Gooseberry 'boshi' – Japanese-style sour salted gooseberries
Made in the same way as umeboshi, Japan's famous salted plums, chef Neil Campbell applies the technique to British gooseberries, resulting in a jar full of salty, tangy, sweet flavours. They're amazing for all sorts of uses – serve alongside duck or other rich meats, scatter them over salads or blitz them into a sauce or dressing. They're very salty and sour, so it's best to give them a good rinse and chop them up before using.
You can see how Neil incorporates these salted gooseberries in a dish by taking a look at his grilled mushroom and dashi recipe here.
Method
1
There are no set measurements for this ferment – just get hold of the best gooseberries you can. Sprinkle a layer of rock salt in the base of a Kilner jar, then add a layer of cleaned gooseberries. Top with a few shiso leaves, then repeat these layers until the jar is full (or you run out of gooseberries). Leave for 4 weeks at room temperature until ready to use. These gooseberries will last indefinitely and continue developing flavour
- gooseberries , red or green
- rock salt
- shiso leaves
2
Before using them, just rinse the gooseberries under water. They will be salty, tangy and sweet all at once, and are perfect for scattering over dishes, creating small little explosions of intense flavour throughout
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Gooseberry 'boshi' – Japanese-style sour salted gooseberries
