Smoked Fish Platter Recipe (2024)

1

Begin by curing the salmon. Mix the sugar, salt, lemon zest and dill in a bowl

2

Remove any pin bones from the salmon and place on a large piece of cling film

3

Spread the mixture evenly over both sides of the salmon and place another piece of cling film on top

4

Wrap the salmon in the cling film and place on a tray. Sit another tray on top of the salmon, top with weights and leave in the fridge for 3 hours

5

Meanwhile, place the beetroot in a deep saucepan and cover with lightly salted water. Bring to the boil, then leave to simmer until cooked (check with a co*cktail stick to see if the beetroot is soft in the middle)

6

While the beetroot is cooking, heat the red wine vinegar and sugar in a pan until the sugar dissolves. Pour into a plastic tub along with the grain mustard and salt and store in the fridge until cool

7

Peel both the apple and cooked beetroot and grate on a medium setting. Toss through the pickling liquor and set aside

8

Prepare a bowl of ice water and add a few dashes of white wine vinegar. Bring a large pan of water to the boil, lower in the quail’s eggs and cook for exactly 3 minutes - they should be just soft. Remove from the boiling water and place the eggs into ice water. Once cool, peel immediately

9

Remove the skin from the smoked haddock and cut into cubes. Pan-fry in a dash of oil for about 4 minutes to cook, then flake up

10

Mix all of ingredients (except the eggs) together and weigh into 20g balls. Flatten each ball onto a sheet of cling film to form disc shapes and place the quail's eggs in the centre of each disc. Wrap the mixture around the eggs, making sure that they are sealed

11

Roll the coated eggs in your hands to make sure they are nice and even and set aside in the fridge for 1 hour to firm up

12

After the salmon has been curing for 3 hours, wash the cure off with cold water and sit on a wire rack, skin-side down

13

Smoke the salmon using a smoker for 4 hours at 65°C-71°C, or until the internal temperature is about 54°C-60°C

14

Once cooked, carefully remove the skin and cut into 40g pieces

15

Peel and julienne the celeriac on a Japanese mandoline, lightly salt and set aside for 4 minutes

16

Spoon the mayonnaise into a mixing bowl and add the capers, tarragon, chervil and julienned celeriac. Make sure everything is completely coated and season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Set aside in the fridge

17

For the cucumber pickle, mix the rice wine vinegar, sugar, salt, garlic and thyme in a saucepan and bring to the boil, ensuring that the sugar dissolves. Leave to cool

18

Peel, deseed and cut the cucumber into spaghetti using a Japanese mandolin, lightly salt for 10 minutes and squeeze to remove the water

19

Add the cucumber to the cooled pickling liquor and set aside in the fridge

20

For the aioli, squeeze the water from the bread and place in a food processor with the garlic, a good pinch of salt and the zest and juice of the lemon

21

Blend everything together while gradually adding the oil in a thin, steady stream

22

Adjust the seasoning to taste and set aside in the fridge

23

Once the Scotch eggs have chilled, preheat the deep fat fryer to 175°C

24

Dip each egg in the flour, then the beaten egg and lastly, the panko breadcrumbs. Lower the Scotch eggs into the fryer and cook for approximately 2 minutes until golden brown. Drain briefly on kitchen paper and season with a little salt

25

Cook the bacon rashers under a hot grill until crisp and golden

26

To each plate, add a spoonful of celeriac remoulade to one third of the plate, top with a slice of smoked eel and a rasher of crispy bacon

27

In another third, add a slice of smoked salmon and top with a spoonful of the beetroot and apple relish. Place the Scotch egg on top of a dollop of aioli in the final third and serve with a side of the pickled cucumber