Wow, what a week!

Right this minute I’m sitting in front of our massive port holes in the crew mess. Outside the grey, ice cold and rough North Sea is trying to impress us. Not on our ship 🙂 The crew is watching a movie and I just had a bowl deliciously simple chicken noodle soup, which is in the crockpot for the nightwatch keepers.

Actually I’m already further then my blog. Unfortunatly I just didn’t find the time for an update. We could officially accept the yacht on May 31st and the whole crew was finally able to get organized in their departments. I personally have lifted at least 3 tons of equipment, dishes and food onboard. Where’s the next massage and whirlpool….? My next post will be all about our training and departure. But now a little homage to our host city.

The last six weeks, Bremen has been my home. It’s a lovely place with very friendly people and delicious beer! If only the weather was a bit warmer 🙂

On a nice spring day I took a walk in the old town of Bremen. Its beautiful architecture reaches back to the 14th century, with buildings like the Roland and the Rathaus. The city has a long history in ship building. The first German steamship was built here in 1817. Now, the whole region has many industries. Like Airbus, Mercedes Benz and even the top space companies in Europe, EADS and Astrium.

One side of the old town

The Rathauskeller holds Germany’s finest wine selection. Most expensive is around 6500 Euro

I guess the Biergarten opens a bit later

The river Weeser invites people for a stroll

The real reason I got up so early on a Saturday. Local markets, cappuccino and people watching

I can’t even describe the scent of all those fresh herb plants

As you can see on the price, white asparagus season has just started when I was there in April

Because I didn’t have a proper kitchen the last weeks, my food posts have been a little rare. So I’ll make it up to you with this Scandinavian and Northern Germany inspired dish. Gravlax is raw salmon, cured for at least 12 hours with sugar, salt and other aromatics, usually dill. It sounds fancy, but its actually quite simple. You can slice it or cut small cubes for a tartar. Gravlax is traditionally served with Pumpernickel bread or boiled potatoes. I think a dish with such history should not be messed with to much. In my recipe I use the classic dill mustard sauce, but for texture I added julienned radish.

Ingredients Salmon:

• 1 kg Salmon fillet, preferably the middle piece (darne), skin and pin bones removed, excess fat trimmed
• 80 grams Coarse sea salt
• 60 grams Granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp White peppercorns, crushed
• 1 tbsp Black peppercorns, crushed
• 50 grams Fresh dill, washed and chopped

Ingredients Sauce:

• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp English mustard
• 1/2 Egg yolk
• 65 grams Vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp Fresh dill, washed and chopped
• 1-2 tsp Honey
• Freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Julienned radish, placed in ice water for 10 mins and drained

Directions Salmon:

In a small bowl combine the salt, sugar, pepper and dill. Rub the mixture all over the salmon.

Place the marinated fish in a large zip log bag or vacuum seal on medium. Place in the fridge for at least 12 hours, turning the bag 2-3 times to evenly cure the salmon.

Remove from the bag and rinse off the marinade with cold water. Pat the salmon dry with kitchen paper.

Slice thinly and arrange on a serving platter.

Direction Sauce:

Combine the mustards and egg yolk in a tall container. Mix with a handheld blender until smooth and slowly adding the vegetable oil while blending. If the mayonnaise gets to thick, add a few drops of water.

Add the dill, honey, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add little more honey or lemon juice if the sauce gets to sweet or sour.

Pour the sauce over the salmon and sprinkle with the radish.

Serves 6-8 people.

Enjoy