With Easter Being This Month, Our Resident Chef Has His Eyes On Fish

The tradition of eating fish on Good Friday and during the Lent season originated from the Roman Catholic Church. During these periods, meat was forbidden, but fish was allowed. As a result, fish became a popular protein choice during Easter celebrations.

Our exclusive Chef, Rodriguez, is this month putting a different spin on a fish dish and will explain how to prepare a light delicate meal for the day following your Easter meal.

He explains: “I am suggesting we make or own Scandinavian Gravad Lax transporting fresh salmon into a delicious alternative to smoked salmon, that you or your staff can create in your own kitchen. Let’s create some culinary magic.”

Ingredients

• 2 x 500g pieces skin-on organic salmon fillet, both cut from the centre of the fish. Ask your fishmonger to pin-bone it for you
• 75g flaky sea salt
• 75g golden caster sugar
• 1 tsp black peppercorn, roughly crushed
• zest of 1 lemon
• 8 juniper berries, crushed (optional)
• small bunch (about 20g) dill, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp gin (optional)

Dill & mustard sauce

• small bunch (about 20g) dill, roughly chopped or one tablespoon (max) of dried dill
• 4 tbsp each Dijon mustard, cider vinegar, honey and sunflower oil
• 2 tbsp muscovado sugar

Method

• As this dish takes several days to cure, start the process a week before it is needed, once the Gravad Kaz is cured, it can be kept in the refrigerator for two days.

• STEP 1

Pat the salmon dry with kitchen paper and run your hands over the flesh to see if there are any stray small bones – if there are, use a pair of tweezers to pull them out. Set the salmon fillets aside.

• STEP 2

Tip the salt, sugar, peppercorns, lemon zest, juniper and dill into a food processor and blitz until you have a bright green, wet salt mixture or ‘cure’. Unravel some cling film but keep it attached to the roll. Lay the first fillet of salmon skin-side down and then pack the cure over the flesh. Drizzle with gin, if using and top with the 2nd fillet, flesh-side down. Roll the sandwiched fillets tightly in cling film to create a package.Cont..3

• STEP 3

Place the fish in a shallow baking dish or shallow-sided tray and lay a heavy, smaller tray on top. Weigh the tray down with a couple of tins or bottles and place in the fridge for at least 48 hrs or up to 4 days, turning the fish over every 12 hours or so. The longer you leave it, the more cured it will become.

• STEP 4

To serve, unwrap the fish and brush off the marinade with kitchen paper. Rinse it if you wish. Slice the fish into the classic long thin slices along the length of the fish, not downwards, leaving the skin on the cutting board.

• STEP 5

To make dill and mustard sauce, tip all the sauce ingredients into a blender. Blitz until you have a thickened dressing.

Ordinarily I would suggest several presentation ideas, however I firmly believe that this fish dish is best served sliced very thinly, on a plate accompanied by home-made brown bread with home-made mayonnaise or the dill and mustard sauce.

To accompany, a light delicate white wine such as:

The “classics” Muscadet Sèvre-sur-Maine, Sancerre, Alsace Riesling will perfectly match your Gravad Lax for their citrus notes and their minerality.

For those of you who prefer rosé wine: Languedoc, Roussillon, Côtes-de-Provence or Côte-du-Rhône.

My personal choice would be a very dry champagne, Enjoy!