I love to serve this salmon with a salad of thinly shaved fennel, fennel fronds and cucumber tossed with a little olive oil and lemon juice. A bowl of crème fraîche thinned with the juice of a lemon and seasoned with salt and pepper is also a delicious accompaniment.
Serves: 10-12
INGREDIENTS
1 side of salmon, skin off and pin bones removed (about 1 kilogram)
Curing mix
1 teaspoon each whole fennel seed and aniseed (see Cook’s note)
½ teaspoon ground pepper
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
finely grated zest 1 large lemon
6 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons sea salt
2 tablespoons ouzo
METHOD
Curing mix: Lightly toast the seeds in a dry sauté pan then roughly grind in a mortar and pestle. Tip into a bowl and use your fingers to rub in the pepper, thyme, lemon zest, sugar and salt. Add the ouzo and stir to form a mixture resembling wet sand.
To assemble: Line a tray or plate with a large piece of clingfilm, leaving enough overhanging to cover the tray or plate again. Sprinkle half the curing mix over the flat side of the salmon and place on the clingfilm, cured side down. Sprinkle over the remaining cure, patting it onto the flesh. Use the overhanging clingfilm to wrap up and cover completely. Refrigerate for 24 hours.
To serve: Scrape the cure off the salmon and wipe the flesh clean with damp paper towels. Slice thinly with a sharp knife. Serve with fennel salad and crème fraîche, if desired.
Cook’s note: Aniseed is not the same as star anise. Aniseed is the spice used to make the French drink pastis and is widely used in Europe and the Middle East to flavour breads and cakes. Star anise is a small star-shaped spice with 5-6 points, each containing a seed. It is used in Chinese five spice and many Asian recipes. Aniseed is available from gourmet and specialty food stores.
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In Dream Escape, we journey from Japan and Morocco to Italy, India and beyond, sharing recipes inspired by travel, heritage and comfort. We celebrate the champions of the Outstanding Food Producer Awards, explore the stories and recipes of chefs shaped by their cultural roots, and warm up with everything from West African soups and slow-braised lamb to porchetta, butter chicken and beef noodle soup. Alongside destination menus, Scandinavian sweets and cosy pub classics, Chrisanne Terblanche shares her favourite street-side dining spots in Bangkok, while Yvonne Lorkin explores red wine varietals. This issue, we invite you to slow down, turn the pages and escape through food.