Gravlax on the Fin

Forget turkey. If you live in Scandinavia or the Pacific Northwest, November is all about salmon! Wild Chinook, Coho, and Chum are spawning right now in Washington State. Intrepid and bent on doing what comes naturally, many of these fish will slip by the numerous fishermen who elbow each other for space along our popular salmon streams.

More than a few of them will even be able to take flying leaps up the fish ladders carved into some fairly impressive natural waterfalls.

Yet I guarantee that there will be at least one or two, the noblest of the lot, who after swimming for hundreds of miles and jumping up roaring rapids, are fated not only to become dead salmon, but "Grave Salmon": gravlax.

It takes a lot of stress off the turkeys, this time of year.

Salmon fishing, falls, and gravlax photos image ©2008 Kari Diehl, licensed to About.com.