Gravlax with mustard sauce, pickled quails’ eggs and salted cucumber

Makes 4-6 Starters and mains

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Method

To pickle the quails’ eggs, fill a medium pan with boiling water and place over a medium heat. Boil 4-6 eggs at a time for 3 minutes, then transfer to a bowl of cold water and continue cooking the rest. While they are cooking, shell the cooked ones right away.

Put half the vinegar and all the sugar in a small pan. Over a low heat, dissolve the sugar, then turn off the heat. Add the rest of the vinegar with 100ml cold water and a pinch of sea salt flakes. Add the sliced shallot and dill. Put the cooked and shelled quails’ eggs in a bowl or jar, layer with the shallot and dill, then pour over the pickling mixture. Once cold, cover and keep chilled for up to 3 days.

Mix the gravlax ingredients together and smear over the flesh of the salmon. Lay the salmon in a ceramic or glass dish and cover with a small wooden board covered with cling film. Place weights on top of the board and keep chilled for 36 hours.

Meanwhile, make the mustard sauce. Mix the mustards with the honey and sea salt flakes. Whisk in the oils a little at a time followed by the dill. Store, chilled, for up to 24 hours, if wished.

Around 20 minutes before serving, slice the cucumber and scatter over the sea salt flakes.

Lift the salmon out of the liquid created by the curing process. Scrape the dill from the flesh and pat with kitchen paper to remove any remaining moisture. Cut into 3mm-thick slices at a 45-degree angle off the skin. Arrange the pieces on a plate and chill.

Rinse the cucumber under cold running water and drain well. Serve the gravlax scattered with extra dill, the mustard sauce, pickled quails’ eggs, salted cucumber and crispbreads.