Serves 4 Ingredients 225g/ 8oz Very fresh salmon fillet, pin-boned, skin on Beetroot Cure 1 Tablespoon quality Scotch whisky 110g/ 4oz Sea salt 25g /1oz dark brown sugar 1 Raw beetroot, peeled & grated 1 Small bunch dill 4 Twists coarsely ground white pepper Lemon Fennel Salad 2 Fennel heads, washed, trimmed & sliced very thinly 1 Tablespoon lemon juice 3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil Salt & freshly ground black pepper Lemon wedges & dill sprigs to garnish.
1. Mix the “beetroot cure” ingredients together in a glass or plastic bowl. 2. Bury the fish skin side up in the beetroot cure. Cover and refrigerate for 3 to 6 hours. The longer you cure it the darker the colour and stronger the flavour. 3. Remove the salmon from the cure. Discard the cure. Dab the fish dry with kitchen paper. Place the salmon flesh-side up on a cutting board and remove the skin by sweeping a long sharp knife through the fillet very close to the skin. Slice the salmon into £1 coin thick slices, cover and refrigerate until needed. 4. Tumble all the salad ingredients together and season to taste. 5. Pile an equal amount of the dressed salad on each plate, top with the beet cured salmon slices and garnish with lemon wedges & dill. Recipe by Neil Armstrong, Ito Director of Food From ITO Restaurant, London