Recipe: Beetroot gravlax-style trout

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Serves 6

20g fresh dill, finely chopped

1 tsp crushed juniper berries

50g caster sugar, plus 1 tsp

50g sea salt flakes

1 tsp white peppercorns, crushed

1 tsp pink peppercorns

1 large beetroot, thinly sliced with a vegetable peeler

200g raw trout fillet

Mix together two thirds of the dill with juniper berries, caster sugar, salt white peppercorns and  pink peppercorns in a bowl.

Lay out a piece of baking paper on a clean work surface and place the trout, skin-side up, on top. Coat the trout with half the dill mixture. Turn the fish over, then coat the other side of the fish with the remaining dill mixture and a layer of the beetroot, so it is completely covered. Wrap and place in an oven tray with a plate and a 400g tin (of something like chickpeas or tomatoes) on it to weigh it down. Chill for 24 hours then turn the fish over and replace the weight. Chill for another 24 hours.

Scrape off the mixture and place the fish on a plate. Chill for 4 hours without a covering to dry out, then cover the fish with the remaining dill and slice on a gradient very thinly. At this point, the fish will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days, if you are not going to use it straightaway.