Starter: Gin Cured Salmon – with rhubarb, pickled ginger and sour cream

Serves 2

Ingredients

For the cured salmon:

• 500g skinless salmon fillet
• 100g rock salt
• 100g sugar
• 1 lemon
• 1 lime
• 1 orange
• 75ml gin
• 1tsp juniper berries

For the pickle:

• 300ml water
• 200ml white wine vinegar
• 100g sugar
• 5g salt

Garnish ingredients:

• 100g rhubarb
• 1 medium cucumber
• 50g shop bought Sushi ginger
• 200ml sour cream (hung overnight)
• 1 x small bunch of chives
• 1 x small bunch of dill
• 1 x small bunch of flat leaf parsley
• 25ml vegetable oil

Method

For the salmon:

• Combine the sugar and salt together in a mixing bowl
• To the bowl, add the zest and juice of 1 orange, 1 lemon and 1 lime
• Crush the juniper berries in a pestle and mortar to release their essential oils
• Add the gin and juniper berries and mix to create the gin cure
• To a shallow tray add half of the cure and place the salmon on top, then add the remaining cure
• Cling film the tray ensuring all the cling film is tight to the salmon
• Place in the fridge and leave for 8 hours
• After 8 hours – remove the salmon from the cure and lightly wash off any excess cure
• Place in the fridge until you are ready to serve

For the pickles:

• Combine the water, vinegar, sugar and salt and bring to the boil
• Once boiled, remove from the heat and leave at room temperature
• Ribbon the cucumber using a vegetable peeler and add to half of the pickle
• Finely slice the rhubarb and add to the remaining pickle
• Once the rhubarb and cucumber are in the pickle they can be refrigerated until ready to be used

For the herb crisps:

• Remove the stalks from the parsley ensuring you are just left with the leaves
• Take a microwaveable plate and cling film tightly
• Lightly brush the cling filmed plate with vegetable oil
• Place the herbs on the oiled, cling filmed plate, ensuring that they are well spaced out
• Brush the herbs lightly with oil and cover with cling film tightly
• Microwave for 2 minutes (depending on your microwave)
• Remove the top layer of cling film and leave to cool

To serve:

• Finely slice your salmon and place it in the centre of your plate
• Arrange around the salmon; the cucumber ribbons, rhubarb and sushi ginger
• Pipe the sour cream into small domes around the salmon
• Garnish with the herb crips and season the salmon with sea salt

TOP TIPS:

• You could replace the Gin cured salmon with shop bought smoked salmon and lightly dress it with gin before serving
• If you cannot source rhubarb, orange segments would complement the dish
• Replace the homemade pickles with shop bought pickles – sweet pickled baby onions, baby pickled beetroots, cornichons all would accompany the salmon and present it the same way