±«Óãtv-smoked cod with potato salad and anchovy dipping sauce
For something truly unique take inspiration from Scandinavia. All you need is a juniper branch and a little courage!
Ingredients
For the curing mix
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú brown sugar
- pinch salt
For the smoked cod
- 600g/1lb 5oz piece of cod, skin on, boned
- 1 short length of juniper branch
For the apple and frisee salad
- ½ head frisée lettuce, use only the light green and white parts, chopped
- 1 apple, thinly sliced
- ½ fennel, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp picked dill
- 3 tbsp heavy cream
- salt, to taste
For the potato salad
- 400g/14oz new potatoes, halved
- ½ cucumber
- 2 tbsp capers
- 3 tbsp sour cream
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
For the anchovy mustard dipping sauce
- 100²µ/3½´Ç³ú sugar
- 100ml/3½fl oz vinegar
- 1 tbsp mustard seeds
- ½ tbsp caraway seeds
- ½ tbsp dill seeds
- 150ml/5fl oz oil from a jar of anchovies
Method
Mix the sugar and salt together for the curing mix. Rub the cod with curing mix on both sides. Leave at room temperature for 30 minutes. Place in the fridge for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight.
Pat the cod dry with kitchen paper. Put the cod in a baking tin and put the juniper branch on the opposite side of the tin. Carefully set fire to the juniper branch. Cover with foil and smoke for 10 minutes. If you want a smokier flavour leave to smoke for longer.
Remove the cod from the roasting tin and carefully cut into 5mm/¼in slices. Lightly brown the slices with a chef’s blow torch.
For the apple and frisée salad, toss all of the salad ingredients in the cream and season with salt.
For the potato salad, bring a pot of salted water to the boil, add the potatoes and cook until soft. Use a peeler to create thin strands from the outside of the cucumber, reserve this to make pickled cucumber. Finely chop the remaining flesh of the cucumber for the potato salad
Drain the potatoes and leave to cool. Mix with the other potato salad ingredients.
For the anchovy mustard dipping sauce, put the sugar, vinegar, spices and 100ml/3½fl oz water in a pot and bring to the boil. Whisk to dissolve the sugar. Leave to cool and reserve half for the pickled cucumber. Mix the other half with the anchovy oil.
For the pickled cucumber, mix the reserved cucumber strands with ½ tablespoon of salt and set aside for 5 minutes. Wash the cucumber to remove the salt, then drain. Mix with the pickling liquid.
Divide the cod slices bewreen 4 serving plates and serve with the salads and dipping sauce.