Step 1

Cut the salmon in half cross-wise to get two square-ish pieces.

Step 2

Mix sugar, salt, fennel and pepper together. Rinse and dry dill sprigs, leaving them intact.

Step 3

Lay one skin-side-down into a glass loaf pan or other non-reactive dish at least 2″ deep.

Step 4

Sprinkle evenly with half the salt mix, spread the dill sprigs over, sprinkle with remaining salt.

Step 5

Lay the other piece of salmon on top, skin-side-up to make a “sandwich”.

Step 6

Cover with plastic wrap and fit a tupperware or other container inside the loaf pan. Fill it with a heavy can or jar to weigh the fish down.

Step 7

Refrigerate 3-4 days, turning the “salmon sandwich” every 12 hours or so. Every 16 hours is okay, too. After only the first day, there will be quite a bit of brine accumulated in the dish. Leave it there until serving time.

Step 8

Eat after 3-4 days and store leftover gravlax sans brine in an airtight container.