Recipes

Blackberry and gin cured salmon

Maldon sea salt or ground rock salt works particularly well for marinating the fish, while the blackberries add sweetness and turn the salmon a vibrant deep purple. I like to eat this thinly sliced on slightly toasted rye bread with a spoonful of crème fraiche. This generously serves six people and it’s always best to make more, as it keeps well wrapped in the fridge for up to a week. It’s very simple to prepare, the hardest part is waiting thirteen hours for the perfect results.

1 sustainable salmon fillet skin on, scaled and pin boned about 900 grm

250g blackberries

375g light brown muscovado sugar 

250g sea salt flakes

zest of 1 unwaxed lemon

2 tbsp gin

Put the blackberries in a bowl and mash them into the salt and sugar. Zest over the lemon and stir gin through the mixture.

Stretch two large pieces of cling film over a work surface and lay the salmon fillet onto it, skin side down.  Brush your hand along the fillet to check for any little pin bones, pinching them out with a pair of tweezers.

Pour the cure mixture generously over the fillet, wrap in cling film and leave on a tray in the fridge for thirteen hours.

In the morning, rinse off the marinade under cold running water and pat the fillet dry.

Bring the fish to room temperature and slice to serve on warm butter toast.

Wrap any uneaten salmon in cling film and store in the fridge for up to a week.