Kyirisan serves up its gravlax on a croissant with crème fraîche, fried capers, and pickled shallots. (Photo courtesy of Kyirisan)
Dish of the Week: Gravlax
Where to find it: Mikko, Little Pearl, The Sovereign, Kyirisan
Smoked salmon and lox are no strangers to the District’s brunch menus. But gravlax, their culinary cousin, is harder to find in D.C. The search is worth it, though, because local chefs are experimenting with the cured salmon to create a variety of different flavor profiles and textures.
Unlike smoked salmon, gravlax is never smoked: It’s cured, much like lox. And while lox is salt-cured salmon belly, gravlax is a salmon fillet cured with salt, sugar, and spices, allowing chefs to get creative.
The gravlax-curing recipe varies from country to country, says Mikko Kosonen, chef and owner of pan-Nordic café Mikko (1636 R St. NW). In Kosonen’s home country of Finland, for instance, cooks cure salmon with salt and a sprinkle of sugar, whereas the Swedes favor a 50:50 combo. Chefs tweak curing time (ranging from a few days to a week long) to change the fish’s texture, with a longer cure providing a firmer fillet. They also may change ingredient pairings seasonally; during the holidays in Scandinavia it’s not uncommon to see shredded-beet-topped gravlax, for example. “And then we have the debates,” Kosonen says. Dill, or no dill? Peppercorns, or not? For the record, he is in favor of both. Mikko café offers gravlax all day in a Danish-style open-face sandwich ($12.50). Rye bread acts as the base, and lettuce, lemon, dill, and house-made cucumbers and mustard complement the fish.
Rather than rye, Little Pearl (921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE) starts with sourdough for its gravlax sandwich. Crème fraîche, capers, and dill round out the dish ($12).
Liquors like whiskey or vodka can also be part of the curing mix. And that’s one of the twists at The Sovereign (1206 Wisconsin Ave. NW), which serves a gravlax omelet at brunch ($12). Chef Peter Smith uses salt, sugar, and black pepper to cure his gravlax like many recipes call for, but he also adds anise seed and juniper. Smith then finishes his gravlax with genever, a Belgian barley spirit distilled with juniper, licorice, and other botanicals. The herbal spirit “plays very well with the rich fatty characteristics of the salmon,” Smith says. For the omelet itself, The Sovereign frames the gravlax with earthy Swiss chard, rich cream cheese, and hearty pan-fried potatoes.
Kyirisan (1924 8th St. NW), too, elevates the traditional cure. Their curing mix features the French-Basque chile Espelelette “and a touch of orange zest to keep things bright and fresh,” says general manager Margaret Perry. Kyirisan’s house-cured gravlax, available on the brunch menu, comes on a croissant with crème fraîche, fried capers, and pickled shallots ($11). Salmon is in season now, but the team switches to Arctic char gravlax in the off-season, because the fish is a sustainably-farmed member of the salmon family that offers similar rich meatiness.
