Salmon Gravlax with Dill Pollen

In a small bowl, mix the salt, sugar, and beet powder. Sprinkle the flesh of the fish with the dill pollen.

In a shallow dish large enough to hold the fish, make a bed with 1/3 of the salt and sugar mixture. Lay the salmon, skin side down, in the dish, on the bed of salt/sugar. Cover the fish the the remaining mixture, pressing it gently into the flesh.

Drizzle with the liquor (if using).

Cover the fish tightly with plastic wrap and place a light weight on top of it. A smaller dish with a few cans of soup works great for an easy weight.

Allow 24-72 hours in a refrigerator to cure. When ready, rinse the cure off and pat the fish dry. Slice thin and serve.

Notes:

Rinsing the cure off after 24 hours instead of 48 or 72 leaves the fish raw toward the skin side. This can create the greatest contrast in colors, but the trade off is the fish won't keep nearly as long as if it's fully cured. Of course, the usual caveats about consuming raw seafood apply, too.