Smoked salmon tartare

For the pickled cucumber
1 medium organic cucumber,
peeled and coarsely grated
3tbsp white wine vinegar
1tsp caster sugar

For the smoked salmon tartare
250g (9oz) thick smoked salmon fillet, skinned
2tbsp each finely chopped dill, chives, gherkins and capers
1tbsp finely grated lemon zest
Crème fraîche and chives, to garnish
Olive oil, to serve

A sophisticated starter that's not so very hard to create

In short	Preparation time: 20 mins Serves: 4 people Course: Soups, starters & snacks
Nutrition (per portion)	106 calories 3g fat (1g saturates)

Method

1 Place all pickled cucumber ingredients into a bowl. Season, cover, place in fridge for 4-6 hours or overnight.

2 Finely dice the salmon and place in a mixing bowl with the dill, chives, gherkins, capers and lemon zest. Season with freshly ground black pepper, stir to mix well (this can be prepared up to a day in advance and kept in the fridge until ready to serve).

3 To serve, drain the cucumber in a fine sieve; press with the back of a spoon to get rid of any excess liquid. Place a 10cm (4in) cook’s ring in the centre of each serving plate and half fill with the cucumber mixture. Press the mixture down firmly using the back of a spoon. Top with the smoked salmon tartare mixture, pressing down with the back of a spoon. Carefully remove the rings and top each serving with a dollop of crème fraîche and garnish with chives. Drizzle a little olive oil around each portion and serve immediately.

Photographs Peter Cassidy; food styling and recipes Sunil Vijayakar; prop styling Roisin Nield