'Salmon of Knowledge'
- medium
- 6
- 30 minutes plus 3 days for infusing the vinaigrette
A dish with a story behind it is always a joy – and Anna Haugh's tribute to an old Irish folklore tale is as delicious as it is captivating. A salmon-spiked gribiche and a tangy lemon gel nestle themselves within the layers of the baby gem. Who knew lettuce could taste so good?
Anna says: “This dish is a homage to an old legendary Irish hero called Fionn Mac Cumhail. The story goes that a salmon had eaten nine hazelnuts from the nine oldest hazelnut trees in Ireland. Fionn was the apprentice to a man called Finegas, who spent his life in search of this salmon, as whoever ate the salmon would gain all the knowledge in the world. When they finally found it, Finegas put it on a spit and told Fionn to watch it. A blister grew on the skin of the salmon, which Fionn instinctively pushed back in with his finger. He burnt his finger, quickly put it in his mouth to cool it, and accidentally gained the world’s knowledge. When Finegas returned, he only had to look in Fionn’s eyes to know he had somehow tasted the fish without eating it.”
Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
- 6 heads of baby gem lettuce
- dulse powder, to garnish
- dill fronds, to garnish
- cornflowers, to garnish
Gribiche
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp of Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove
- 200g of vegetable oil
- 2 tsp white wine vinegar
- 4 eggs, hard-boiled and grated
- 2 tbsp of capers, finely chopped and squeezed to remove excess moisture
- 2 tbsp of gherkins, finely chopped and squeezed to remove excess moisture
- 2 tsp finely chopped chives
- 2 tsp finely chopped parsley
- 2 tsp finely chopped tarragon
- 2 tsp smoked salmon, finely chopped
Lemon gel
- 100g of lemon juice
- 20g of caster sugar
- 8g of agar agar
Vinaigrette
- 100g of olive oil
- 100g of pomace oil
- 100g of white wine vinegar
- 1 shallot, quartered
- 1 garlic clove, halved
- 1/2 bunch of thyme
- 1/2 bunch of rosemary
- 1 pinch of caster sugar
Equipment
- Piping bags
Method
Begin with the house vinaigrette. Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl with a pinch of salt, then cover and leave to infuse at room temperature for 3 days. Strain through a fine sieve into a bottle or jar, then shake or whisk until it emulsifies. Season to taste with more salt and sugar if needed
- 100g of olive oil
- 100g of pomace oil
- 100g of white wine vinegar
- 1 shallot, quartered
- 1 garlic clove, halved
- 1/2 bunch of thyme
- 1/2 bunch of rosemary
- 1 pinch of caster sugar
To make the gribiche, put the yolk, mustard and garlic in a small food processor and whizz until smooth. With the motor still running, gradually stream in the oil until you have an emulsified sauce. Stir in the remaining ingredients and season to taste. Keep in the fridge until needed
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp of Dijon mustard
- 1 garlic clove
- 200g of vegetable oil
- 2 tsp white wine vinegar
- 4 eggs, hard-boiled and grated
- 2 tbsp of capers, finely chopped and squeezed to remove excess moisture
- 2 tbsp of gherkins, finely chopped and squeezed to remove excess moisture
- 2 tsp finely chopped chives
- 2 tsp finely chopped parsley
- 2 tsp finely chopped tarragon
- 2 tsp smoked salmon, finely chopped
To make the lemon gel, add all the ingredients to a small saucepan with a pinch of salt and bring to the boil. Leave to cool, whisking occasionally, then transfer to a piping bag or squeezy bottle
- 100g of lemon juice
- 20g of caster sugar
- 8g of agar agar
Remove the first 4-5 outer leaves of the baby gem lettuces, leaving you with the hearts. Trim the root and remove any discoloured parts, then slice the top off to expose all the layers within
Dress the lettuces with some of the vinaigrette, then pipe the gribiche mixture into the different crevices of the lettuce, trying to reach down and get as close to the root as possible
Dust the lettuces liberally with the dulse powder, then pipe blobs of lemon gel all over the outside. Finish with the dill fronds and cornflowers
- dulse powder, to garnish
- dill fronds, to garnish
- cornflowers, to garnish
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