Christmas dinner: A feast of starters, mains, sides and puds, all timed to perfection
A festive feast made simple with some cook-ahead courses and a fail-safe countdown time plan
Gin, pink peppercorn and dill cured salmon
A luxurious, make-ahead starter that keeps in the fridge for up to five days. Simply slice and serve with the sauce and some rye bread
SERVES: 10
✿ 600g (1¼lb) piece of salmon fillet, skin on, any small bones removed
✿ 1tbsp juniper berries ✿
2tbsp pink peppercorns
✿ 3tbsp each sea salt and sugar
✿ A large bunch of dill, chopped
✿ 5tbsp gin
For the mustard sauce
✿ 3tbsp Dijon mustard
✿ 2tbsp soft brown sugar
✿ 1tbsp white wine vinegar
✿ 1 egg yolk
✿ 150ml (¼pt) sunflower oil
✿ 2tbsp chopped fresh dill
1 Line a baking tray with clingfilm and lay the fish on it, skin-side down. Crush the juniper berries and peppercorns in a pestle and mortar until coarsely ground. Add the salt, sugar, dill and gin, and mix well.
2 Spread the mixture over the salmon, pressing down firmly. Wrap clingfilm around and over the top of the salmon a few times. Put another baking tray on top and weigh it down with a few cans. Leave in the fridge for at least 36 hours or preferably 3 days.
3 Unwrap the fish and remove it from the liquid, then rewrap the salmon in clingfilm. It will freeze well or keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
4 On the day, defrost salmon and/or bring to room temperature. For the sauce, mix mustard, sugar, vinegar and egg yolk, and season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Slowly whisk in the oil to make a creamy sauce. Stir in the dill. Thinly slice the fish and serve with the sauce and some rye bread.
Per serving
270 cals, 21g fat,
3g sat fat, 3.5g carbs