Ingredients
For beetroot and horseradish cream
½ Beetroot, peeled and finely grated
60ml Horseradish
150ml Crème fraiche
For beetroot Cured Salmon (Curing liquid)
1.5 litres Water
500g Coarse salt
500g Sugar
3 Beetroots, finely grated
15ml Fennel seeds
15ml Black peppercorns
15ml Juniper berries
250ml Good quality gin
1 Lemon's zest
125ml Fresh dill, coarsely chopped
1kg Salmon fillet with skin on, rinsed and patted dry
For fennel seed flatbread crackers
225g Cake flour
2.5ml Baking powder
3.75ml Fine salt
5ml Poppy seeds
10ml Sesame seeds
10ml Fennel seeds, coarsely ground (i.e. with a pestle and mortar)
2.5ml Coarse black pepper
30ml Olive oil
125ml Warm water
5ml Lemon juice
Extra olive oil for painting on the dough
Good quality flaky salt to top the flatbreads
For radish, fennel, and red onion pickle
8 Radishes, thinly sliced
1 Red onion, thinly sliced
2 Baby fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
125ml White wine vinegar
500ml Water
15ml Salt
1.25ml Pepper
55g Castor sugar
Instructions
METHOD FOR CURED SALMON
Place water, sugar and salt in a pot on the stove and dissolve the sugar and salt. Remove and add fennel seeds, peppercorns, juniper berries. Let it cool in down in the fridge. Once cooled down remove and add the gin, lemon zest and dill.
Remove the skin from the salmon, place on paper towel on a baking tray, to dry it out.
Portion the salmon in preferred portions and place in the cooled down cooling liquid. Place something heavy, like a wooden cutting board on top of the fish in the curing liquid, to make sure the fish is submerged in the curing liquid.
Leave to cure for 1 to 2 hours
METHOD FOR THE SALAD
Thinly slice the radishes, onion and fennel using a mandolin or a sharp knife. Combine the vinegar, water, salt, pepper and castor sugar and mix well until everything is dissolved. Add the radish, onion and fennel to the mixture and let it stand for at least 2 hours to pickle. The longer you leave it, the more prominent the pickle will be.
METHOD FOR BEETROOT & HORSERADISH CREAM
Add all the ingredients together and mix well to combine, set aside to serve.
METHOD FOR FENNEL SEED FLATBREAD CRACKERS
Pre-heat an oven to 220°C.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, fine salt, all the seeds and black pepper.
Make a well in the centre and add the olive oil. Add the lemon juice to the water and slowly add the water to the well, while mixing the flour together to start to shape a dough. You might not use all the water. Knead the dough until it’s an elastic dough. Shape into a rough square, wrap in cling film and let it rest in the fridge.
Dust a clean surface with flour and roll out into a rectangle, as thin as possible. Cut into long strips or shapes that you prefer. Place on a baking tray that’s lined with baking paper. Brush the strips with olive oil, sprinkle with the salt and place onto a lined baking tray. Let it bake for 8 – 10 minutes or until nice and crispy.
TO SERVE
Small radishes, leaves on, cut in the length.
Rinse the salmon under cold water and pat dry.
Salt the salmon skin – fry in a pan with a little oil until crispy.
Place the cured salmon on a plate. Dot either side with the beetroot horseradish crème fraiche. Top the salmon with the fennel and radish salad.
Serve with the cracker on the side and the crispy salmon skin.