The third course of the evening.
This dish again was designed to create a dramatic effect with a box of salmon being presented at the table, lid removed and a cloud of tea scented smoke filling the room. We knew from the start that this dish would be smoked tableside; we just hadn’t worked out how to do this for 90 people at once. I had been looking around for weeks to try and find anything that would work as a smoked and that wouldn’t cost us a small fortune at the same time. Then I had been in the wine cellar talking to Marco the hotels food and beverage manager, when I saw in the corner a magnum of champagne in a large wooden box, this would be exactly what I needed to smoke the salmon at pop up Belfast. I got on the phone to James Nicholson and before you knew it we had 10 perfect boxes. The boxes again where sent over to Stuart and within a day he had transformed then into a home smoker.
All we needed now would be to find the perfect smoke mixture. Walter Ewing our fish supplier for the hotel, is renowned for his famous smoked salmon, so after a quick phone call to him he had sorted us out with the oak and we mixed it with Lapsang Souchong which has a very distinctive, Smokey character and would work beautifully with the dish.
So below is the salmon 4 ways course, it is a very adventurous dish to recreate at home, but even if you just want to try some of the elements individually, you will still have a great course for a dinner party at home.
Serves 10
Ingredients;
For the Ballontine;
1 side of salmon skinned
2tblsp Maldon salt
250g parsley and chervil very finely chopped
For the tartar;
250g very fresh salmon skinned, pin boned and all brown flesh and belly fat removed
4 shallots peeled and finely diced
50g capers very finely chopped
250g parsley and chervil very finely chopped
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Maldon salt and freshly cracked pepper
For the Blinis;
70g buckwheat flour
70g plain flour
⅓tsp baking powder
⅓tsp dried yeast
175ml warm milk
1 egg separated
125g melted butter plus 1tsp extra
For the poppy seed vinaigrette;
5g Dijon mustard
50ml white wine vinegar
50ml balsamic
200ml hazelnut oil
200ml olive oil
Seasoning
6 cloves of garlic crushed
6 sprigs of thyme
Chervil and tarragon
30g poppy seeds
To serve;
Wooden wine boxes or other boxes you can smoke the fish in
10 white Chinese style serving spoons
10 x 50g portions of lightly smoked salmon
1 Aladin smoker
1tblsp oak wood shavings
1tblsp Lapsang Souchong
10tsps salmon eggs
Baby coriander cress to garnish
Method;
For the Ballontine;
Trim the salmon, remove the tail and the top piece to leave the salmon in a perfect rectangle shape, remove all of the fat and brown flesh from the belly and all of the pin bones. Split the salmon fillet into two lengthways and sprinkle each half with a little salt. Place one piece of salmon on top of the other, season with Maldon salt and roll into perfect barrel shape in cling film, making sure it is very tight, allow to set for 2 hours. Place the salmon into a water bath set at 42c and cook for 1min for every 100g of the salmon weight, plus 20mins extra. Remove from the water and chill overnight.
The next day remove the salmon from its cling film covering and cover with the chopped herbs, season again lightly and re roll the salmon in cling film. Store in the fridge until ready to use.
For the tartar;
In a large clean cold bowl add the salmon. Add the diced shallots, capers and chopped herbs and mix well, making sure all ingredients are evenly distributed. Add the lemon juice and zest and season to taste. Try to make the tartar just before serving as the lemon juice and the salt start to cure the fish and this will change the texture of the overall tartar.
For the Blinis;
Sift the buckwheat flour, plain flour and baking powder together. Mix the dried yeast with the warmed milk, then separate the egg and add the yolk to the yeast mix.
Next whisk this into the dry ingredients to make a smooth batter. Stir in the 1tsp melted butter.
Whisk the egg white to stiff peaks, and then gently fold into the batter, keeping as much volume as possible. Clarify some butter by gently melting it in a pan, then pour off the clear yellow liquid to use (throw away the white bit left behind in the pan). Heat the clarified butter in a frying pan and drop in dessertspoons of the batter. Cook until the surface starts to bubble, then flip over and cook the other side.
Cut the blinis with a small cutter about the size of a 2 pence coin.
For the poppy seed vinaigrette;
Mix the mustard and vinegars together.
Mix the oils together, then slowly add the oil to the vinegar mix, add the seasoning, garlic and herbs and leave in a warm place to infuse for 3 hours. Strain through a fine sieve, add the poppy seeds and store ready for use.
To serve;
Get the wooden box ready to serve. Place 10 spoons in the box.
Heat a large pan over high heat and add a little olive oil, pan fry the smoked salmon pieces until just golden brown on the service side. Remove from the heat. Flip the salmon pieces over and allow to warm in the residual heat of the pan. Keep the salmon pink in the centre.
Place the salmon portions onto each spoon in the box. Working quickly place the wooden shavings and the Lapsang Souchong tea into the top of the smoker and using a blow torch light the shavings. The smoke will be released through the smoke tube. Place the tube into the box and allow the box to fill with smoke. Shut the lid quickly and allow the smoke to sit in the box while you plate the rest of the dish.
Cut 10 slices of the Ballotine and place onto each serving plate.
Warm the blinis and place onto each plate just beside the Ballotine.
Using two spoons shape the tartar into quenelles; place a quenelle of tartar just above each portion of Ballotine.
Drizzle the plates with a little of the poppy seed vinaigrette and garnish with coriander cress.
Serve each dinner a plate each and bring the box to the table, remove the lid and the smoke will fill the room, guest can then help themselves to a smoked salmon spoon each.
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