Get Premium access to all the latest content online
Subscribe and view full print editions online... Subscribe
Saké-cured salmon with cucumber salad, caviar and crème fraîche
Serves 6-8 (Start 2 days before) Starters and mains
Ingredients
- 700g salmon fillet, pin boned
- 2tbsp saké
- 125g sea salt flakes
- 150g caster sugar
- 1tsp freshly ground white pepper
- 2tsp pink peppercorns, roughly ground
- 1tbsp coriander seeds, roughly ground
- 40g fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
For the cucumber salad
- 175g Lebanese (small) cucumbers
- 1tsp sea salt flakes
- 2tsp caster sugar
- 2tsp white balsamic vinegar
- 2tsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted
- 1tsp pul biber chilli flakes
To serve
- 200ml crème fraîche
- 1tsp Dijon mustard
- caviar of choice, to taste
- crispbreads
Method
Two days before, wipe any loose scales off the salmon skin and place in a non-corrosive dish, flesh side up. Pour the saké over evenly. Mix the remaining ingredients together and rub over the flesh side of the fish, putting less on the tail, where the flesh is thinner. Put in the fridge and leave for 48 hours.
Around 30 minutes before serving, put the crème fraîche in a nylon sieve set over a bowl and drain for 30 minutes. Transfer to a serving bowl and stir in the mustard.
Meanwhile, prepare the cucumber salad. Semi-peel the cucumbers to create ‘stripes’ (in other words, stripes of skin remain). Cut each into quarters, then each piece into 4 again, and cut into small cubes crossways. Put into a bowl with the remaining salad ingredients.
To serve, drain any liquid from around the salmon and scrape off most of the cure. Transfer to a serving tray or board and thinly slice at an angle, leaving the skin behind.
Serve with the mustard crème fraîche, cucumber salad, caviar and crispbreads.
This recipe featured in the June 2022 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe, click here.
Advertisement