Smoked Salmon and Pickled Cucumber
This bright salad features slices of smoked salmon, pickled onions and cucumber, ciabatta croutons, and dollops of crème fraîche to make a stunning dinner starter.
Introduction
Smoked salmon varies so much. At one end of the spectrum, standard supermarket-bought smoked salmon is tasteless and fatty; at the other is a salmon I will never forget. One Christmas, many years ago, I bought a whole side of wild smoked salmon from Blagden fishmonger in Marylebone. It was wrapped in paper and had a piece of string through the top of the fillet. The label said the fish had been caught in the River Severn. It smelt nothing like the smoked salmon I was used to, and it was dark on the outside and felt almost dry in the middle, with very little fat. I put the first slice in my mouth. Wow, such a beautiful flavour, and one that seemed to last for ages. Sadly, with such depleted stocks of wild salmon in our rivers, I have never tasted smoked salmon like it since. Nonetheless, it is possible to buy good smoked salmon if you look hard enough. On every good supplier is H. Forman & Son, based in London’s East End. As a rule of thumb, the less fatty the salmon, the better it will taste.
Ingredients
| 1 small | red onion, finely sliced |
| 2 tbsp | caster (superfine) sugar |
| 2 tbsp | white wine vinegar or cider vinegar |
| 1 | cucumber, peeled, halved lengthways and deseeded |
| 100ml (3½fl oz) | sunflower oil |
| 50g (1¾oz) | coarsely chopped ciabatta |
| 300g (10½oz) | sliced smoked salmon or smoked trout |
| 1 tbsp | miniature capers in vinegar, drained |
| 50g (1¾oz) | flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped |
| 100ml (3½fl oz) | crème fraîche |
| sea salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| 1 | unwaxed lemon, quartered, to serve |
Method
First, place the onion slices and 2 tablespoons of water in a small saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Add half the sugar, half the vinegar and ½ teaspoon of salt. Place on a low heat with the lid on. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the onions are tender and taste pickled. Set aside and leave to cool. Place the cucumber halves, flat-sides downwards, on a chopping board and cut into 5mm (¼in) slices.
Place the sliced cucumber into a bowl with the remaining sugar, vinegar and ½ teaspoon of salt. Mix well, cover with cling film (plastic wrap) and leave to macerate for 30 minutes. Then, pour off all the excess liquid and place the limp cucumber slices on a clean cloth, gather up the edges and squeeze out any excess moisture. Set aside.
Heat the sunflower oil in a small saucepan on a medium heat. When hot, add the chopped ciabatta and fry until lightly golden. Remove the ciabatta with a slotted spoon and place on some kitchen paper to drain. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and leave to cool.
Divide the smoked salmon or trout slices equally between 4 plates. Scatter over the pickled red onion and cucumber, followed by the capers and parsley.
Place small teaspoonfuls of crème fraîche on each plate, and top with the crispy ciabatta. Finish off with a few grindings of black pepper and serve with wedges of lemon on the side.
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