A French take on the famous Swedish gravlax, made with duck breast cured in salt, sugar, and dill, served in thin slices with a creamy dill and mustard sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 piece duck breast (about 400 g)
- 30 g coarse sea salt
- 15 g granulated sugar
- 1 bunch fresh dill
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp vodka (optional)
- 200 ml thick crème fraîche 30%
- 2 tbsp whole-grain mustard
- 1 piece lemon
- 1 pinch fine salt
- 1 pinch ground white pepper
Method
- Prepare the duck breast: remove the skin (or leave it on, but removing it is recommended for better absorption). If you leave the skin on, score the fat in a crosshatch pattern without cutting into the meat. Place the duck breast in a shallow dish.
- Prepare the cure: in a bowl, combine the coarse salt, sugar, and ground black pepper. Finely chop half the bunch of dill (reserve the other half for the sauce and garnish). Add the chopped dill to the dry mixture. Add the vodka, if using, and mix to form a rough paste.
- Cure the duck: coat the duck breast with the mixture on all sides, rubbing it in lightly. Wrap the duck breast tightly in plastic wrap, then place it in a dish. Refrigerate for 48 hours (minimum 24 hours), turning the package every 12 hours for even distribution.
- After 48 hours, remove the duck breast from the refrigerator. Unwrap it and rinse thoroughly under cold water to remove all excess salt and sugar. Dry it carefully with paper towels. The duck breast should be firm and slightly translucent.
- Prepare the sauce: in a bowl, combine the crème fraîche, whole-grain mustard, lemon juice, a pinch of fine salt, and white pepper. Finely chop the remaining dill and stir it in. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Keep chilled until serving.
- Slice the gravlax: using a very sharp knife, cut the duck breast into very thin slices lengthwise, as you would for carpaccio. The slices should be almost transparent. If the skin was left on, remove it before slicing.
- To serve: arrange the gravlax slices in a rosette on a plate, or overlap them slightly. Spoon over a little dill sauce, garnish with a few sprigs of fresh dill and some lemon zest. Serve immediately with rye bread or blinis, if desired.
Nutrition
Per serving
- Energy
- 409.1 kcal
- Protein
- 4.52 g
- Carbohydrate
- 17.93 g
- Fat
- 32.07 g
- Fibre
- 5.85 g
- Calcium
- 110.47 mg
- Iron
- 0.89 mg
- Magnesium
- 27.68 mg