Sous vide gravlax with dill and cucumber

Ingredients

• 1 kg side of salmon
• 300 g of salt
• 300 g of sugar
• 3 lemons, zest only
• 1 tbsp of dill seeds
• 1 tbsp of fennel powder
• olive oil
• 1 apple
• 1 cucumber
• 2 tbsp of chardonnay vinegar
• salt
• 1 tbsp of sorrel, sliced julienne
• olive oil
• 100 g of yoghurt
• 10 g of fresh horseradish, finely grated
• 20 ml of lemon juice
• 8 slices of dark rye bread
• chopped dill
• wood sorrel
• dulse
• dulse powder

Instructions

1. 1

   Begin by curing the side of salmon. Sprinkle half of the salt, sugar, lemon zest, dill seeds and fennel powder into a tray and place the salmon on top. Cover with the remaining ingredients and press in thoroughly, ensuring an even coating. Place the tray in the fridge and leave to cure for 1 hour

2. 2

   Meanwhile, prepare the pickled vegetables. Dice the apple into 5mm pieces and set to one side, then dice the cucumber into pieces of the same size. Place the diced cucumber and apple into separate vacuum bags and divide the chardonnay vinegar between each bag. Add a pinch of salt and seal, leaving to pickle until ready to serve

3. 3

   Wash the cure from the salmon and dry well. Slice the salmon into 70g portions and place in a deep tray, wrapping the tray tightly with clingfilm. Make a small hole in the centre and smoke the salmon for 30 seconds using a smoker, leaving the fish covered for a further 5 minutes to infuse

4. 4

   Preheat a water bath to 45°C

5. 5

   Remove the salmon from the tray and place each portion into a separate vacuum bag with a dash of oil. Cook in the water bath for 30 minutes

6. 6

   For the yoghurt dressing, mix together the yoghurt, horseradish and lemon juice in a small bowl, adjusting the quantities according to taste

7. 7

   Remove the salmon portions from the bags and use a blowtorch to finish, burning the top until coloured. In a separate bowl, mix together the pickled apple and cucumber with the sorrel and a little olive oil ready to serve

8. 8

   To serve, spoon a little of the yoghurt dressing across the plate, dragging to create lines as well as dots. Scatter over some of the pickled vegetables, then place a slice of rye bread in the centre of the plate and top with a piece of salmon. Sprinkle over a little dulse powder and chopped dill, garnishing with the wood sorrel leaves, dill sprigs and seaweed