Gravlax: Length of cure

[shaffey]

I have a gravlax curing in my fridge and it's the first time I've done this so I have some questions.

I put the salmon in the cure last night (Dec 19), and when I took it out to baste it tonight it's already pretty much opaque and looks pretty much done. The recipe said it would take between 2 and 4 days (from Joy of Cooking). Here are my questions:

1) Is there any risk in allowing it to cure longer? Will it get too salty if I let it sit in the brine too long?
2) When I do take it out of the brine, should I rinse it off before wrapping it in plastic for storage?

Thanks in advance!
S

[scubadoo97]

In my quest for making lox I've done gravlax many times. A lot depends on the thickness of the fish. I've had fillets that were over 2" thick and some less than 1". I use a 50/50 salt to sugar. I started with the recommended 3 days but found that my fish had the texture of gummy bears so the next time shortened it to 2 days and have done 24 hrs as well. Thickness and texture will have to be your guide. I am currently stuck on using a wet brine instead of the dry cure to get a silky texture which is what I want most of the time.

And please no replies telling me the difference between Lox, Belly Lox, Nova Lox and Gravlax. I do know the difference but tend to call them all lox for convenience and simplicity. Yes there is a difference between them all.

[opinionatedchef]

shaffey, i would follow the recipe as to 2-4 days. But easy enough to test. Scrape off coating from an end, slice and taste. If not flavored enough, w/ correct texture, rewrap etc.

[cowboyardee]

1) Yes. If it is cured fully right now and you cure it a couple more days, it can wind up overly salty. Some people like their gravlax more or less cured. But if it is dense and sort of opaque the whole way through it's flesh, it's fully cured by just about anyone's standards.

2) I usually rinse it and often slice it before wrapping it for storage in the fridge. Try to use it in the next few days.