Beetroot Cured Side of Salmon with horseradish cream and cucumber salad

This dish is sure to impress. With a vibrant red hue and the perfect accompaniments, this salmon is the definition of a show stopper.

Prep:
15 mins + 2 days to cure
Cook:
Serves:
10-12

Ingredients

1 side salmon, pin boned

50ml vodka or gin

1 large beetroot (approximately 400g), peeled and roughly chopped

2 tsp fennel seeds

125g sugar

100g sea salt

2 tsp black peppercorns

A good handful fresh dill (or use 1 Tbsp dried dill)

For the Horseradish Cream:

3-4 Tbsp horseradish sauce

125g crème fraîche

Grated zest and juice of ½ lemon

For the Cucumber Salad:

1 telegraph cucumber

2 Tbsp white wine or white balsamic vinegar

3 Tbsp olive oil

A good handful of dill leaves, chopped

Method

For the Salmon:

Put the beetroot, fennel seeds, sugar, salt, peppercorns, and dill in a food processor. Blend to a coarse paste.

In a lipped baking dish, lay a double layer of foil that is large enough to cover the salmon. Place the salmon skin side down in the baking dish and rub the vodka or gin over the flesh. Spread the beetroot mix over the salmon, putting more on thicker sections than the thinner end pieces.

Wrap tightly in the foil. Use a tray or board to sit on top of the salmon and weigh it down with tins or something similar. Refrigerate for 2 days, flipping the salmon over every 12 hours.

Scrape off the cure and discard. Rinse, if necessary, and pat dry. Refrigerate the salmon uncovered for a few hours to dry out a little more, then slice thinly on an angle.

For the Horseradish Cream:

Put the horseradish, crème fraîche, and lemon juice in a small bowl and whisk until smooth and creamy. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Set aside.

For the Cucumber Salad:

Thinly slice the cucumber, put it into a bowl with the remaining ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Allow to sit and soften for at least 10 minutes before serving.