ASIAN CURED SALMON WITH PRAWNS, PICKLED SALAD & DILL LIME CRèME FRAîCHE

Asian cured salmon with prawns, pickled salad & dill lime crème fraîche image

Make this cured salmon and prawn dish as a classy starter for a dinner party. It takes a few days of prep, but it's well worth it for the flavour that you get

Provided by Jane Hornby

Categories Starter

Time 40m

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

550g salmon fillet , skin on
2 sticks lemongrass , roughly chopped
125g caster or granulated sugar , plus 2 tsp and another 2 tbsp
150g coarse sea salt
2 limes , zested, 1 juiced
5 tbsp Japanese rice vinegar , plus a dash
2 garlic cloves , crushed
small bunch coriander (half of 28g pack)
20g pack dill
2 fresh red Thai chillies , sliced (deseeded if you don't like it too hot)
140g baby turnips , skin on
1 small red onion , peeled
6 tbsp full-fat crème fraîche
12 large cooked peeled prawns

Steps:

Check the fish for bones and, if needed, remove with tweezers. To make the cure, put the lemongrass, 125g sugar, the salt, lime juice, zest of 1 lime, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 garlic clove, the coriander and half of the dill, including stems, into a food processor. Blitz until the lemongrass is finely chopped, then stir in a quarter of the sliced chillies.
Cross two large pieces of cling film in a roasting tin and spoon on a third of the cure, then top with the fish. Cover the fish with the rest of the cure. Wrap tightly and leave for 36-48 hrs, then scrape off the cure, rinse the fish in cold water and pat dry. The fillet will feel firm.
On the day of serving, start the other elements of the recipe. Shave the turnips into very thin slices using a mandoline, then plunge them into iced water with a dash of the vinegar. Leave for an hour, then drain well. Thinly slice the onion and mix with the turnip slices, 2 tbsp vinegar, 2 tsp sugar and a pinch of salt. Cover and steep for at least 1 hr, or chill for a few hrs.
Finely chop the remaining dill leaves and stir most of them into the crème fraîche with the remaining lime zest and a little seasoning, then chill.
For the dressing, stir together the remaining 2 tbsp sugar, 2 tbsp vinegar, another quarter of the sliced chillies and the crushed garlic and leave until the sugar dissolves.
Slice the fish into approx 20 slices, taking the knife down to the skin, then easing the blade underneath each piece to remove it.
When ready to serve, spoon and swoosh the dill crème fraîche down the middle of each plate, then top with overlapping salmon slices. Add 3 prawns per serving. Lift the salad from its juices and mound to one side. Scatter with a little extra dill and the remaining sliced chillies, then drizzle the dressing over the fish and prawns (or let your guests do that bit at the table).

Nutrition Facts : Calories 410 calories, Fat 30 grams fat, SaturatedFat 13 grams saturated fat, Carbohydrate 13 grams carbohydrates, Sugar 13 grams sugar, Fiber 1 grams fiber, Protein 21 grams protein, Sodium 2.7 milligram of sodium