Smoked and Cured Salmon - The Taste Test

Although it's long over-due, here's the second part of my post on smoked and cured salmon.  

After two days of cold curing, the gravlax was ready to eat.  I took both the gravlax and the smoked salmon into the office where I work. My coworkers graciously agreed to be my guinea pigs!  One person brought the bagels and coffee; another brought the cream cheese.

The smoked salmon had a flaky texture very similar to poached or baked salmon. The gravlax had a softer texture and did not flake. It needed to be sliced very thinly. (Just as it should be.)

The flavors were superb, if I do say so myself. The gravlax tasted very much like what I've bought in stores. The smoked salmon had turned out just as I expected...pronounced smoke flavor balanced nicely with the flavors from the spices in the rub.

My coworkers surprised me because there wasn't a clear favorite. They liked both varieties equally!  And ate both in quantity!  Personally, I preferred the gravlax but only because I've always liked cold cured salmon better than smoked.

I'm still amazed at how simple it is to make both of these. No more store-bought gravlax for me!  Try it yourself and see...there's no going back once you've had homemade!