Smoked Eel with Roast Beetroot, Horseradish Cream and Apple

⏱ 70 min · Serves 4

Silky smoked eel against sweet, earthy roast beetroot, sharpened with a fiery horseradish cream and matchsticks of crisp apple. A classic Northern European pairing that looks like a restaurant plate but comes together with almost no cooking skill required.

Per serving: 410 kcal · 24.0g protein · 20.0g carbs · 26.0g fat

Ingredients

• 500g raw beetroot (about 4 medium), scrubbed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• Sea salt and black pepper
• 300g hot-smoked eel fillet, skin removed, broken into large flakes
• 150ml crème fraîche
• 2–3 tbsp finely grated fresh horseradish (or 2 tbsp hot horseradish sauce)
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 crisp apple (Granny Smith or Cox), cut into fine matchsticks
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 1 small handful watercress or baby chard
• 2 tbsp rye breadcrumbs, toasted in a little butter (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan. Wrap the beetroot in foil with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and a good pinch of salt, and roast for 50–60 minutes until a knife slides in easily. Cool slightly, then rub off the skins with kitchen paper.
2. Cut the beetroot into wedges or 1cm slices and toss while still warm with the vinegar, sugar, remaining olive oil, salt and pepper. Leave to cool to room temperature — this is when they soak up the dressing.
3. Make the horseradish cream: stir the crème fraîche with the grated horseradish, Dijon, half the lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Taste and add more horseradish if you want it fiercer. Chill until needed.
4. Toss the apple matchsticks in the remaining lemon juice to stop them browning, then mix with half the dill.
5. Spoon a swoosh of horseradish cream onto each plate. Arrange the beetroot over it, then drape the flakes of smoked eel between the wedges.
6. Scatter over the apple, watercress, remaining dill and the toasted rye crumbs. Finish with cracked black pepper and a drizzle of the beetroot dressing from the bowl. Serve at once, with dark rye bread if you like.