Salmon cured in salt, sugar and dill for two to three days, sliced paper-thin and served with hovmastersaus, a sweet mustard-and-dill sauce, on rye crispbread.
Gravlaks (literally buried salmon) descends from a medieval Nordic preservation method of fermenting salmon under stones with salt; the modern fresh dill-and-sugar cure that defines it today dates to the late 19th century, when refrigeration removed the need for fermentation. The Norwegian version uses sea-farmed Atlantic salmon, cured 48 to 72 hours. Lofoten Fiskerestaurant, Solsiden and Theatercaféen carry the canonical Oslo version with hovmastersaus, sweet mustard-and-dill, on rye crispbread.
3 editor picks for Gravlaks in Oslo, ranked by editorial score. All Oslo signature dishes · Gravlaks across every city.
Theatercaféen ★ 4.7
sentrum · Stortingsgata 24-26, 0117 Oslo
Theatercaféen on Stortingsgata is the 1900 art-nouveau brasserie opposite Nationaltheatret, in the same family for four generations, with a portrait gallery.
Solsiden Restaurant ★ 4.5
kvadraturen · Akershusstranda 13, 0150 Oslo
Solsiden on Akershusstranda below Akershus Fortress runs a May-to-September seafood-only kitchen, with the Plateau des Fruits de Mer as the room's signature.
Lofoten Fiskerestaurant ★ 4.3
aker-brygge · Stranden 75, 0250 Oslo
Lofoten Fiskerestaurant at the tip of Aker Brygge on Stranden serves Norwegian fish and shellfish through a menu that changes four times a year.