Norwegian Salmon and Gravlax Recipe

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Norwegian Salmon for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Coastal Norwegian Village.jpeg (10 documents, 10 total pages)

Being a food blogger has been such a wonderful journey. I have been able to work with some amazing companies and am thrilled to be working with salmon from Norway. Salmon is by far one of my favorite fish to enjoy. I am also looking forward to a potential trip this Spring to Norway to see how salmon is farmed.

A few weeks ago 7 lbs of Norwegian Salmon arrived at my door. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much fresh gorgeous fish in my life. My husband, boys and I enjoyed it for a good week 🙂  My son has asked  if we can have salmon for dinner on a regular basis. I love that!

Foodies know that when it comes to finding authentic, superior tasting foods, origin matters. That’s why the highly skilled salmon craftsmen of Norway want to educate American seafood lovers about the world-renowned aquaculture that allows them to provide the finest quality ocean-farmed salmon available.

“Knowing exactly where your seafood comes from and how it was harvested is the best way to make a good choice for your family,” says Børge Grønbech, USA Director of the Norwegian Seafood Export Council. “Norway is proud of the rich history and cultural traditions that are a way of life for our salmon craftsmen. Given the nutritional importance of incorporating heart-healthy and protein-rich fish into your diet on a weekly basis, we want to educate seafoodies about the unmatched level of skill and painstaking care that goes into the way we raise and harvest our fresh, ocean-farmed salmon.

Salmon Farm 1.jpg (10 documents, 10 total pages)

A Historic Passion for the Sea Makes Norway A World Leader In Providing the Finest Ocean-Farmed Salmon

For thousands of years, the ice-cold artic waters and crystal-clear fjords of Norway have influenced the rich fishing heritage carried forth by generations of Norwegians who make it their living.

This same passion for the sea and respect for nature helped Norway to earn an international reputation for purveying the finest, freshest seafood. In fact, Norway’s seafood industry pioneered the development of responsible ocean salmon-farming in the early 1970’s.

Today, Norway is one of the world’s largest suppliers of seafood, including wild and farmed fish, with more than 27 million meals including Norwegian Seafood consumed worldwide every day.

These unsurpassed standards of excellence are also applied to the level of care and rigorous safety measures used to raise and harvest ocean-farmed salmon from Norway.

Salmon Farm 2.jpg (10 documents, 10 total pages)

This dedication to responsible fishing and respect for the environment was eye-opening for R.D., blogger Kate Geagan, M.S., R.D., who participated in an educational trip to Norway in April 2011.

“Norway has done a world-class job of linking responsible fisheries with ocean preservation and food security – two of the biggest challenges facing the world in our lifetime,” said Geagan in her June 5 blog titled ‘From Fjord to Fork? My Firsthand Look at A Norwegian Salmon Farm.’ “And remember that the science suggests that fish, even farmed fish, is always a better choice for dinner, from both a lean AND eco-friendly standpoint, when compared to other staples such as beef or pork.”

Expert Care Leads To Healthy, Delicious Fish

A deep respect for nature and cultural pride in being the best is what fuels the Norwegian seafood industries’ continued efforts to improve its already strict standards of excellence and safety applied to raising ocean-farmed salmon. This guarantees consumers enjoy fresh, delicately flavored salmon from Norway year-round.

“The analogy I would give is that farmers in Norway are treating their salmon the way our organic farmers in the U.S. treat their farms,” said Ashley Koff, R.D., M.S., on a Good Morning America Health Segment, May 5, 2011, after also participating in an educational trip to Norway in April of 2011.

Slowly grown as nature intended in the cold clear Norwegian waters, ocean-farmed salmon are tended to with meticulous attention until they are mature enough to go to market. The fish spend approximately the first year of their life in the safety of a hatchery tank on land until they are large and strong enough for life at sea.

The salmon are then carefully transferred to spacious, protected ocean pens that allow maximum freedom to grow. To prevent overcrowding, Norwegian law requires that salmon make up less than 2.5 percent of an aquaculture facility’s volume. That means each spacious facility is made up of 97.5 percent water to allow for maximum comfort and a healthy life/growth.

