Cured Salmon Toast with Cucumber and Herb Salad
Salmon gravlax is something I love to make over Christmas. It’s such a great alternative for those who don’t eat meat, and I love it because its so light and refreshing and really compliments the delicateness of the salmon. This recipe is so so so easy and can be made with a small piece of salmon or even a whole side of salmon. You can even add crushes spices or chopped herbs to the curing mix to add extra flavour.
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 cup white sugar
1 cup fine salt, not flakes
200g piece sashimi grade salmon, bones and skin removed
3 cucumbers
Small handful mint, roughly chopped
10 sprigs chives, finely chopped
Small handful dill, roughly chopped
2 tbsp. crème fraiche
Zest of half a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste
4 slices brioche or sourdough bread, toasted
½ cup caper berries
Method
To cure the salmon mix together the 1 cup of salt and sugar in a bowl. In another bowl fill the bottom with half of the salt/sugar mix. Place the salmon in the centre of this mixture and cover with the remaining salt/sugar mix. You want the salmon to be completely covered with the salt/sugar mix to ensure it cures evenly, so if its not fully covered add more sugar or salt until it is. Place this into the fridge to cure for about 5 hours, or ideally overnight.
Once the salmon is ready remove it from the cure mix and lightly run the salmon under cold water until the sugar and salt is removed. Pat the salmon dry with paper towel, and discard the sugar and salt mix. I haven’t added any herbs or spices to the cure mix as I am serving the salmon on top of a herb rich salad, so this will give the salmon the perfect flavours we are after.
Now that the salmon is clean, slice it into even thin slices, and leave aside until plating up.
For the cucumber salad- Chop the cucumbers lengthways and then into 1cm slices. Place the cucumbers, dill, chives, mint, crème fraiche and lemon zest in a bowl and stir to combine. Add the salt and pepper to the cucumber mixture to taste, and add more if needed.
To plate up place the cucumber herb salad on top of the toasted bread, following with the cured salmon. Garnish the toast with caper berries and any remaining herbs. Enjoy x
