Clem's Nova Gravlax
 
 

Lax is Scandinavian for salmon (pronounce it without the "L"). Gravlax is salt-cured salmon. "Nova" is a term which stems from Nova Scotia and is used to mean smoked.

 


Clem's Nova Gravlax (dry salt cured and cold smoked salmon) served with horseradish sauce and some greens

 

 

Here's how I dry brined and then cold smoked some salmon fillets in time for use as a Christmas eve dinner appetizer (started brining on 23rd Dec and served it as a first course the evening after):
 

Ingredients

  • Salmon fillets
     
  • Salt
    Large crystalline salt is better for this use as it will result in less salt penetration into the fillet(s).
     
  • Brown sugar
     
  • Herbs as desired (I added dill at some stage of the curing)

     

Method
 

  • Make a 50:50 mix of salt and brown sugar for a dry brining cure.
    Use your judgement as to the quantity of dry cure needed.
     
  • Place about half the mix onto a suitable tray to be used for the curing.
     
  • Deposit the fillet(s) onto the bed of salt/sugar and then use the rest of the cure to coat the tops of the fillets.


 At the start of dry brining the salmon fillets

 

 

  • Set aside in the refrigerator for some 12 hours or less.
    I found that under my conditions, 12 h gave a relatively salty fillet after curing and smoking.
    You may also prefer a less salty outcome in which case you can half the curing time as a start to experimenting.
     


12 h after brining. The salt/sugar has extracted exudates from the fillet(s)
The fine flecks are dill

 

 

  • After salt curing, thoroughly wash the fillet(s) in fresh water to remove external salt and sugar.
    You may do a little taste taste of cut portions from the fillet(s) at this time.
    If the fillet(s) have been over salted to your taste, you can reduce the saltiness by soaking the fillets in fresh changes of water.
     
  • After washing, thoroughly dry the fillets and leave them unwrapped in a refrigerator for several hours (or overnight) unless a tacky skin (the pellicle) forms. This is a necessary step to ensure that smoke adheres to the fish during the cold smoking to follow.
     
  • Place the fillet(s) in a suitable smoking vessel (I used a small Weber kettle BBQ) . . .
     
  • . . . light a batch of woodchips (I used cherry wood) to commence the cold smoking.
    I used a woodchips smoker cage which I set offset (not directly over) to the salmon fillets placed on a rack above.
    Cold smoking is at low temperatures (usually below 30oC) so do monitor your woodchips to ensure that they do not burn so bright as to generate too much heat. Soaking the chips in water before use helps to control burning (they will just smoulder and generate a lot of smoke).
     
  • Smoke for as long as desired to achieve the taste that you want.
    For a light smoke taste, smoking for a couple of hours will do.

 

Please remember that this is NOT a cooked product and so handle, store and consume it with appropriate care.
 

 

 

All my cooking (some without recipes) can be found here (click on each photo to go to that dish's page):

 

http://clemkuek.com/photoalbum/photo696.html

 

Video presentations can be found here:

Clem cooks

 

 

www.clemkuek.com

 

24 December 2025
 

 



Created by Clem Kuek