Now I just love this starter, and it happens to be one of the very few dishes I make, which I have not, till date, tired of eating, the symphony and subtlety of bouquet, texture and flavour unequivocally beguiling, beginning with a faint scent of dill, orange and star anise, followed by a bite that is somewhere in between a ceviche, sashimi and smoked salmon, and ending with the ever so slight tastes of almond and garlic, leaving the palate feeling both bewitched and bewildered …
For those of you who are reflexively antagonistic towards raw fish, please note that the process of salt curing kills any and all bacteria that may reside within the fish, in addition to not only preserving it, but also transforming its texture by drawing all of the moisture out.
And now, on to the recipe for the Mosaic of Citrus, Sea Salt and Star Anise Cured Salmon, ‘Ajo Blanco’ Coulis, Dill Oil we go, the salt cure recipe itself from bbcgoodfood.com
YIELD: 8 COVERS
- 4 X 150g fillets of skinless salmon (I order mine online from Big Sam’s, www.bigsams.in)
- 1 large bunch of dill (approximately 100g)
For The Salt Cure
- 375g coarse sea salt
- 560g brown sugar
- 6 star anise
- 1.5 teaspoons coriander seeds
- Zest of 4 oranges
- Zest of 4 lime
First and foremost, you are going to prepare your salt cure by simply combining all of the ingredients in a blender and blending them into a coarse powder as shown below (STEPS 1 TO 4).
Next, you are going to cover the bottom of a baking dish with a thick layer of the salt cure, place the salmon fillets on top (STEP 5) and cover completely with the remaining cure (STEP 6). Then place a layer of cling film on top, place a weight over it to press down the fillets, and then refrigerate (STEP 7). Leave to cure for 2 hours.
In the meanwhile wash and finely chop your dill (STEPS 8 & 9), with which you will cover the entire fillet. Then remove the fillets from the salt cure, wash them with mineral water to remove all of the curing mixture and dry thoroughly using a cloth towel (STEPS 10 & 11).
Cover the entire surface of the fillets with dill, and then slice each fillet lengthwise into three, place three alongside each other on some cling film dill side up,, and then place three more on top, dill side up, and then roll them up into a log, then lay out another piece of cling film, roll again and tie the ends into a knot, refrigerate for it to set (STEPS 12 TO 18). Repeat with remaining two fillets.
Now onto the Coulis, for the Mosaic of Citrus, Sea salt and Star Anise Cured Salmon, ‘Ajo Blanco’ Coulis, Dill Oil, by which I simply mean a thickened version of the classic Spanish Almond and Garlic soup, which acts as a most wonderful chaperone. Please note that for the dill oil, simply refer to the Chive oil sub recipe under the Carrot Tartare Recipe, Section Treat of the Week on Diyasethi.com, and substitute the chives with dill.
YIELD : 8 COVERS
- 200g unblanched almonds
- 200ml extra virgin olive oil
- 4 large cloves garlic peeled
- 1 tablespoon sherry or apple cider vinegar
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon salt depending on taste
- 250ml cold water
STEP 1 is to place the almonds in a heat proof bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave them for 4 minutes, then drain in a sieve (STEP 2) and just by squeezing lightly with your fingers, you will pop each one easily out of its skin (STEP 3).
Next place your almonds in a food processor together with the whole garlic cloves (STEP 4), add the vinegar and the oil, making sure that the almonds and garlic are fully covered by the oil (STEP 5), and then blend (STEP 6).
Then gradually add the water and blend, in approximately 3 additions (STEPS 7, 8 & 9). Then pour into a container and refrigerate until use (STEP 10).
Plating and Presentation of Mosaic of Citrus, Sea Salt & Star Anise Cured Salmon, ‘Ajo Blanco’ Coulis, Dill Oil
And finally service time; first and foremost slice your salmon log into ½ inch thick slices; you can do this by cutting through the plastic and removing it after slicing (STEPS 1 TO 3).
Next, take a round cookie cutter, larger than your mosaic circles, place it on your serving plate, and spoon a thin bed of the Ajo Blanco coulis inside. Then spoon droplets of the dill oil on top and swirl into the coulis. Remove the mould, place the salmon mosaic in the centre, and voila, Bob’s your uncle! (STEPS 4 TO 9)
