Posts tagged smoked salmon

Sweetcorn Fritters & Smoked Salmon

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Sweetcorn Fritters & Smoked Salmon

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elieve it or not, I posted this recipe in 2012 and have been making fritters almost weekly. It’s such a faithful fritter recipe and can be paired with many ‘toppings’ for any meal time (see below). Feel free to even chuck in any leftover fridge ingredients such a diced chorizo, cubed feta or even some bacon if you feel like it. I’ve disappointingly ventured into courgette fritter making but always end up with a watery soggy mess. My pea, mint and black pudding fritters come a close second and Ottolenghi’s Cauliflower & Cumin recipe is a winner if you’ve not attempted them.  However sweetcorn is the one for me.

I have been pushing for “Isolation Friday date nights” to become the new norm in our new anti-social life as I search desperately to find something to look forward to in the week and focus my creative mind on. This week was my turn and we “went”….beer tasting (in our living room)! It felt good to support my local craft beer store (Ghost Wale) which I’m ashamed to say I’d never been to before now. So I ‘click & collected’ 5 new beers and set up a flight of interesting beers.

Given we eat these fritters on a weekly basis, I was keen to indulge in a favourite comfort recipe to match our beers as we ate and drank away our Friday night after a pretty busy week working and destroying my leg muscles doing squats on the balcony!

These can be eaten for breakfast (top with smoked salmon, grilled chorizo, poached eggs, hollandaise etc); lunch snack with a salad or dinner as I’ve done here. Guacamole makes a great addition with some slices of grilled halloumi to keep it vegetarian!

Makes about 8 fritters

  • 300g frozen sweetcorn
  • 4 spring onions
  • Large bunch coriander, chopped
  • 1/2 red chilli chopped OR 1 tsp chilli flakes
  • 40g plain flour
  • 40g polenta
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 50g grated cheese (I use half cheddar, half parmesan)
  • 2 large eggs, beaten
  • Smoked salmon to serve
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 lime
  • 1 x can black beans
  • 1 x avocado, diced
  • 2 large tomatoes, dressed and chopped
  • Creme fraiche OR Greek yoghurt to serve.
  1. Make the fritter batter firstly by bringing the corn to the boil in a saucepan and simmering for a few minutes. Drain well and leave to cool.
  2. Mix the spring onions, half the coriander, chilli, flour, baking powder, polenta, cheese and a seasoning of salt and pepper in a large bowl.
  3. Add about 1/3 of the sweetcorn to the bowl. Blend the other 2/3 in a food processor until chunky but blended. Add this to the mixing bowl and stir well.
  4. Mix in the 2 beaten eggs thoroughly until the mixture is a good thick batter.
  5. Assemble the black bean salad by draining and rinsing the black beans and adding them to a serving bowl. Add the avocado, the tomatoes, the other half of the coriander and some good seasoning. Squeeze over the juice of the lime and stir to combine.
  6. To make the fritters, heat a tbsp of sunflower oil in a large non-stick frying pan. When hot, add a few spoonfuls of batter at a time for each fritter into the hot oil and cook the fritters for a few minutes each side until they are golden on the outside but cooked through. Drain on kitchen towel once cooked. Continue with the rest of the batter.
  7. To serve, stack 2-3 fritters per person and top with some smoked salmon slices. Spoon over a dollop of creme friache or greek yoghurt and squeeze over the juice of a lemon and some cracked black pepper.
  8. Serve alongside the black bean salad!

Lapsang Souchong Smoked Salmon

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Lapsang Souchong Smoked Salmon

I attempted to smoke my own fish at home and it was a surprising success! You’ll  need a 1940’s gas mask or failing that, an efficient extractor fan- I chose the later- as your kitchen soon gets a little smokey. The taste is worth the trouble though, as it infused this beautiful salmon with a subtle smoky fragrance and a moist, pillowy texture! Following Skye Gyngell’s instructions with a few tweaks here and there, this is how to go about your home smoking…..

  • 45g muscovado sugar
  • 60g caster sugar
  • 135g tea leaves- I used Lapsang souchong which has a bonfire-like smoky taste.
  • Salmon filltets
  1. Using foil, make 2 cups about 3cm deep and divide the above combined dry mixture into both
  2. Place in a deep roasting tin. Place ramekins or pudding moulds in the four corners and rest a wire rack on top of them, covering the foil cups
  3. Place the salmon fillets skin side up on some parchment and wrap and place on top of the wire rack. Place the tin on a medium-high heat and begin to heat. It takes about 10 minutes to begin smoking- extractor fans are essential here.
  4. For salmon, my timings were a bit hit and miss. I smoked it for about 5 minutes and then checked. Then leave to rest for for a few minute still wrapped but off the heat.

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To let the salmon be the star of the show, I served mine simply with creamy lentils with lots of fresh chopped herbs. The only down fall to this is you don’t get the crispy skin I so love on fish. People find this is strange but it is essentially just like pork crackling! So, you can peal the skin off the salmon and fry in a hot oiled pan for a few minutes and serve as a salty shard on top for added texture and crunch!

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Champagne and Canapes

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Champagne and Canapes

 

Ok so it was sparkling wine but it was my clear favourite in a blind tasting and its from Kent [Chapel Down- Tenterden]! Despite being my top tipple, it still hasn’t triggered any increase in its purchase in the weekly shop shockingly (I tried) However, this Kent variety is worth buying for a special occasion, which this was……

Yesterday, we proudly and inspiringly celebrated the dedicated 35 years my dad has spent working for an engineering company he joined after University. So we indulged him in some bubbly and fancy canapes. I knocked up some pillowey blinis topped with creme fraiche, salmon caviar and chives.

Blinis

  • 175ml milk
  • 40g butter
  • 2 eggs, separated
  • 125g plain flour
  • 50g wholemeal flour
  • 1 ½ tsp dried yeast
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp chopped chives,plus extra to serve
  • Oil to fry
  • Creme fraiche
  • Salmon caviar
  1. Heat the milk and butter until melted.
  2. Sift the flours, yeast, sugar and salt into a food processor or bowl.
  3. With the processor running, add the warmed milk and butter mixture, followed by the egg yolks (or whisk into the bowl if not using a processor)
  4. Pour into a bowl, cover with cling film and leave in a warm place for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until risen and airy.
  5. Whisk the egg whites until stiff but not dry and fold into the yeast batter with the chopped chives.
  6. Heat a little oil in a hot frying pan and drop small spoonfuls of batter into the pan and cook for about 40 seconds per side or until golden.
  7. Reserve to a plate and leave to cool a little before topping with creme fraiche, caviar and chives. Alternatively, these blinis can be topped with anything else like salmon, goats cheese mousse etc!

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