Smoked salmon fillets with dill-pickled vegetables, crème fraîche & salmon roe

Method

• step 1

  First, for the pickles, cut the cucumber into rounds and layer it in a sieve, sprinkling with 2 tsp salt as you go. Set over a bowl and leave for a couple of hours – the salt will draw out the moisture.

• step 2

  Bring 200ml water to the boil in a pan with the white wine vinegar, sugar, 1 tsp salt, celery seeds and black peppercorns. Leave to cool.

• step 3

  Peel the carrots and cut them into batons. Clean the radishes really well, then cut them in half lengthways. Squeeze the drained cucumbers of excess moisture.

• step 4

  Put all the vegetables in a 1-litre sterilised jar with the dill and pour the cooled vinegar over them, then seal with a lid. Leave to sit at room temperature for two days before serving, or keep chilled. Will keep in the fridge for four weeks.

• step 5

  Heat the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and put the salmon fillets on a baking sheet. Brush the fillets with the melted butter and scatter with black pepper. Cook for 14 mins.

• step 6

  Serve the salmon with some of the pickled vegetables, a generous tablespoon of crème fraîche on each fillet, finished with a spoonful of salmon roe on top.