This salmon needs to be made at 48 hours ahead, but is very quick to set up, and all you have to do is slice on the day.
Serve with pickled red onion, crème fraîche, rye bread and a scattering of herbs for an elegant starter, eat with scrambled eggs and toast for breakfast, or just enjoy it as a luxurious snack.
Ingredients
- 300g beetroot, washed and peeled
- 400g demerera sugar
- 300g table salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 3 limes, zested
- 2 tsp juniper berries, crushed
- 3 tbsp wholegrain mustard
- 150ml Helen Browning’s organic London dry gin
- Side of wild salmon (thick end), boneless and skinless, approx 800g
Method
Put the beetroot, sugar and salt in a food processor and whizz to a purée, then add the remaining cure ingredients and whizz again.
Pour half of the cure into a large plastic container big enough to hold the fish and cure, lay the salmon on top and pour on the remaining cure. Cover and chill.
The following day, remove the salmon and give the cure a good mix. Put the salmon back and spoon the cure back over, cover and chill for a further 24 hours.
Wash the salmon under cold running water (or more gin!) and discard the cure. Slice the salmon into elegant strips to serve.
