Charlie’s home cured Gravadlax.... with home-made Norfolk horseradish Since I’ve been in Cromer I’ve one of the many highlights has been becoming involved with the RNLI, training to be part of the crew. The do such a great job all year round and they are a great bunch of boys. It’s not until you get the RNLI bug completely under your skin that you realise the commitment, bravery and selflessness that they all have, and it’s been a privilege to spend time with them. The boss is, however, slightly concerned that the alarm will go at seven thirty on a Saturday night when my hands are full of steak, but I’ve assured him that Icarus’ steak always takes priority!
This recipe has been a firm favourite on our a la carte menu for a while now, and if you’ve ever wanted to know how to cure salmon – now’s your chance.
I look forward to seeing you all at the Grove this winter – we are open for dinner Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, plus of course the best Sunday Lunch in Norfolk! Best wishes, Charlie you will need to purchase half side of salmon, scaled and pin boned (any fishmonger will do this for you).
► Place the salmon on a piece of parchment big enough to be able to fold over the fish.
► In a food processor, blend 5-7 good size sprigs of dill
► Add crushed black peppercorns, a handful of pink peppercorns, half a squeezed lemon,
a good squeeze of Norfolk honey (if possible from hives that have been located near rape seed, as the honey tastes scrummy, and just a bit more fragrant).
► Blend all the above ingredients until a fine paste, like a pesto-type consistency, and put aside.
► Sprinkle a good handful of Maldon Sea onto the fish with the dill paste and spoon spread across the top of the salmon until even, as you need to have a consistent flavour through the whole of the flesh.
► Fold over the parchment, and then wrap gently with cling film length and width-wise until fully sealed.
► Leave in fridge for 10 days… (no longer!)
► When cured take your salmon from the fridge, unwrap and slice very finely using a carving (or if you have a long fish) knife.
► For the simple Horseradish crème fraîche, grate one whole horseradish (can be purchased from a good farm shop although you might need to order in advance), being careful not to grate too far into the core as it becomes very hard and stringy.
► Add to the horseradish one teaspoon of Dijon mustard, a pinch of salt and pepper and a touch of castor sugar.
► Finally squeeze your other half of lemon (or probably a fresh lemon, given that the last half was used ten days before!) into the mix.
Simply serve your salmon with your fresh Horseradish sauce and toasted sourdough bread.
► Mix all together with a good couple of large table spoons of crème fraîche and an equal amount of sour cream.
NORTH WALSHAM IN BLOOM
We at North Walsham in Bloom would like to thank all our sponsors large and small for the wonderful support we have received during the last twelve months. Without this continued effort from you all – and we know as well as anyone how tight money is at the moment – North Walsham town centre would be a very drab place. All our fund raising efforts have been very well supported and even when we are working in the town people come up and give us what they can afford from their pockets. We do try and keep our costs to a minimum but some things, for example watering and insurance, as well as obvious other costs still have to be met.
On 21 January we will be having a large working party on the corner of the bypass and Norwich Road to try and prevent the soil being washed away from our large flower bed in the next heavy rain like the one we had a few weeks ago. Even in the winter there are things to be done. The hanging baskets all have to be scrubbed out and have the wicks checked, and any wooden tubs – of which we now do not have many – have to be treated with wood preservative. You will I am sure, see us in our high vis jackets - brilliant for keeping out the wind – round and about the place getting things ready for the big plant in June. We all wish every one of you a Very Happy New Year and we will continue to try to make North Walsham a more pleasant place to live. North Walsham Times 438 January 18th 2014
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