Mike, congrats on the first attempt! I adore Gravlax and make it often. On your next attempt, here are some tips you might want to try:

-- Freeze the fillets for min. 6 hours or overnight before defrosting and using. This will kill any worm eggs still deep within the salmon flesh.

-- Use equal amounts of salt and sugar. The sugar is dissolved into the brine (which, btw, is good for nothing but dumping in the sink as it's basically salt and sugar water mixed with salmon molecules that will quickly go off!) and thus lends no carbs to the fish. But it is crucial to the texture of the salmon; without it, the fish becomes 'tough' when it should be light and tender - as you discovered with the skin, which, btw, should be left on.

-- Use 2 cups of salt (Kosher. If Diamond, use twice as much as Mortons; I prefer Diamond) and 2 cups white sugar for 2 pounds of salmon.

-- A few tablespoons of vodka is lovely, as you'll read below.

A good way to make this is to start with 2 fillets because so you can lay one fillet on top of the other, flesh to flesh.

Lay the fillets on a large sheet of plastic wrap, side by side, skin side up. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of vodka (which lends a nice depth to the finished fish) on the top of each fillet top.

Sprinkle 1/3 of the salt/sugar mix on each fillet. You will have 1/3 of the mix left when done. Top with dill, basil, or whatever herb you like.

Lay one fillet on top of the other, skin to skin. Sprinkle half of the remaining salt/sugar mix on the skin of one fillet, turn over the sprinkle the remainder on the skin of the other fillet.

Wrap fillets tightly in the plastic and place into a high-sided pan. Put a plate on top of the fish packet, weigh it down as heavily as you can. Put in fridge.

After 12 hours, turn the wrapped fish over so whatever fillet was up, is now down. Re-weight.

After another 12 hours - you are done! Basically, the salt 'cooks' the fish, and 2-3 days is far too long (unless you've got a couple of 5-pound thick fillets!) -- it will make the finished product too salty, as you discovered. If the fillets and the skin are 'tight' and tough, you've 'overcooked' it.

Like smoked salmon, Gravlax should be tender and 'silky' when sliced, and very lightly (barely) salted.

Rinse the fillets well, scraping off the herbs, and dry well. Wrap each fillet separately in plastic. They will keep a week in the fridge. If you want to freeze one, slice it thinly, wrap well, and freeze for up to 2 months.

As for the skin, you want to leave that on and slice 'against' it so you can get very, very thin slices. If done properly, when the fish is completely gone, you'll be left with nothing but an empty skin.

A dill (or basil or ... ) cream sauce served with it is lovely, as is cream cheese of course.

Lisa