bias and without the skin. Serve on small slices of bread or with crackers. A little cream cheese is nice too.

Note: If you put the gravlax in the freezer for about 20 minutes before you plan to slice, it will be easier to achieve thin slices.

Note: In my experience no amount of plastic wrap can contain the juices completely. The best would probably be to put the whole thing, after wrapping into a large zip-lock bag.

Note: Personally I prefer a 60/40 sugar to salt mix. Equal amounts of sugar and salt are a little too salty for just about everyone. And yes, most recipes call for about a 3/4 to one cup of chopped dill sandwiched between the two fillets of salmon. Try a light dusting of Lapsang souchong black tea instead. Heresy I know.

Here’s the cocktail I paired it with.

Saffron Rocket
1 1/2 oz. Sub Rosa Saffron vodka
1/2 oz. fresh squeezed lime juice
1/2 oz. Cointreau or other high quality orange liqueur

Chill in shaker filled with ice. Strain into martini glass. Garnish with long lime twist.

Does anyone have any other good links about traditional use/history of Lapsang Souchong? I can’t seem to find much.