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Beetroot and gin-cured salmon

Name: Beetroot and gin-cured salmon
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: salmon 1 side, skin on and pin-boned; beetroot 2 medium, peeled; oranges 2, zested; juniper berries 4 tbsp; gin 50ml; coarse sea salt 150g; golden caster sugar 100g; white wine vinegar 100g; golden caster sugar 50g; coriander seeds 1 tsp; black peppercorns 1 tsp; bay leaf 1; dill a bunch, chopped; cucumber 1

20 minutes + 24 hours curing
serves 10
Easy

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Published: March 15, 2017 at 9:24 am

*This recipe is gluten free according to industry standards

Ingredients

salmon 1 side, skin on and pin-boned

CURE

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

PICKLED CUCUMBER

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

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.
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.
Step 3

Spread the cure over the fish, covering all the flesh, sides included. Wrap up tightly in the clingfilm.
Step 4

Put another baking tray on top and weight it down with tins. Put in the fridge for 24 hours.
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.
Step 6

The day after, remove the clingflim from the salmon and scrape most of the cure off.
Step 7

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