Catherine's Irish Smorgasbord: Smoked Salmon Board with Prawn Toast, Beetroot Apple salad, Sweet and Sour Vegetables.
Ingredients
Serves 4
For the Smoked Salmon:
- 200g of smoked salmon, preferably organic
For the smoked salmon and gin dressing:
- 2 tbsp runny honey
- 2 tbsp wholegrain mustard
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp gin
- 2 tbsp fresh dill, roughly chopped
For the beetroot apple salad:
- 500g cooked beetroot, finely cut into matchsticks
- 1 green apple peeled, cored and finely diced
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp mayonnaise
- 2 tbsp roughly chopped dill
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
For the sweet and sour vegetables:
- 200g carrots, peeled and quartered lengthways blanched
- 1 fennel bulb, trimmed and very finely sliced
- 200g radishes, very finely sliced
- 300ml white wine vinegar
- 80g caster sugar
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp allspice berries
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp whole cloves
For the prawns:
- 200g prawns, cooked and shelled.
- 60ml mayonnaise
- 60ml soured cream
- ½ tsp brandy or cognac
- Pinch of salt and freshly ground white pepper
- 2 tbsp finely chopped dill
- 4 slices of white bread, preferably sourdough
- 25g butter
- 40g salmon or trout roe
- 4 lemon wedges
- 4 dill sprigs, for garnish
Garnish:
- Rye bread
- Mixed salad leaves
- Cherry tomatoes
- Fresh radishes
- Cucumber
- Edible flowers
- Dill
- Lemon slices
Method
To prepare the dressing:
- Combine the honey, mustard, white wine vinegar, gin and dill and season.
- Pour in a jar, shake and place in the fridge until ready to serve.
To prepare the beetroot salad:
- Combine the beetroot, apple, sour cream, lemon juice, mayonnaise and dill in a bowl and season.
- Set aside in the fridge until ready to serve.
To prepare the sweet and sour veg:
- Place all the ingredients for the sweet and sour liquid in a saucepan with 300ml water and bring to the boil remove from the heat and leave to infuse.
- Place the vegetables in a large mason jar with a tight-fitting lid and pour over the hot sweet and sour liquid.
- Leave to cool and place this in the fridge for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.
To prepare the prawns:
- Mix the mayonnaise, sour cream, chopped dill, salt and freshly ground white pepper. Keep the mixture cold until required.
- Just before serving melt the butter in a large frying pan, add the bread slices and fry until golden brown on both sides. Then add some sauce to the prawns until you have a nice consistency
- Serve the prawn mixture piled on top of the fried bread and garnish with a dollop of salmon roe, a sprig of dill and a lemon wedge.
To serve:
- Spread the salmon, prawn toast, rye bread, salad, sweet and sour vegetables, beetroot salad and sauce out on a large wooden board.
- Garnish with salad leaves, radishes, cherry tomatoes, dill sprigs and lemon wedges.
