Serves: 12
Preparation: 15 minutes plus 2-3 days of refrigeration
Ingredients
● 1 side of salmon fillet - skin on and pin boned (1kg)
● 300g rock salt
● 100ml of dry gin
● 250g caster sugar
● 1 tbsp juniper berries
● 1 tsp black peppercorns
● 35g dill, roughly chopped
● Zest of 2 lemons
● Zest of 2 limes
To serve
● Crusty sourdough bread
● 250ml crème fraîche
● Cornichons, a small jar
● 1 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
Method
● Toast the peppercorns and juniper berries in a dry pan for 1-2 minutes.
● Once toasted lightly crush them in a pestle and mortar. You don't want to grind then to a powder.
● Then in a large mixing bowl place all of the ingredients (except the salmon) and mix so everything is incorporated well.
● On a clean work surface, lay cling film for the salmon to sit on. It's best to use two lengths and overlap so they make one sheet. I let the cling film overhang the work surface to it's easy to roll up, and you want around 50cm in length.
● Place the salmon fillet on the cling film and pat dry using kitchen paper.
● Spread the curing mixture over the fillet evenly, then carefully wrap the fillet up. Once wrapped, re-wrap in 3 more layers.
● Place this into a roasting tin or a similar sized container, and place another roasting tin on top of the salmon to weigh this down. You can use tins or jars for added weight.
● Refrigerate for 2-3 days. After this time remove from fridge and unwrap, discard cling film and rinse the salmon under a cold tap to remove the rest of the cure. Pat dry using kitchen paper.
● To serve, slice the salmon into thin slices and serve with toasted sourdough and crème fraîche.
● Scatter with thinly sliced cornichons and chopped dill.
