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.
Also in: Copenhagen.
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.
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.
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.