“Graving” is an ancient Nordic method to conservate food like smoking and salting, “Graving” involves marinating the meat or fish with a mix of salt, sugar, herbs and spices with the purpose of getting a tasty and durable product. The end product is still raw and it is not recommended for pregnant women.
After a period of experimentating we have made a very good recipe for “grava” mountain trout from Hardanger where we use the local apple brandy Apal from Ulvik as one of the main flavouring elements.
The fish is farmed trout of a local breed from Hardangervidda mountain range, it is from a fish farm 800mtrs inside a mountain in Tyssedal by the Hardanger fjord, where they use the water from a hydro powerplant in the farm. The fish is 6-800 grams with a beautiful red colored flesh.
First we pick out the bones in the middle of the fillet.
Nogody likes fish bones so we have to be thorough. Then we mix the right amount of sugar / salt, pepper and spices and cuts the dill herb in small pieces and season the fish.
Since this fish comes from the orchard in Norway with a large apple production we want apples to be the main element, the spices all complies with the strong apple taste from the apple brandy and gives the fish a unique and delicate taste of Fjord Norway. We feel we have found the right mix here:)
First we distribute the salt/sugar mix evenly over the fish, then the spice mix. The we put the fillets together with the skin out, add the Apal apple brandy and wrap the fillets in aluminium folia and leave them in a cold place for 24 hrs. After 24 hrs they are turned so the top filet also gets 24hrs in the bottom liquid. After 48hrs these relatively small fillets are ready they just need to dry up and settle and they are ready.
And the result ended up to be great, come and try yourself:)