On Food and Cooking

fermentation (p. 235) and had a strong smell.
By the 18th century, it had evolved into a
lightly salted and pressed but unfermented
dish. This new gravlax had a subtle flavor, a
dense, silken texture that makes it possible to
cut very thin slices, and a glistening,
translucent appearance. This refined version
of gravlax has become popular in many
countries.
Modern recipes for gravlax call for widely
varying amounts of salt, sugar, and time.
Fresh dill is now the standard flavoring,
probably a domestic replacement for the
original pine needles, which are a delightful
alternative. The salt, sugar, and flavoring are
sprinkled evenly over all surfaces of salmon
fillets, the fillets are weighted down, and the
container refrigerated for one to four days.
The weighting provides intimate contact
between flesh and flavorings, presses excess
fluid from the fish, and compacts the flesh.
Salt dissolves the major contracting protein