Name: Spiced home-cured salmon
Prep time: 30 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: Serves 2 with leftovers
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients: 400g/14oz whole piece of skinless, boneless salmon fillet; 85g coarse sea salt; 85g caster sugar; 1 star anise seeds removed and crushed; 1 tbsp coriander seeds crushed; few fresh coriander stalks, chopped; 1cm piece ginger roughly chopped; 1 tbsp dry sherry; 2 tbsp dark soy sauce; 2 tbsp dry sherry; 1 garlic clove crushed; 1 small red chilli deseeded and diced; few drops sesame oil; sprinkling caster sugar to taste; small handful each dill coriander and mint leaves; ½ mouli (Japanese radish), peeled and shaved into ribbons with a potato peeler

For the salmon

400g/14oz whole piece of skinless, boneless salmon fillet
85g coarse sea salt
85g caster sugar
1 star anise
seeds removed and crushed
1 tbsp coriander seeds
crushed
few fresh coriander
stalks, chopped
1cm piece ginger
roughly chopped
1 tbsp dry sherry

For the dressing

2 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tbsp dry sherry
1 garlic clove
crushed
1 small red chilli
deseeded and diced
few drops sesame oil
sprinkling caster sugar
to taste

To serve

small handful each dill
coriander and mint leaves
½ mouli
(Japanese radish), peeled and shaved into ribbons with a potato peeler

Method

step 1
Put the salmon fillet into a small tray on a double layer of cling film. In a bowl, mix the salt and sugar with the spices, coriander stalks and ginger, then scatter the mix over both sides of the fish and pat it down. Drizzle over the sherry and wrap the fish in the cling film. Place another tray on top, weight it down with a few tins, then chill for 2 days, flipping the fish over each day.
step 2
Mix all the dressing ingredients and stir until the sugar has dissolved. If the flavour is too strong, dilute it slightly with a drop of water, then set aside.
step 3
To serve, unwrap the salmon and wipe it clean, then briefly rinse it and pat dry with kitchen paper. Using a sharp knife, slice the fish quite thinly and arrange on plates with the mouli, then sprinkle with the herbs and drizzle over the dressing.