Ingredients

• 1 x 2.5kg/5lb 6oz whole salmon
• scaled and gutted
• 1 lemon
• halved
• 2 tsp black peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 cucumbers
• a few handfuls salad leaves
• mayonnaise
• for piping

Directions

• Place the salmon into a large roasting tin or a fish kettle and cover with water. Squeeze in the lemon juice and add the rinds to the tin
• then add the peppercorns and bay leaves.
• Bring to the boil
• then remove from the heat immediately. Set aside for the salmon to slowly poach in the residual heat for about 30 minutes
• or until cooked through (the flesh should be opaque all the way through).
• Using a fish slice
• carefully remove the salmon from the tin and place onto a large serving platter. Remove the skin from the presentation side
• from behind the gills to the tail.
• Thinly slice the cucumbers
• then halve each slice into little semi-circles. Layer the cucumber slices over the exposed salmon flesh in a pattern to mimic fish scales.
• Surround the salmon with salad leaves.
• To serve
• pipe the mayonnaise over and around the salmon as desired.