Peter Gordon

Salmon, Mint and Cucumber Salad on Crostini

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Preparation info

  • Difficulty

    Easy

  • makes

    20

Appears in

Salads

Salads

By Peter Gordon

Published 2005

  • About

This salad can be made in a jiffy, and you can use pretty much any fish you like – just make sure it’s really fresh! As the fish is cut quite small, you need to serve it within 30 minutes of mixing it all together or it will cure too much. What happens is that the citrus juice cures the fish protein, chemically ‘cooking’ it, changing the colour, texture and flavour to very much that of cooked fish.

The bloodline of a fish is that part of the flesh immediately under the skin, towards the centre, which is darker in colour. Although it’s absolutely fine to eat, the colour will make this salad look less enticing.

Ingredients

  • 20 thin slices of baguette or similar-sized pieces of your preferred bread
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 10 cm piece of cucumber
  • juice of 1 large juicy lime (or 2 tablespoons lemon juice)
  • 300 g fresh salmon fillet, skin, bloodline (see above) and any pin bones removed
  • 1 spring onion, thinly sliced
  • 12 mint leaves, finely shredded
  • 3 good pinches of sea salt
  • cress for garnish

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C, gas 3½. Make the crostini by laying the sliced bread on a baking tray and brushing it with the oil. Bake until golden, turning over halfway through. This will take between 10 and 15 minutes, depending on the bread you’re using. Leave to cool on the tray, then store in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Peel the cucumber, then slice it lengthways and scoop out and discard the seeds. Cut the flesh into narrow strips, then cut these across into dice. Place in a bowl and mix with the lime or lemon juice.

Cut the salmon into similarly sized dice and add to the cucumber together with the spring onion, mint and salt. Mix gently, cover and place in the fridge. Leave to cure for at least 15 minutes, then mix again and taste and adjust the seasoning.

To Serve

Divide the salad among the crostini and sit some cress on top.

© 2005 Peter Gordon. All rights reserved.