Gravlax is salmon cured in salt, sugar and dill for 48 hours then sliced thin and served with mustard-dill sauce, rye bread or boiled potatoes. The Stockholm classic of the smörgåsbord.
The word gravlax means buried salmon: medieval Baltic fishermen buried salted salmon in shore sand to ferment slowly through preservation. The dill version codified in the 17th-century Stockholm court kitchens and standardised in Cajsa Warg's 1755 cookbook. By the early 20th century gravlax was the bourgeois holiday-table dish. Today every Stockholm saluhall counter sells it: Lisa Elmqvist at Östermalms Saluhall cures the reference version daily.
5 editor picks for Gravlax (dill-cured salmon) in Stockholm, ranked by editorial score. All Stockholm signature dishes · Gravlax (dill-cured salmon) across every city.
Wedholms Fisk ★ 4.5
norrmalm · Nybrokajen 17, 111 48 Stockholm
Wedholms Fisk on Nybrokajen in Stockholm's Norrmalm cooks the canonical Swedish seafood menu; sole meunière, smoked salmon and Janssons frestelse on a single sheet.
Operakällaren ★ 4.5
norrmalm · Karl XII:s Torg 3, 111 47 Stockholm
Operakällaren in Stockholm's Royal Opera House has cooked classical European food since 1787, with one Michelin star and Emanuel Tärnqvist's tasting room.
Lisa Elmqvist ★ 4.4
ostermalm · Östermalmstorg 31, 114 39 Stockholm
Lisa Elmqvist at Östermalms Saluhall in Stockholm has run a fishmonger and counter restaurant since 1926; oysters, Toast Skagen and the saluhall shellfish platters.
Sturehof ★ 4.4
ostermalm · Stureplan 2, 114 35 Stockholm
Sturehof at Stureplan in Stockholm's Östermalm is the 1897 brasserie locals run on; oysters, Toast Skagen, herring boards and a 365-day kitchen until 02:00.
Den Gyldene Freden ★ 4.3
gamla-stan · Österlånggatan 51, 111 31 Stockholm
Den Gyldene Freden on Österlånggatan in Stockholm's Gamla Stan opened in 1722 and remains the oldest restaurant in continuous operation under the same name in the world.