Gin Cured Salmon Royale by James Mackie from Gordon Castle Walled Garden

Gordon Castle Walled Garden in Speyside is one of the oldest and largest working kitchen gardens in the country. Head chef, James Mackie, loves to utilise the garden produce in all of his dishes and his favourite garden product of the moment is gin.

Gordon Castle Walled Garden has been shortlisted in the Innovation Award category for the North East Scotland Food & Drink Awards 2017. For more information on the awards visit www.nesfoodanddrinkawards.co.uk

Ingredients:

Salmon

1 salmon side, skin on

80g sugar

150g Hebridean Sea Salt

50g table salt

120ml of Gordon Castle Gin

A large handful of dill

A few mint leaves

5g Lavender

A sprig of rosemary

1 tbsp crushed juniper

1 tbsp crushed pink peppercorns

Zest and juice of 3 limes

Tonic soda bread

500g wholemeal flour

200g oats

20g salt

10g fennel seed

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

300g black treacle

100ml premium tonic water

500ml milk

Hollandaise Sauce

3 egg yolks

4 table spoons white wine vinegar

1 bay leaf

2 peppercorns

200g butter

Juice of half a lemon

Pinch of salt

Method:

  • Begin by trimming and pinning salmon.
  • Chop and crush the herbs and spices.
  • Mix the salt, sugar, herbs and gin together.
  • Layer four sheets of cling film, one on top of the other, a few inches longer than the side of the salmon.
  • Spoon the mix on your cling film sheet, and lay salmon skin side down over it, spread the rest of the curing mix over the top and wrap tightly.
  • Place in a deep tray or dish.
  • Allow to cure for 12-16 hours in the fridge.
  • For the tonic soda bread, mix all the dry ingredients before adding the milk and tonic.
  • Put dough into a greased loaf tin and bake for 45 minutes at 170c.
  • Once the salmon has cured, wash the marinade from the meat, and dry with kitchen paper. Dice the salmon into small 1cm cubes.
  • For the hollandaise sauce start by reducing the vinegar in a pan with the bay and peppercorn, strain and set aside.
  • Blend the egg yolks in a food processor with the lemon juice and slowly incorporate the vinegar reduction.
  • Melt butter until it separates; slowly add the butter to the yolk and vinegar until it starts to thicken.
  • Finish with a splash of gin and season to taste.

Serve the tonic soda bread toasted, with the salmon, a poached egg and the gin hollandaise.

In association with Taste Communications.

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