Beetroot & Fennel Cured Salmon
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Author:
Jane Lovett
servings
8-12
The lovely sweet, earthy flavour of beetroot marries beautifully with salmon and they look very pretty together. Serve with new potatoes for a delicious lunch or light supper, with griddled bread as a starter or as get-ahead canapés (see Hints & Tips, below). I grate the beetroot in a processor but still advise wearing gloves!

ingredients
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800g – 900g piece of salmon fillet, skinned & any pin-bones removed
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2 level tbsp granulated sugar
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2 level tbsp sea salt
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1 tbsp fennel seeds, roughly crushed
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2 medium-sized raw beetroot, peeled & grated (approx. 300g)
directions
Combine the sugar, salt, fennel seeds and beetroot together. Lay out a very large piece of cling-film (it needs to be more than twice the size of the piece of salmon) and spread half of the beetroot mixture in the middle, roughly the same size as the salmon. Place the salmon skinned-side down on top and then cover with the rest of the beetroot mixture. Wrap the cling film around the salmon leaving all the seams uppermost. Put onto a flat plate or tray (with a lip, to catch the juices that will seep out), cover with a board or flat tray and weigh down lightly using weights or tins. Leave at room temperature for an hour or two, then refrigerate for 24 hours, after which the salmon colour will still be visible in the middle, or 36-48 hours for beetroot coloured slices.
2. Remove the cling film, drain off the liquid and discard the beetroot. Rinse and dry the salmon. Wrap in fresh cling-film and refrigerate until required.
3. To serve s lice the fish very thinly, starting from the tail end. Arrange on a large platter or individual plates and serve with any of the sauces and accompaniments below
Horseradish Sauce
Mix 3 tbsp of horseradish sauce, 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill and some seasoning into 200g crème fraîche. (Substitute seedy and/or Dijon mustard for the horseradish if you prefer.)
Cucumber & Dill Sauce
Peel and shave a cucumber into long ribbons with a potato peeler, discarding the core of pips. Snip the strips into smaller chunks, put into a sieve, sprinkle with salt and leave to drain for 30 minutes. Squeeze out the excess liquid, and mix with 200g crème fraîche, with 2 tbsp freshly chopped dill, 2 sliced spring onions and some seasoning. Add a clove of crushed garlic for some extra zing, if you like.
Cucumber Ribbons With Fennel Shavings
Prepare a cucumber as for the sauce above and drain for 30 minutes. This can be done up to 24hrs ahead. Before serving, mix with shavings of raw fennel, a grinding or two of black pepper, a spritz of lemon juice and a few dill or fennel fronds.
Recipe Note
Get-Ahead:
The salmon will keep for a week in the fridge. It also freezes beautifully and can even be sliced from frozen.
Slice up to 24hrs ahead, re-form and keep in the fridge tightly wrapped in cling film.
Any time on the day, arrange on the serving plate/plates, cover with cling film, stack up, if necessary, and store in the fridge until required.
Both sauces can be made up to 24hrs ahead. As can the cucumber ribbons.
Hints & Tips:
Very good with griddled bread.
For canapés, spread a slice of salmon with a little plain horseradish sauce, put a strip of cucumber on top and roll up. Secure with a cocktail stick, if you like, and serve standing up with a little dill or parsley poking out of the top. These can be made up to 24hrs ahead, but top with the herbs on the day.