Norah Casey shows you how to make this delectable salmon dish. Garnish with apple slices and dill to really give the wow factor at dinner time.
Ingredients
- 0.5 side of clare island organic salmon (boned and skinned)
- 200 g caster sugar
- 200 g salt
- 500 g llewellyn's cider
- maldon salt and freshly ground black pepper
- for the crème frâiche garnish:
- 200 g crème frâiche
- 0.5 lemon, zest only
- 1 tblsp chopped chervil
- edible apple perfume (optional)
- dill leaves
- for the apple salad:
- 1 bulb fennel
- 1 granny smith apple (peeled and cored)
- 25 ml calvados
- 15 ml white wine vinegar
- 1 tblsp lemon juice
- large pinch caster sugar
- for the apple purée:
- 2 granny smith apples (peeled and cored)
- 2 tblsp calvados
- 1 tblsp caster sugar
- for the court bouillon:
- 4 stalks celery (roughly chopped)
- 2 carrots (peeled and roughly chopped)
- 1 leek (rinsed and sliced)
- 1 onion (peeled and chopped)
- 1 fennel (roughly chopped)
- 500 ml llewellyn's cider
- 1.5 l water
Method
- First cure the fish by putting the salmon on top of a large piece of Clingfilm. Sprinkle the flesh with salt and sugar evenly.
- Pour the cider on top, wrap in Clingfilm and leave to cure in the fridge overnight (or for at least 4 hours)
- When the fish is cured, wash off the curing solution with cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper and then cut the salmon into 5 centemetre fillets.
- Put the crème frâiche in a bowl, stir in the lemon zest, some seasoning and chopped chervil and chill until service.
- For the salad, slice the apple and fennel very thinly and put in a bowl (use a Mandolin for this if you have one).
- Make the dressing by whisking the Calvados with the lemon juice, white wine vinegar and the sugar until it emulsifies.
- To make the apple purée, put the caster sugar and Calvados in a saucepan and heat until the sugar has dissolved.
- Place the apple in the liquid and bring to just under a boil and then simmer until the apple is soft. Put the apple and liquid into a food processor and blend until very smooth and put it in a squeezy bottle.
- Next make the court bouillon by placing all the vegetables in the cider and water and bring to the boil.
- Reduce the heat and put the fillets of salmon in the poaching liquid for 3-4 minutes. Remove the fish carefully when done and drain on some kitchen paper.
- To serve, place some crème frâiche on a rectangular plate and sit the poached salmon on top. Arrange some dressed apple and fennel salad on the other side of the plate.
- Garnish the salmon with some apple slices and dill and drizzle the apple purée around the plate and sprinkle some diced fresh apple.
