Ingredients

• 50ml/2fl oz mirin
• 50ml/2fl oz sake
• 75g/3oz caster sugar
• 150g/5oz white miso paste
• 4 x 125g/4½ oz salmon fillets
• skinless and boneless
• any brown flesh removed
• 1 cucumber
• peeled in stripes
• halved length-wise
• seeds removed and cut into 3mm/1/8in slices
• 1 large red chilli
• halved
• de-seeded
• finely sliced
• 9 black trompettes mushrooms
• soaked and torn into strips
• ½ tsp fine sea salt
• 90ml/6 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 45g/1¾oz caster sugar
• 1½ tbsp Japanese pickled ginger
• roughly chopped
• 60ml/4 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 2½ tbsp caster sugar
• ¾ tbsp fine salt
• 250g/9oz sushi rice
• black and white sesame seeds
• toasted
• herb cress
• such as rocket or coriander cress
• Japanese seven spice pepper

Directions

• For the salmon
• combine the mirin
• sake and sugar in a small pan. Bring to the boil over a medium heat
• to dissolve the sugar.
• Add the miso paste and bring to the boil and simmer for three minutes.
• Pass the miso mixture through a fine sieve and set aside to cool.
• Onced cooled
• coat the salmon fillets with the miso marinade
• (reserving some to finally coat the salmon before cooking)
• and lay on a tray to marinade for at least six hours.
• Once the salmon has marinated
• preheat the oven to its highest setting.
• To cook the salmon
• wipe any excess marinade off the salmon fillets and heat a dry pan until very hot.
• Sear the salmon fillets briefly in the very hot pan
• then place them onto a baking tray.
• Rub the top presentation side of the salmon with a little miso marinade and allow to dry for at least 10 minutes.
• Finish the cooking the salmon in the oven
• for about five minutes until just cooked and still slightly pink inside.
• For the cucumber salad
• mix the cucumber
• chilli
• trompette mushrooms and sprinkle with the salt.
• Allow the vegetables to stand for 30 minutes then rinse in cold water and pat dry with kitchen paper.
• In a small pan
• bring the vinegar with caster sugar to the boil
• then pour it over the cucumber mixture. Allow to stand for an hour
• then add the pickled ginger.
• Drain the pickling liquor off the vegetables when ready to serve.
• For the sushi rice
• in a small pan
• bring the rice wine vinegar
• sugar and salt up to the boil
• stirring to dissolve the sugar and salt. Once dissolved
• remove the mixture from the heat and allow to cool.
• Wash the sushi rice three or four times in cold water
• and set aside in the colander for 30 minutes.
• Place the rice into a saucepan then add 500ml/18fl oz water. Cover the rice and bring to the boil over a low heat.
• Boil the sushi rice for 12-15 minutes until the water has been absorbed
• then remove the pan from the heat
• keeping the lid on
• and allow finish cooking
• off the heat
• for 10-15 minutes more.
• Tip the rice into a wide bowl and fold in four tablespoons of the cooled sushi vinegar.
• When the rice is cool shape it into balls or triangles. To serve
• warm the sushi rice in a steamer or microwave.
• To serve
• sprinkle the miso salmon fillet with black and white sesame seeds and place onto serving plates. Serve the pickled cucumber salad alongside with the sushi rice
• sprinkled with a few sesame seeds. Garnish with herb cress and a dusting of seven spice pepper.