Citrus and salmon are a match made in heaven, as Executive Chef, Kate Fay, knows only too well. Curing fresh salmon with lemon, orange and lime zest, along with the bright flavour of juniper berries allows for these gorgeous fruity notes to balance the rich salmon. Kate pairs this with a pickled apple and cucumber salad, made using the divine sweet-yet-sour Forvm Chardonnay vinegar, as well as a tuna tonnato and avocado horseradish. We recommend a bottle of our Alba De Vetus Albariño as a lovely wine pairing with this impressive dish.
Serves 8, as a starter
Citrus-cured salmon
Curing mix:
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lime
140g Sal de Añana fine salt
180g white sugar
2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed
½ tsp Spice Trader black pepper, coarsely ground
2 star anise, broken into petals
10g Spice Trader juniper berries, crushed
1 small bunch of dill, leaves and stalks, roughly chopped
1 whole side of Akaroa fresh salmon (approximately 1kg), skin and pin bones removed
Begin preparing the salmon the day before you intend to serve it. In a large bowl, combine all the curing ingredients, rubbing the mixture between your hands to ensure the ingredients are well combined.
Spread half the curing mixture onto a large tray, lay the salmon on top and then cover with the remaining curing mixture, ensuring the salmon is fully encased.
Tightly wrap the tray in cling film and refrigerate for 18-24 hours, until the salmon is firm and the texture is even.
Remove the cling film and curing mixture from the salmon and rinse under cold water. Dry the salmon and wrap it in fresh cling wrap, chill for a further 4-6 hours before serving. When ready to serve, slice the cured salmon into 1cm thick strips at a 45-degree angle.
Pickled cucumber & apple salad
100ml water
50g raw sugar
100ml Forvm Chardonnay vinegar plus 1 Tbsp for finishing
1 cucumber, ends and skin removed
Sal de Añana fine salt
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and diced into 1cm cubes
1 tsp dill, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely sliced
1 tsp mustard seeds, toasted
1 tsp Escuminac late harvest dark maple syrup
2 Tbsp Pons capers in brine, drained
2 Tbsp Janiroc extra virgin olive oil
In a small pot, bring the water, sugar and 100ml of vinegar to the boil, then set aside to cool slightly. Using a vegetable peeler, slice the cucumber lengthways into long, thin ribbons, when you reach the seeds, turn the cucumber and repeat on the other sides (discard the seeds). Place the cucumber ribbons in a colander and sprinkle with salt, leave to drain for 15 minutes. When the pickling liquid has cooled slightly, add the cucumber and diced apple to the pot and set aside to cool completely. Before using the cucumber and apple, drain off the pickling liquid using a sieve.
Place the dill, shallots, mustard seeds, maple syrup, capers, remaining vinegar and EVO into a bowl. Add the drained pickled cucumber and apple, and toss to combine.
Tuna tonnato
½ tin artichoke halves, drained
80g tin Callipo yellowfin tuna in seawater, drained
½ 275g jar Sabato egg mayonnaise
Sal de Añana fine salt
Spice Trader black pepper
Place the artichoke halves and tuna in a food processor, process to purée. Fold in the mayonnaise and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Avocado horseradish
1 large avocado
¼ cup Darlington’s hot horseradish
1 Tbsp Accoceberry Espelette smooth mustard
1 tsp Forvm Chardonnay vinegar
½ tsp Sal de Añana fine salt
¼ tsp Spice Trader black pepper
Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.
To serve:
Salmon caviar
Radish, finely sliced
Toasted nori sheet, blitzed to a powder
Sabato crostini or Cherchi Sardinian parchment crackers
Place sliced salmon on a plate and top with a small pile of cucumber and apple salad. Spoon over salmon caviar and garnish with radish and a sprinkle of nori powder. Add a spoonful of each of the tonnato and avocado horseradish. Serve with crostini or parchment crackers.
Recipe courtesy of Kate Fay
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