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Ingredients

  • 1 side salmon, skin on and pin-boned

CURE

  • 2 medium beetroot, peeled
  • 2 oranges, zested
  • 4 tbsp juniper berries
  • 50ml gin
  • 150g coarse sea salt
  • 100g golden caster sugar

PICKLED CUCUMBER

  • 100g white wine vinegar
  • 50g golden caster sugar
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns
  • 1 bay leaf
  • a bunch dill, chopped
  • 1 cucumber

Method

  • STEP 1

    To make the cure, grate the beetroot, tip into a sieve and drain most of the liquid from it. Tip into a food processor’s bowl and add the remaining cure ingredients. Whizz until you have a paste.

    Adding ingredients to food processor
  • STEP 2

    Put 2 large sheets of clingfilm into a large baking tray that fits the salmon. Lay the salmon into the tray skin-side down.

    Placing the salmon in the baking tray
  • STEP 3

    Spread the cure over the fish, covering all the flesh, sides included. Wrap up tightly in the clingfilm.

    Spreading the cure over the fish
    Wrapping the fish tightly
  • STEP 4

    Put another baking tray on top and weight it down with tins. Put in the fridge for 24 hours.

    Placing another baking tray on top
  • STEP 5

    To make the cucumber pickle, heat the vinegar, sugar, coriander seeds, peppercorns and bay leaf in a small pan until simmering, and the sugar has dissolved. Leave to cool to room temperature. Once cooled add 50ml water and a pinch of salt. Finely slice the cucumber with a sharp knife or use a mandoline. Add to the cooled pickle liquid and leave for an hour or overnight in the fridge.

    Making the pickled cucumber
  • STEP 6

    The day after, remove the clingflim from the salmon and scrape most of the cure off.

    Scraping the cure off
  • STEP 7

    Rinse any remaining cure from the salmon under cold water, and pat dry with kitchen paper.

    Patting the salmon dry
  • STEP 8

    Thinly slice the salmon with a sharp knife, starting from the tail end at a low angle to remove the salmon from the skin in thin slices. Mix the dill into the pickle to serve.

    Thinly slicing the salmon

Wear gloves when you're grating the beetroot to avoid getting stained hands.

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