freeze-dried dill, or a 3½ oz bunch of fresh dill, stalks and all
18 oz boneless, skinless salmon fillet
for the cucumber salad
1 large cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp superfine sugar
freshly ground white pepper
1–2 tbsp white wine vinegar, or to taste
for the sauce
3 tbsp smooth Dijon mustard
a good squeeze of lemon juice, to taste
2 tsp superfine sugar
2–3 tbsp salad oil, say sunflower
1–2 tsp freeze-dried dill, or 1 tbsp freshly chopped dill (sprigs only, this time)
salt and freshly ground white pepper
The obvious question to ask is this: why would one ever wish to make gravadlax (another name for gravlax, raw salmon cured in spices) when it is now almost as easy to buy as smoked salmon—and who would bother to make that?
Well … as with freshly sliced smoked salmon from a whole side (which far surpasses pre-sliced and vacuum-packed fish), however fine the original quality of the cure and smoke, pre-slicing and vacuum-packing unnaturally compresses the flesh. And the same problem clearly applies to packets of salmon cured to make gravadlax. The answer is, make your own and slice your own. And I can’t think of a simpler recipe than the one that follows.
To cure the salmon, put the first 5 ingredients into a small food processor and work together to a sloppy green paste. Place half of this in a container (a plastic one with a lid, say) that will accommodate the fish snugly. Lay the salmon on top of this,press it down, then cover with the other half of the mixture, smearing it well over the surface of the fish. Pop on the lid, place in the fridge, and leave there for 48 hours, turning the fish occasionally, until firm to the touch. Carefully rinse the fish, but not so much that no remnants of dill remain adhered. Dry with paper towels, wrap in plastic wrap and keep cold in the fridge.
To make the cucumber salad, mix together all the ingredients in a bowl and leave to macerate for about an hour. Drain off the liquid, put the cucumber in a serving dish and keep cool in the fridge. For the sauce, whisk together the mustard, lemon juice and sugar, then whisk in the oil until you have a loose, thick dressing. Stir in the dill and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Pour into a small serving bowl.
To serve, thinly slice the gravadlax at an angle and present on a large serving dish. Hand both the cucumber salad and mustard sauce at table.
salt cod baked with potatoes & olive oil
serves 2, generously
11 oz piece of salt cod, soaked in several changes of cold water, for at least 24 hours
10 oz milk
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2–3 small dried red chillies, broken up a little
1¼ lb waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into thick matchsticks
2–3 tbsp double or heavy cream
2–3 tbsp fine olive oil
3–4 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
several flakes of butter
I was inspired to create this dish (not many of those left to us cooks) by the great Swedish potato recipe for something called “Jansson’s Temptation.” Here, Swedish anchovies (small cured and marinated herrings) are buried within a great big dish of thick potato matchsticks—for want of a better description—chopped onions and plenty of cream. The surface is finally topped with breadcrumbs and butter before being baked to a golden-crusted, bubbling mass. Talk about rich—but very, very delicious it most surely is.
Here, some less rich milk is used as the main dairy ingredient and garlic replaces the onions; salt cod and garlic are never far away from each other at the best of times. And although a touch of cream is added at the last minute, it is the olive oil—together with the garlic, naturally—which transports the dish from the cold, Scandinavian north, to the sunnier climes of the South of France.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Put the cod into a saucepan and cover it with the milk. Simmer ever so gently for about 10 minutes. Drain through a sieve suspended over a bowl, keeping the milk beneath.
18 oz boneless, skinless salmon fillet
for the cucumber salad
1 large cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsp superfine sugar
freshly ground white pepper
1–2 tbsp white wine vinegar, or to taste
for the sauce
3 tbsp smooth Dijon mustard
a good squeeze of lemon juice, to taste
2 tsp superfine sugar
2–3 tbsp salad oil, say sunflower
1–2 tsp freeze-dried dill, or 1 tbsp freshly chopped dill (sprigs only, this time)
salt and freshly ground white pepper
The obvious question to ask is this: why would one ever wish to make gravadlax (another name for gravlax, raw salmon cured in spices) when it is now almost as easy to buy as smoked salmon—and who would bother to make that?
Well … as with freshly sliced smoked salmon from a whole side (which far surpasses pre-sliced and vacuum-packed fish), however fine the original quality of the cure and smoke, pre-slicing and vacuum-packing unnaturally compresses the flesh. And the same problem clearly applies to packets of salmon cured to make gravadlax. The answer is, make your own and slice your own. And I can’t think of a simpler recipe than the one that follows.
To cure the salmon, put the first 5 ingredients into a small food processor and work together to a sloppy green paste. Place half of this in a container (a plastic one with a lid, say) that will accommodate the fish snugly. Lay the salmon on top of this,press it down, then cover with the other half of the mixture, smearing it well over the surface of the fish. Pop on the lid, place in the fridge, and leave there for 48 hours, turning the fish occasionally, until firm to the touch. Carefully rinse the fish, but not so much that no remnants of dill remain adhered. Dry with paper towels, wrap in plastic wrap and keep cold in the fridge.
To make the cucumber salad, mix together all the ingredients in a bowl and leave to macerate for about an hour. Drain off the liquid, put the cucumber in a serving dish and keep cool in the fridge. For the sauce, whisk together the mustard, lemon juice and sugar, then whisk in the oil until you have a loose, thick dressing. Stir in the dill and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Pour into a small serving bowl.
To serve, thinly slice the gravadlax at an angle and present on a large serving dish. Hand both the cucumber salad and mustard sauce at table.
salt cod baked with potatoes & olive oil
serves 2, generously
11 oz piece of salt cod, soaked in several changes of cold water, for at least 24 hours
10 oz milk
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
2–3 small dried red chillies, broken up a little
1¼ lb waxy potatoes, peeled and cut into thick matchsticks
2–3 tbsp double or heavy cream
2–3 tbsp fine olive oil
3–4 tbsp fresh white breadcrumbs
several flakes of butter
I was inspired to create this dish (not many of those left to us cooks) by the great Swedish potato recipe for something called “Jansson’s Temptation.” Here, Swedish anchovies (small cured and marinated herrings) are buried within a great big dish of thick potato matchsticks—for want of a better description—chopped onions and plenty of cream. The surface is finally topped with breadcrumbs and butter before being baked to a golden-crusted, bubbling mass. Talk about rich—but very, very delicious it most surely is.
Here, some less rich milk is used as the main dairy ingredient and garlic replaces the onions; salt cod and garlic are never far away from each other at the best of times. And although a touch of cream is added at the last minute, it is the olive oil—together with the garlic, naturally—which transports the dish from the cold, Scandinavian north, to the sunnier climes of the South of France.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Put the cod into a saucepan and cover it with the milk. Simmer ever so gently for about 10 minutes. Drain through a sieve suspended over a bowl, keeping the milk beneath.
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