Ingredients

• 2 vanilla pods
• 200g/7oz caster sugar
• 200g/7oz sea salt
• 1.5kg/3lb 5oz salmon fillet
• skin on
• pin boned
• washed and patted dry
• 1 bunch breakfast radishes
• halved lengthways
• to garnish
• 1 punnet mustard cress
• to garnish
• watercress
• to garnish
• 2 cucumbers
• 100ml/3½fl oz rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 2-3 tsp xantham gum
• rapeseed oil
• for griddling
• 100ml/3½fl oz rice wine vinegar
• 1 pinch caster sugar
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 50g/1¾oz piece fresh root ginger
• peeled and finely cut into thin strips

Directions

• For the salmon
• put the vanilla pods and sugar into a food processor
• blend to a fine purée and then stir in the sea salt.
• Place some cling film on a clean work surface
• then put half the sugar mixture in a line down the centre.
• Place the salmon fillet on top
• skin-side down then sprinkle the rest of the mixture over the top to cover the salmon.
• Wrap the salmon up loosely with the cling film
• then place it on a tray in the fridge for 24 hours.
• Remove the salmon from the cling film
• brush off the salt mixture and rinse it thoroughly under cold water
• then pat dry and wrap in clean cling film until ready to serve.
• For the cucumber ketchup
• cut the outer edge of the cucumbers off so that you are left with two long 2cm/¾in square batons. Set aside.
• Roughly chop the outer parts of the cucumber before putting into a food processor with the rice wine vinegar
• sugar and salt.
• Blend to a fine purée
• then add the xanthan gum one teaspoon at a time until it thickens.
• Heat a griddle pan until hot
• drizzle the cucumber batons with a little rapeseed oil and then cook on each side until charred and hot through. Remove from the heat and cut into small cubes.
• For the pickled ginger
• place the vinegar
• sugar and salt into a medium saucepan and heat until the sugar has dissolved.
• Add the ginger and simmer for 1-2 minutes
• or until the ginger has wilted down.
• Remove from the heat and leave to cool.
• To serve
• slice the salmon finely and layer onto each plate
• top with pieces of the charred cucumber
• teaspoon-sized blobs of the ketchup and the halved radishes. Scatter the pickled ginger
• mustard cress and watercress over the top to finish.