Swedish cured salmon (Gravlax)

1. Leave the skin on the salmon fillet, carefully pull out the bones with tweezers and cut the fillet into two equal pieces.

2. Mix the salt, sugar and coarsely crushed white pepper; roughly chop the dill, stalks and all.

3. Scatter a quarter of the cure over the bottom of a dish, lay one fillet on it skin side down, and cover the flesh with half the cure and most of the dill.

4. Place the second fillet on top, flesh side down, rub the top with the remaining cure and wrap tightly in cling film.

5. Weigh down with a small chopping board and a couple of tins and cure in the fridge for 2-3 days, turning once a day and basting with the juices released.

6. Scrape off the cure and dill, sprinkle the fillet with fresh dill, slice very thinly at an angle off the skin and serve with mustard and dill sauce (hovmästarsås) and boiled potatoes.

Tip: The name gravlax means "buried salmon": in the Middle Ages fishermen salted the fish and buried it in the sand so it would ferment slightly. Today we simply cure it in the fridge, and in two or three days the salt and sugar "cook" the fish to a silky texture. Use only very fresh salmon, ideally frozen for at least 24 hours beforehand, so it is safe to eat raw.