Arctic Char Gravlaks with Cucumber Jelly

Ingredients

• 6 servings accompaniment: scandinavian crispbread such as kavli thin
• 3  cucumbers seedless
• 1 tablespoon tiny dill fronds fresh
• 1.3 lb center-cut piece arctic char fillet with skin, pin bones removed
• 3 cups optional: dill fresh coarsely chopped (from 2 large bunches)
• 2 teaspoons gelatin powder unflavored (from 1 envelope)
• 1 tablespoon coarsely ground pepper black
• 0.3 cup kosher salt 
• 0.5 cup sugar 
• 0.8 teaspoon salt 
• 1 tablespoon distilled vinegar white

Equipment

• food processor
• bowl
• sauce pan
• knife
• sieve
• plastic wrap
• baking pan
• spatula
• cutting board
• glass baking pan

Directions

1. Pat fish dry, then transfer, skin side up, to a large sheet of plastic wrap. Stir together sugar, salt, and pepper, then rub 3 tablespoons of mixture onto skin of fish. Turn fish over and thickly coat with remaining sugar mixture, then pack dill on top.
2. Wrap fish tightly in 2 or 3 layers of plastic wrap (to prevent leakage; salt mixture will liquefy as fish cures) and transfer to a large shallow baking pan. Put another baking pan or a cutting board on top of fish and weight down with 3 or 4 full cans (about 3 lb total).
3. Let fish cure, chilled, turning wrapped fillet over roughly every 12 hours and then replacing weight, for 36 hours total.
4. Peel cucumbers, making sure to remove all green (for a clearer jelly), then halve lengthwise and core. Coarsely chop cucumbers and purée in a food processor until smooth, then drain in a large fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, pressing hard on solids to extract 2 cups liquid. Discard solids.
5. Stir together salt and 1/2 cup cucumber liquid in a small saucepan and sprinkle with gelatin.
6. Let stand 1 minute to soften, then heat over moderate heat, stirring, just until gelatin is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Cool mixture to room temperature, then stir into remaining 1 1/2 cups cucumber liquid along with vinegar.
7. Pour mixture into an 8-inch square glass baking dish and sprinkle with dill fronds, pressing gently to submerge. Chill, covered, until set, at least 8 hours.
8. Unwrap gravlaks, discarding liquid, and gently scrape off dill.
9. Transfer gravlaks, skin side down, to a cutting board. Holding a very sharp long thin-bladed knife at a 30-degree angle, cut gravlaks across the grain into very thin slices, being careful not to cut through skin. Discard skin.
10. Cut jelly into 6 pieces and divide among 6 plates with a metal spatula.
11. Serve with several slices of gravlaks.
12. • Cured gravlaks can be drained, scraped, and wrapped in clean plastic wrap, then chilled up to 5 days.• Jelly can be chilled up to 4 days