Gin and beetroot-cured salmon blinis
A cold starter is a no-brainer on Christmas Day, as it allows you to focus on the main event and frees up valuable hob and oven real estate. Curing your own fish really is incredibly simple – just make sure you’re working with sashimi-grade salmon as you’re eating it raw – and doing it at home means you can get creative with the flavours. This vibrant purple-hued salmon is a joy to look at, while the juniper-forward cure gives it a stunning Scandi-inspired flavour. Paired with pickled cucumber for tang, caper crème fraîche for richness and delicate homemade blinis for everything to sit upon, this is how you kick Christmas off with a bang.
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Gin and beetroot cure
- 1kg whole side of salmon, skin on
- 3 beetroots, peeled and coarsely grated
- 100g of coarse sea salt
- 100g of caster sugar
- 1 tbsp of ground juniper berries
- 1 lemon, zested
- 100ml of dry gin
- 2 tbsp of chopped dill
Pickled cucumbers
- 1 cucumber, thinly sliced into ribbons
- 150ml of white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp of caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp table salt
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
Blinis
- 100g of Doves Farm Organic Plain White Flour
- 1 tsp Doves Farm Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp table salt
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 150ml of whole milk
- 1 Freshlay Farms Golden Yolker® egg
- 25g of unsalted butter, melted
- vegetable oil, for cooking
Caper crème fraîche
- 200g of crème fraîche
- 1 tbsp of capers, finely chopped
- 1/2 lemon, zested
- 1 tbsp of chopped dill
Equipment
- Microplane
Method
Mix the beetroot, salt, sugar, juniper, lemon zest, gin and dill together to form a thick paste
- 3 beetroots, peeled and coarsely grated
- 100g of coarse sea salt
- 100g of caster sugar
- 1 tbsp of ground juniper berries
- 1 lemon, zested
- 100ml of dry gin
- 2 tbsp of chopped dill
Place half the mixture on a large sheet of cling film and lay the salmon skin-side down on top. Spread the remaining cure over the flesh, ensuring it is completely covered in the cure
- 1kg whole side of salmon, skin on
Wrap tightly, place on a tray, and weigh down with another tray. Refrigerate for 48 hours, turning after 24 hours
After curing, rinse the salmon under cold water to remove the cure, then pat dry. Store in the fridge until needed
For the cucumber, bring the vinegar, sugar, salt and mustard seeds to the boil
- 150ml of white wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp of caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp table salt
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
Remove from the heat, pour over the cucumber ribbons and leave to pickle for at least 30 minutes. Once cool, keep in the fridge until needed
- 1 cucumber, thinly sliced into ribbons
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Add the milk and egg, whisking to form a smooth batter. Stir in the melted butter
- 100g of Doves Farm Organic Plain White Flour
- 1 tsp Doves Farm Baking Powder
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp table salt
- 150ml of whole milk
- 1 Freshlay Farms Golden Yolker® egg
- 25g of unsalted butter, melted
Heat a small frying pan, lightly oil it, and spoon in small rounds of batter. Cook for 1–2 minutes per side or until golden and cooked through
- vegetable oil, for cooking
Mix together all the crème fraîche ingredients and season to taste
- 1 tbsp of chopped dill
- 1/2 lemon, zested
- 1 tbsp of capers, finely chopped
- 200g of crème fraîche
To serve, thinly slice the salmon. Assemble each blini with a spoonful of crème fraîche, a slice of salmon and a curl of cucumber. Garnish with lemon zest, dill sprigs, caviar and capers
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