Two impressive recipes for the grazing table

Wednesday, 26 June 2024

These two impressive dishes are great for sharing and come together with a few carefully considered ingredients.

Sachie’s Gin Cured Salmon with Beetroot

Curing your own salmon is very easy but you do need to plan ahead as it takes a couple of days for the flavours to sink in. This recipe is inspired by episode 4 of Sachie’s Kitchen, available to watch on stuff.co.nz, in which chef Sachie Nomura travels to the Coromandel and meets local gin makers Daniela Suess and her partner Paul Schneider of award winning Awildian Gin.

Recipe by Sachie Nomura

Serves: 4-6 people (canapé style)

INGREDIENTS

Gin Cured Beetroot Salmon

Approximately 900g - 1kg salmon fillet, skin off, boneless

175g beetroot, peeled and grated

150ml gin

3 tbsp rock sea salt

Wasabi Cream Mayo

200g Japanese mayonnaise

50g cream cheese

1 tbsp wasabi paste

5-6g dried wakame, hydrated in water, drained and chopped

Crispy Rice

300g cooked short grain rice

2 tbsp sushi vinegar

Oil to shallow fry

Garnish:

Caviar

Shredded nori

Micro herbs

METHOD

1. To make the cured salmon, mix the grated beetroot, gin, and salt in a bowl. Place the salmon in a zip-lock bag and add the mixture. Spread evenly and cure in the fridge for 24-48 hours, depending on the thickness of the salmon. (I cure 600g of salmon fillet for 24 hours).

2. To make the wasabi cream mayo, mix wasabi, Japanese mayonnaise, cream cheese and chopped wakame and set aside. Keep refrigerated until ready to use.

3. To make the crispy rice, stir sushi vinegar into the hot cooked rice. Line an oven tray with cooking paper and spread the rice to about 2 cm thickness. Place another piece of cooking paper on top and press firmly until the rice is approximately 5 mm thick. Leave until cool and cut into small bite size squares, using a wet blade so the rice doesn’t stick to the knife. (Ideally, rest the rice pieces in the fridge overnight). When ready to fry, add approximately 1 cm of oil to a frying pan and shallow fry the rice pieces until golden and crispy. Place the crispy rice on top of paper towels to drain excess oil.

4. To serve, rinse the cured salmon under cold water, pat dry, and slice thinly. Spread the wasabi cream mayo on a large serving plate, and place the sliced salmon on top. Garnish with micro herbs, shredded nori, and caviar. Serve with the crispy rice.

Watch Sachies Kitchen at stuff.co.nz/sachies-kitchen

Roast Baby Carrot & Lentil Salad with Honey Walnuts & Yuzu Dressing

The harmony of the walnuts, honey and soft goats’ cheese is stunning by itself, but the addictive yuzu dressing takes this salad to the next level.

Recipe Sachie Nomura Photo Manja Wachsmuth

Serves 4-5

INGREDIENTS

HONEY WALNUTS

120g walnut halves or pieces

25g honey, briefly warmed in microwave

until runny

ROAST CARROTS

600-800g baby carrots, washed and dried

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

FOR THE LENTILS

1 cup (225g) brown lentils

750ml water

YUZU DRESSING

100ml yuzu-infused olive oil (we used Lot Eight)

3 tablespoons soy sauce

55g brown sugar

90ml rice wine vinegar

GARNISH

Soft goats’ cheese, crumbled

Microherbs and edible flowers (we used nasturtium)

METHOD

1. Heat oven to 180°C. Mix walnuts with warmed honey in a bowl. Line a baking tray with baking paper and spread walnuts out on tray. Bake 15 minutes till golden. Cool then store in an airtight container; they will keep 2-3 weeks.

2. Roast carrots: Spread carrots in a lined baking tray, drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and tender.

3. Meanwhile, wash lentils and put in a pot with water. Bring to the boil then simmer on low heat for 15-20 minutes or until cooked. Drain off any excess liquid.

4. Dressing: Combine all the ingredients in a bottle. Store in the fridge until needed.

5. To assemble salad, make a bed of lentils on a plate and place roasted carrots on top. Add some honey walnuts and goats’ cheese. Garnish with microherbs and edible flowers.