Ruby Beetroot-Cured Salmon with Horseradish Crème Fraîche

⏱ 2925 min · Serves 10

A jewel-bright Nordic showstopper: side of salmon buried in beetroot, gin, dill and citrus for two days until the edges blush deep ruby and the flesh turns silky. Sliced wafer-thin and served with a sharp horseradish crème fraîche, it's the most elegant thing you can make almost entirely in advance.

Per serving: 268 kcal · 21.5g protein · 13.5g carbs · 14.5g fat

Ingredients

• 1 kg side of very fresh salmon, skin on, pin-boned
• 90 g flaky sea salt
• 70 g caster sugar
• 2 tsp coarsely crushed black peppercorns
• 1 tsp crushed coriander seeds
• 300 g raw beetroot, peeled and coarsely grated
• Zest of 2 lemons
• Zest of 1 orange
• 40 g dill, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve
• 3 tbsp gin or vodka
• 200 g crème fraîche
• 2 tbsp freshly grated horseradish (or 1.5 tbsp hot horseradish sauce)
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp runny honey
• Salt and white pepper, to taste
• Rye bread or pumpernickel, to serve
• Capers and thinly sliced radish, to serve

Method

1. Pat the salmon dry. Run your fingers over the flesh to check for stray pin bones and remove any with tweezers.
2. In a bowl, mix the salt, sugar, crushed peppercorns and coriander seeds. Stir through the grated beetroot, lemon and orange zest, chopped dill and the gin to make a wet, vivid cure.
3. Lay a large double sheet of cling film in a shallow dish. Spread a third of the cure in a salmon-shaped layer, sit the fish on top skin-side down, then pack the remaining cure over the flesh, pressing it into an even blanket.
4. Wrap the cling film tightly around the fish, then cover the dish. Sit a small tray on top weighted with a couple of tins.
5. Refrigerate for 48 hours, turning the parcel over every 12 hours and spooning back any liquid that escapes.
6. Unwrap, scrape off the cure and rinse the salmon very briefly under cold water. Pat thoroughly dry with kitchen paper and rest, uncovered, on a rack in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm up.
7. Meanwhile make the sauce: fold the horseradish, Dijon, lemon juice and honey through the crème fraîche, season with salt and white pepper and chill.
8. Using a long, sharp knife held almost flat, slice the salmon into wafer-thin slices on the diagonal, leaving the skin behind.
9. Fan the slices over plates or a big board, spoon on the horseradish crème fraîche, scatter with dill, capers and radish, and serve with rye bread.