Best Wine Pairings for Sunset Salmon Gravlax: Expert Tips & Tasting Notes
winemaking style reflects her love of wild foods. Taking a minimalist, but detail-oriented
approach, Jessica strives to make balanced wines that express the unique character of
the vineyards she sources from.
Among other outdoor activities, Jessica enjoys foraging mushrooms and hunting upland
game and waterfowl, appreciating the deeper connection to the outdoors that these
pursuits bring. Dedicated to knowing the source of her food, Jessica is an avid cook
who loves pairing food and wine.
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Jessica Boone, Winemaker at Passalacqua Winery
Recipe by Ara Zada
Recipe Notes
I am lucky enough to live within an hour of the coast, so I have access to delicious, fresh wild-caught salmon—perfect for this recipe.
I’ve always wanted to try making gravlax, which uses salt, sugar, and a little booze to cure salmon. This version also calls for shredded beets which turn the outside of the salmon a beautiful red color. This recipe is straightforward, but be ready for stained hands after shredding the beets! The finished result is a showstopper of bright colors when you cut into the fillet.
Ara calls for tequila in this recipe but notes other high proof alcohols could work. I love to experiment, so I cured two fillets: one using tequila (Casamigos Blanco) and one using vodka (Voyager). For herbs, I used dill on both fillets and set them in fridge for two days.
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I suggest making the sauce a day before you plan to eat the gravlax so all the flavors can meld together. I made the sauce and immediately jumped into tasting and wine pairing. Initially, I found the sauce to be a bit disjointed and the yogurt slightly tart for my liking. The next day, I revisited my favorite pairings with the sauce and loved it. All the flavors in the sauce had come together, and the yogurt’s bite really smoothed out.
My favorite part about this recipe, besides eating delicious fresh salmon, is the wow factor when you slice it. Anyone you make this for will be thoroughly impressed by looks alone, not to mention flavor.
Pairing Notes
I wanted to see which of our wines could add another layer to the wow factor of this dish. The sauce was tricky to pair with wine, and there was considerable difference between the tequila and the vodka fillets. I was surprised that such a small amount of alcohol made a significant difference in the finished flavors. The tequila fillet was unmistakable on the nose, and on the palate there was a warm, woody, tequila aftertaste. The vodka fillet tasted clean, and the alcohol didn’t impart any additional flavors. For this reason, I used the vodka fillet to pair with wine.
I tasted through all our white wines and a few of our lighter reds to see what worked best. I was excited to find that pairing with our Sauvignon Blanc elevated this dish the most. The brightness of the wine livened up the salmon, heightening its salinity and freshness. The gravlax accentuated the crisp, floral components of the Sauvignon Blanc. The wine cut through the sauce and brought all the components together into a whole new blend of flavors. This was a standout pairing that I will definitely be repeating!
