Stunning cured salmon Christmas dish
Saturday, November 14, 2009 at 11:34AM 
I tried this dish last Christmas when my future Father - in - law made it and I loved it so much that I resolved to make it too. The recipe has sat open beside my bed for the best part of a year now and when we decided that I was going to do a birthday meal for my Dad, it was the first thing I thought of.
My first problem was how was I going to get a hold of a really fresh side of salmon living in the midlands, but surprisingly the local large supermarket came up with the goods.
The recipe is surprisingly easy, requiring you to throw the marinade ingredients together and rub on the salmon, then leave for 48 hours. All you then have to do is slice and serve, simple. The cucumber and dill salad, I feel, is an essential accompaniment and some lovely buttered brown soda bread.
This is perfect to wow your dinner guests over the festive period.
This is a Mark Hix recipe from Good Food magazine
Serves 8 - 10
Ingredients:
1 Salmon fillet (with skin), about 750-1kg trimmed
80g black treacle
1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed
grated zest 1 lemon
50g sea salt
1 tbsp English mustard
2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
Lay the salmon on a piece of cling film, skin side down. Warm the treacle slightly in a pan until it becomes runny then mix in all the other ingredients. Smear the mixture all over the flesh of the salmon until evenly coated. Wrap tightly in the cling film, place the salmon on a tray skin side down, leave at room temperature for an hour then put in the fridge for 48hrs.
When ready to serve, unwrap the salmon, drain off the excess liquid and pat dry. Slice the salmon into thin (about 2mm thick) slices. Serve with the Pickled cucumber and some buttered brown soda bread.
Pickled Cucumber:
2 medium cucumbers
2 tbsp good-quality white wine vinegar
grated zest 2 lemons
4 tbsp rapeseed oil
good pinch salt
4 tbsp chopped dill
Halve the cucumbers and scrape out the seeds with a spoon. Slice the cucumber into 3mm slices then put into a bowl with all the other ingredients. Mix well and let the flavours mingle for about 45mins before serving.
