Beetroot and Gin Cured Salmon

Beetroot and Gin Cured Salmon

A refreshing summer dish that’s simple to prepare and full of colour — perfect for a light lunch or elegant starter. Serve with a crisp apple and fennel salad and enjoy with good company.

Ingredients
• 350g caster sugar
• 150g rock salt
• 2–3 cooked beetroots, finely chopped
• handful of fresh dill, chopped
• 3 tbsp gin
• 2 x 350g thick salmon fillets with skin

For the salad
• ½ pot crème fraîche
• lemon
• 2 apples
• 1 fennel bulb

Method
Mix the sugar, salt, beetroot, dill and gin in a bowl. Place one of the salmon fillets skin down on a large piece of kitchen foil. Cover with the beetroot mix then place second fish fillet flesh down on top of the mix. Wrap in tin foil. Then place on a rack sitting in a baking dish in the fridge. The salmon needs to cure for 3–4 days and should be turned half way through the cure. Beetroot coloured juice will seep into the baking dish.
Remove foil and scrape away remaining cure wash or wipe the fish and pat dry with kitchen paper. Skin the fish then slice as thinly as you can.

To prepare the salad garnish, dilute the crème fraîche with a little lemon juice, core the apples and slice thinly, and finely slice the fennel bulb. Place on plate with the salmon slices and drizzle over the crème fraîche. Decorate with fennel leaves.