Aluna rum and beetroot cured salmon
Aluna rum brings a beautiful sweetness to cured salmon. Pair it with beetroot and you've got an absolute winner.
Cured salmon doesn't need to be something you only eat at Christmas. It's an amazingly versatile dish and perfect for dinner parties as all the work happens a couple of days before. The trick is in the cure. We've paired the sweetness of rum with the earthiness of beetroot and the freshness of citrus for something truly memorable. And it's super easy, all in takes less than half an hour of 'doing' time - just plan ahead! and leave it to do its business in the fridge.
INGREDIENTS
For the salmon and first cure
Half a side of salmon (try to get as good as poss)
3 x cooked and peeled beetroot
500g rock salt
80g caster sugar
50ml Aluna Rum
Pest of 1 x lemon
Peel of 1 x lime
1 tsp crushed and toasted coriander seeds
For the second cure
150ml Aluna Rum
1 tbsp crushed and toasted coriander seeds
METHOD
To make the cure, put the beetroot, sugar, salt, Aluna Rum and peels of the lemon and lime into a food processor and blend until you get a beautifully dark pink mixture.
Clean the salmon and remove any small bones but keep the skin on (holds it all together nicely)
Place the salmon on some greaseproof parchment and cover with the cure, massage it into the fish, don't be shy! Sprinkle over the coriander seeds and wrap tightly in a double layer of cling film.
Put in a shallow dish and place in the fridge for 24 hours.
After 24 hours remove from the fridge and wash off the cure mixture, the salmon should now be a glorious hue of pink.
Wrap back up in greaseproof parchment and pour in 150ml of Aluna Rum and the coriander seeds. Wrap back up and place in the fridge for a further 24 hours.
When ready to eat, no need to wash the salmon, just remove the skin and slice thinly.
Dress with coriander, a squeeze of lime and thinly sliced radishes. Perfect as a starter for a Spring dinner party.
Serve simply with red onion, coriander, radish and avocado.