Ingredients
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2 (1 lb) salmon fillets, skin on, any pinbones removed
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1 tablespoon caraway seed
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2 teaspoons anise seed
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5 juniper berries
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1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or 1 small dried hot red chili pepper, seeded and chopped
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1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
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3 tablespoons salt
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2 tablespoons sugar
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4 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
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3 tablespoons eau de vie or 3 tablespoons scotch
Instructions
- Rinse the fillets in cold water and pat them dry with paper towels.
- Crush the caraway seeds, aniseed, juniper berries, red pepper flakes, and black peppercorns using a mortar and pestle.
- Or place the spices on a cutting board or other hard surface and crush them with the underside of a heavy skillet.
- Combine with the salt, sugar, and dill.
- Place one of the fillets skin side down in a deep ceramic dish just big enough to hold the fillets.
- Rub the fillet with half the spice and dill mixture.
- Rub the other fillet with the remaining mixture and place it skin side up on top of the first, creating a salmon'sandwich' with all the spices and dill in-between.
- Pour the aquavit on top, cover the dish with plastic wrap, and place a heavy weight, such as two heavy plates or a saucepan, on top of the fish.
- Refrigerate for 3 to 4 days, turning the fish every 12 hours and basting it with the brine that accumulates in the dish.
- To serve, dust off some of the spices and slice the fish into thin slices, on the diagonal- the way they cut smoked salmon, with a sharp thin knife.
- Serve with mustard sauce and dark rye bread, for open-faced sandwiches, or with mustard, pickles, and capers.