in love with Salmon


As per my beloved madam Leisa request for her favourite gravelux to be post this week and i almost forgot ...



This version was the traditional dill cured i did for a food trial at The Andaman Langkawi in 2012
I was offered the job after the tasting so ever since has been my fondest memories



This one is the innovative beetroot version with a kick of vodka so link and see what thay say in Thailand ? 






Soused Salmon

A colourful and healthy fish dish with a bit of a kick




Lai Kuan Geo was born into a family of connoisseurs of good food, willing to travel hours to savour the best. Starting his training in Malaysia and Amsterdam, Kuan travelled around Europe in his quest to master the culinary arts. "During my travels, I discovered the beauty and different cultures through their cuisine," he says.
At the tender age of 21, he moved to South Africa, and by 23 was involved in the opening of an Asian restaurant in Cape Town. Kuan is flexible and capable of taking care of not only the food but every aspect of the dining experience.
Kuan has a rich culinary history working across countries such as Amsterdam, South Africa and most recently Malaysia in a career that has spanned over 22 years. He has specialised in Asian cuisine, and most recently served as chef de cuisine at the Eest restaurant at the Westin, Kuala Lumpur, for five years, an award-winning Pan Asian restaurant featuring Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Vietnamese and Malaysian cuisines.
He was also selected to participate in the Red Majesty Chef programme last year which took 24 chefs from top restaurants across Asia to Australia to learn about quality Australian meat. Kuan has a big personality, and has served as a judge for Hot Chef 2010 _ a popular TV show in Malaysia.
Apart from contemporary New World cuisine, Kuan is well-versed in Oriental arts and feng shui, photography and water painting.
One of his best dishes is beetroot and vodka-cured Tasmanian salmon (you can substitute any good-quality salmon if you can't find Tasmanian) with guacamole and ikura (salmon roe), which was highlighted in the Open House cooking demonstration hosted by the Le Meridien Chiang Rai Resort.
"After I visited Tasmania in 2010, I realised how important it is to have great fresh produce to cook delicious food. This dish has lots of nutritional value with a very attractive presentation.
"I use beetroot and vodka with the salmon for a simple reason _ beetroot has a unique, sexy and appealing colour, and the vodka adds some kick to it, and besides, alcohol can also kill bacteria. The dish can also be adapted to serve as an entree or a canape."
BEETROOT AND VODKA-CURED TASMANIAN SALMON, GUACAMOLE AND IKURA
INGREDIENTS

METHOD

Guacamole
Cut avocado in half. Remove seed, scoop out avacado flesh and put in a mixing bowl. Using a fork, mash the avocado. Add the chopped onion, coriander, lime juice, red chilli, salt and pepper, and mix well. Cover with cling film directly on the surface of the guacamole to prevent oxidation. Refrigerate until ready. Just before serving, add the chopped tomato to the guacamole and mix.
Salmon
Combine all the curing mixture ingredients. Place the salmon on a plate and coat the flesh side in the marinade. Cover the salmon in cling film and refrigerate for 24 hours. Remove the salmon from the fridge and carefully wash off the marinade. Dry it lightly with kitchen paper.
Next, place the salmon on a plate or wooden board, flesh side up, and coat lightly with the Dijon mustard with a brush. Cover the salmon well in the finely chopped dill and grated beetroot. Pour vodka over the salmon then wrap with cling film and place a board on top, weighed down with tinned food. Place the salmon in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
To serve, slice the salmon very thinly with a long sharp knife. Arrange the slices on serving plates so that they overlap. Serve the salmon with guacamole or, for canapes, on slices of buttered brown bread or crackers of your choice. Garnish with cream fraiche, guacomole, ikura and dill.

Recipe and pictures courtesy of the Le Meridien Chiangrai Resort.



Here is my recipe with the the beetroot version or you can do with the classic dill cured version with use 
plenty of fresh dill on it...



Ingredients

Salmon


1 side of salmon with its skin on, bones removed and excess fat trimmed

Marinade 

  • juice and zest of 1 lemon
  • 2cups sugar
  • 2cups salt
  • 1 tsp black peppercorns,crushed
  • 4 tbsp dill, roughly chopped

To Coat

  • 1 tbsp dijon mustard
  • 6 tbsp dill, finely chopped
  • 6 tbsp mint leaves, finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp gin

Method


  1. Marinade: Mix all the marinade ingredients together until well combined. Place the salmon on a plate and coat the flesh side in the marinade. Cover the salmon in cling film and refrigerate it for 24 hours.
  2. Remove the salmon from the fridge and carefully wash off the marinade. Dry it lightly with kitchen paper.
  3. To Coat: Place the salmon on a plate or wooden board, flesh side up and coat the it lightly with the Dijon mustard with a brush. Cover the salmon well in the finely chopped dill and mint. Cover the salmon with cling film and place a weight on the salmon with tinned food. Place the salmon in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
  4. To Serve: Slice the salmon very thinly with a long sharp knife. Arrange the slices on serving plates so that they overlap. Serve the salmon gravalax with lemon wedges and buttered brown bread.



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