Salmon Farm 3.jpg (10 documents, 10 total pages)

Every aspect of the salmon’s development is closely monitored by technologically advanced systems that feed information to the farmers and their veterinarians, including when the salmon are full so the feeding device can be shut down. And, when it comes to feeding, Norway’s fisherman know exactly what salmon need to grow strong and healthy.

Norwegian salmon are fed an all-natural diet comprised of 50 percent marine raw materials like fish oil and fishmeal from wild fish, and 50 percent vegetable raw material, plus vitamins, minerals and antioxidants.

A Valuable Protein Source, Available Year-Round

The recent introduction of the USDA’s new “My Plate” dietary guidelines recommending at least two servings of fish a week has amped up the importance of incorporating protein-rich fin fish like salmon into American diets. In fact, the World Health Organization recommends increasing seafood intake as a means to improve the general health of the world’s population.

However, meeting this requirement will become increasingly difficult as fish populations are at risk for depletion in the near future. Thankfully, sustainable, responsible aquaculture has long been a part of the Norwegian seafood industry’s philosophy.

“Norway is one of the biggest exporters of Atlantic salmon. Our seafood is enjoyed in more than 150 countries worldwide,” says Grønbech. “The reason for this success is Norway’s long traditions of harvesting seafood in a sustainable manner to ensure safe, delicious seafood supplies are available for generations of fish lovers to come.”

Ocean-farmed Norwegian salmon is available fresh year-round, is easy to prepare and is a good investment in your family’s health. For more information about ocean-farmed salmon from Norway, visit www.salmonfromnorway.com.

Aino Olaisen.jpeg (10 documents, 10 total pages)

Growing up in Lovund, an island on Norway’s ragged coast dotted with steep mountains rising from the Norwegian sea, Aino Olaisen’s childhood memories are deeply connected to the seafaring traditions that continue to sustain this small fishing village of just 423 residents.

Now the owner of Nova Sea AS, a 35-year-old salmon farming company started by her father Steinar in 1972, Aino takes great pride in carrying on her family’s business and devotion to providing the freshest salmon available through the basic principles of integrity, honesty and unsurpassed quality. In fact, the farmers in Lovund provide more than 425 million meals every year for the global salmon market directly from their cold, clear coastal waters.

Describing her company as a high-technology global business that’s highly regulated for traceability and safety, Aino says the business provides a simple way of living and harvesting from the ocean that makes food production a pleasure shared by everyone in this vital Norwegian industry.

“It’s amazing to be able to every day play an important part in people’s lives,” explains Aino. “Food is such a basic, simple part of people’s survival but at the same time, it’s indispensable. That’s why we take so much pride in providing the highest quality salmon to add taste and enjoyment to the lives of the people who eat it.”

Since the first batch of 1,200 juvenile salmon, or smolt, were shipped in plastic bags to Lovund to start farming in the early 1970’s, Aino watched her father struggle to establish salmon farming as a means to reverse the trend of depopulation and depression in Lovund’s local trade and industry at that time.

After years of research, experiments and round-the-clock work to ensure the salmon’s survival, the first salmon farms began growing. Since then, Lovund has flourished as a natural source of fresh salmon and cod, slowly grown as nature intended in the cold, clear Norwegian waters.

Born just a few years after the company was started, food production has been a natural and important part of Aino’s life ever since. She started contributing to the family business at an early age, spending her summer vacations working on the farm. At age 16, Aino left Lovund to continue her education and later attended the Norwegian College of Fishery Science in Tromso. After 15 years of study and travel in Denmark, Ecuador and France, Aino returned home to start a family and continue with the business in the hopes of passing down these traditions to her own family.

When asked why Americans should choose Norwegian salmon, Aino says simply, “Norway has a long history of harvesting from the ocean and the Norwegian culture is strongly connected to the sea. Our salmon is healthy, delicious and produced in safe environments with complete traceability. Plus, Norwegian salmon contains important marine proteins and omega-3 fatty acids that are so important for the human body. That’s why Norwegians are so healthy.”

