By some cruel twist of fate, I live in the Great Lakes State, but have trouble finding really fresh fish in my city. If you’re making ceviche or gravlax, you don’t want to be on the fence about how fresh the fish is. This year at the farmers market, we have a fish vendor that offers walleye, salmon, whitefish and trout that was caught the day before in cold Lake Huron. I did a little dance of joy, knowing I could finally make ruby-hued beet gravlax at home (!!!)

You need a few tools and a couple of days, but making gravlax is simple. You sprinkle flaky sea salt on the salmon and coat it in chopped beets. Wrap, press and let it hang out in the fridge for a while and you’re rewarded with peach flesh in the center and a generous ring of hot pink flesh on the outside. It’s SO PRETTY.

We ate the gravlax on rye crackers with softened cream cheese and some fresh dill, but of course this would be fantastic on a bagel. Fulfill all of your hot pink food dreams with super fresh beet gravlax.