I promised to try out this recipe by Chef James Martin posted by @Elawin for the November spice challenge:
Vanilla cured salmon with cucumber ketchup, charred cucumber and pickled ginger. I cured the salmon using table salt not sea salt (mainly because I didn't have enough sea salt). I used soft brown sugar rather than white. Its terrifically easy to do. I had to divide the recipe ingredient by 3 as I used 500g salmon rather than a whole side. I have made cured salmon before but not with vanilla so I was a little worried that the vanilla might be overpowering. It wasn't in the slightest. The taste is very subtle.
I served it to my partner who doesn't like the idea of vanilla with fish. I sort of forgot to mention how it was cured.
He loved it!
I made the cucumber ketchup according to the recipe. It was the first time I'd used Xanthum gum but it won't be the last. Here it is used as a thickener for the ketchup - you simply add a little of the powder to a cold liquid and mix to produce a thickened sauce. I also made the charred cucumber which was something I've made before and the pickled ginger. Again, very easy.
The verdict? A fantastic, easy to make recipe which is bound to impress. Ideal for making ahead for a dinner party. Here is how it turned out. The cured salmon is not in the slightest bit salty - so I sprinkled over some volcanic black salt:
The original salmon piece: Covered in the salt/sugar/vanilla mix:
The finished cured salmon:
The cucumber ketchup: Pickled ginger:
Vanilla cured salmon with cucumber ketchup, charred cucumber and pickled ginger. I cured the salmon using table salt not sea salt (mainly because I didn't have enough sea salt). I used soft brown sugar rather than white. Its terrifically easy to do. I had to divide the recipe ingredient by 3 as I used 500g salmon rather than a whole side. I have made cured salmon before but not with vanilla so I was a little worried that the vanilla might be overpowering. It wasn't in the slightest. The taste is very subtle.
I served it to my partner who doesn't like the idea of vanilla with fish. I sort of forgot to mention how it was cured.
He loved it!I made the cucumber ketchup according to the recipe. It was the first time I'd used Xanthum gum but it won't be the last. Here it is used as a thickener for the ketchup - you simply add a little of the powder to a cold liquid and mix to produce a thickened sauce. I also made the charred cucumber which was something I've made before and the pickled ginger. Again, very easy.
The verdict? A fantastic, easy to make recipe which is bound to impress. Ideal for making ahead for a dinner party. Here is how it turned out. The cured salmon is not in the slightest bit salty - so I sprinkled over some volcanic black salt:
The original salmon piece: Covered in the salt/sugar/vanilla mix:
The finished cured salmon:
The cucumber ketchup: Pickled ginger:
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