In fact, salmon is a regular part of her family’s diet, according to Aino. “We eat salmon for dinner at least once a week, and we often enjoy smoked salmon for breakfast and lunch,” she says. “My favorite way to serve it is to oven bake a salmon fillet in aluminum foil after sprinkling it with soy sauce, herbs, fresh chili, fresh ginger and a few drops of freshly squeezed lime. My family loves it served with fresh vegetables.”

Norwegian Gravlax Recipe

No Norwegian lunch would be complete without one of Norway’s most distinctive dishes, gravlax. The name literally means “Grave-Salmon” and refers to the medieval practice of curing the raw fish by burying it in the sand above the high tide level.

Today gravlax is cured with sugar, salt and fresh dill to produce a fresh, delicate flavor that is traditionally eaten on open-faced sandwiches or with stewed potatoes.

Raw Norwegian Salmon.jpg (10 documents, 10 total pages)

1_ Gravlax Preperation.jpg (10 documents, 10 total pages)

Salmon:

1 approx 2-lb salmon fillet, skin on

3 tbsp salt

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp coarsely ground pepper

1 bunch dill, coarsely chopped

2_ Gravlax Preperation sauce.jpg (10 documents, 10 total pages)

3_ Gravlax Preperation.jpg (10 documents, 10 total pages)

 

Gravlax sauce:

4 egg yolks

½ tsp salt

½ cup vegetable oil or mild olive oil

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

½ tsp white pepper

1 tbsp mustard

2-3 tbsp finely chopped dill

Trim salmon fillets. Scrape the skin well and remove all bones (if any).

Blend salt, sugar and pepper. Sprinkle half of the salt mixture in the bottom of a roasting pan, then sprinkle half of the dill over and place the fillet in the pan skin side down.

Press the remaining salt mixture and dill on the flesh side of the fillet, using light pressure.

Put fish in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Turn it every day. Scrape seasoning and dill from the fillets before serving.

Add salt to the egg yolks and stir until it reaches a thick consistency. Slowly pour in the oil while whisking quickly until the sauce is a consistency similar to mayonnaise.

Stir sugar, vinegar, pepper and mustard into the sauce. Just before use add the dill. The sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Cut the salmon into thin slices and serve with gravy, stewed potatoes or bread and salad.

Gravlax finished product.jpg (10 documents, 10 total pages)

About the Norwegian Seafood Export Council

Founded in 1991 by the Ministry of Fisheries, the Norwegian Seafood Export Council (NSEC) builds awareness of and educates the public on seafood from Norway. From the headquarters in Tromso, Norway and a U.S. branch in Boston, Mass., the NSEC carries out Norwegian seafood promotional, media, marketing and public relations campaigns and is a resource for market information in more than 20 different markets. Its entire efforts are financed by the Norwegian seafood industry itself. As the world’s second largest exporter of seafood, Norway provides quality, nutrient rich seafood to over 150 different countries, and is the world’s largest joint marketer of seafood. For more information on the NSEC visit www.seafoodfromnorway.com.

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6 Responses
  1. Kristi Brown

    The gravlaks recipe looks like a very traditional Norwegian recipe (speaking as someone who lived there for 6 years). One concern for American cooks, though: raw eggs served in the sauce? My Norwegian friend never heard of salmonella poisoning from raw eggs in Norway, but in America I had a bad experience with it. Any tips for avoiding this?

  2. leslie

    Wont it be amazing if they send us to Norway!!!????!!! Their salmon was the best I have ever had!

    1. Jenny

      I know!! I agree, that salmon was incredible! Hope to see you soon this year girl!! xoxox

  3. Fred @ Savorique

    Great trip and amazing fish that is salmon. Tastier, more versatile and healthier than tuna, whether it be smoked, raw, cooked, with or without dill.

  4. Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga

    Jenny it’s beautiful! I saw Marla do a post on the salmon she received and both of you did such a great job with it…wow. Makes me want to pick up some salmon (my husband’s #1 fave meal ever).

  5. Marina {YummyMummyKitchen.com}

    What a great sponsored post. Loved the pictures. Jenny, I know you’ll love the gift I’m giving away right now on my blog being the cute mama you are – come stop by 🙂

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