Cured salmon, pickled cucumber, tonka bean and horseradish snow
A festive starter recipe from Denmark, perfect for the season
| PREP TIME | 30 m |
|---|---|
| COOK TIME | 20m |
| SERVES | 4 |
Cured salmon
300 gms fresh salmon
20 gms dill
25 gms sugar
25 gms salt
1 piece star anis
4 gms yellow mustard seeds
¼ lemon
Pickled cucumber
1 cucumber
100 ml water
80 gms sugar
100 ml White vinegar
1 inch cinnamon stick
1 star anise
Tonka bean mayonnaise
1 egg yolk
100 ml olive oil
200 ml vegetable oil
1 whole tonka bean
1 vanilla pod
15 gms Dijon mustard
10 ml lemon juice
25 ml vinegar
Horseradish snow
100 ml buttermilk
25 ml crème fraiche
3 gms cornflour
15 gms fresh grated horseradish
5 ml lemon juice
Rye crumble
40 gms dark rye bread
10 gms butter
5 gms icing sugar
2 gms sea salt
1 gms cardamom
First, pick the dill leaves from the stalk and finely chop them. Then, take the stalks and place them in a mortar. Add sugar, salt, star anise, and mustard seeds to the mortar. Mix all the ingredients in the mortar for about a minute.
Next, stab the piece of salmon with a fork a few times. Rub it with lemon juice and coat it well with salt and sugar. Wrap the salmon tightly with cling film and leave it at room temperature for 1 hour. After that, place it in the fridge for 24 hours.
When ready to serve, remove the salmon from the wrap, wash off the rub, and dry it with tissue paper. Cut the salmon into four equal-sized pieces and place the chopped dill on the serving side of the salmon.
Pickled cucumber
Mix water, sugar, and vinegar with all the spices, boil it, and remove it from the heat.
Peel the cucumber, then slice in ribbons with a peeler; when the mix is around 45°C, place the cucumber inside and leave it outside for a few hours before keeping it in the fridge.
Tonko bean mayo
To infuse the oils with grated Tonka bean and vanilla pod, warm them to 62°C and let them cool down. Next, whisk together egg yolk, mustard, and lemon juice until it becomes fluffy. Strain the infused oil and slowly add it to the egg mixture while whisking until your mayonnaise is thoroughly combined. Finally, season it with salt and pepper to taste.
Horseradish snow
Mix all the ingredients except for the cornflour in a pot. Bring the mixture to a boil, add the cornflour, and cook for one minute. Cool down the mixture and place it in the freezer for 24 hours. Just before serving, grate it with a fork or blend it in a blender, but do it quickly so it doesn't melt. Serve it directly.
Rye crumble
Blend all together and cook in the oven at 120°C until crispy.
Assemble
On a plate, place a piece of salmon, add a few drops of tonka bean, and place pickled cucumber on top. Spread the rye crumble to give an earthy flavour. Garnish it with horse radish snow.
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