Carrot and cardamom cured salmon

Colin Page

Chef Shane Delia from Melbourne's Maha resturant completes this dish with wild greens and herbs, salt and vinegar jelly and pickled fennel.

Cured salmon and beetroot mayo

600 g	Carrots, peeled and roughly chopped (Main)
300 g	Sea salt
300 g	Caster sugar
40 g	Cardamom pods, cracked open and toasted
1	Salmon, side, pin boned and wing off (Main)
500 g	Baby beetroots, (this will reduce to 300g after cooking)
1	Egg, whole
5	Eggs, yolks
40 g	Dijon mustard
50 ml	Lemon juice
600 ml	Oil, blended with half vegetable oil and half olive oil

Corn puree and pumpkin puree

20 g	Garlic, peeled and crushed
2	Corn cobs
100 g	Onions, brown, diced
2	Bay leaves, torn
150 g	Cream, thickened
1 Ltr	Water
500 g	Pumpkin, discard skin
80 g	Unsalted butter
150 ml	Cream, thickened

Sousing liquid and spring vegetables

300 ml	Chardonnay vinegar
300 g	Brown sugar
1	Baby carrot, purple heirloom, or 1/2 per person
1	Baby carrot, white heirloom, or 1/2 per person (Main)
1 splash	Extra virgin olive oil
1	Fennel, micro, half per person, halved and 4-6cm of stem kept on

Directions

Cured salmon

1. Using a high-powered food processor, puree carrots, salt, sugar and cardamom until coarse. Refrigerate until required.
2. Place the side of salmon into a vacuum-seal bag. Pour the cure into the bag, making sure to focus the cure on to the salmon flesh more than the skin. Vacuum-seal for 45 seconds and then refrigerate for 24 hours.
3. Wash off the cure as well as all skin and blood line. Portion into 50g barrels.

Beetroot mayo

1. Pre-heat oven to 180C. Place the beetroot on a tray lined with rock salt and cook for 45-60 minutes, until tender.
2. Make mayonnaise using a food processor, starting with the eggs, mustard and lemon juice. Once they are smooth and with the machine running, slowly trickle in oil until it is all emulsified.
3. Puree beetroot and combine with an equal quantity of mayonnaise. Mix together and refrigerate. Transfer to a squeeze bottle before service.

Corn puree

1. Cut corn kernels from cobs. In a saucepan, add cobs, water and bay leaves and bring to the boil. Simmer for 20 minutes.
2. In another saucepan, saute onions, garlic and corn kernels on a low-medium heat until soft and caramelised. Add stock gradually while this is happening.
3. When corn is tender, add cream and puree in a high-powered food processor. Season, pass and allow to cool with a cartouche (folded piece of baking paper) on top. Transfer to a squeeze bottle before service.

Pumpkin puree

1. Grate pumpkin using the largest holes of a cheese grater. Using a saucepan on a low-medium heat, add butter, then pumpkin. Cook with the lid on, stirring occasionally.
2. When pumpkin is tender, add cream, stir through and blend in a high-powered food processor until smooth. Season and store in a container with a cartouche on top. Transfer to a squeeze bottle before service.

Sousing liquid

1. Place both ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Allow to cool and keep refrigerated until required.

Spring vegetables

1. For the carrots, peel and scrape dirt out of carrots, keep 2cm root on, half lengthways and quarter if too long.
2. Blanch micro fennel for 10 seconds in boiling salted water. Take out and place and dress with a little of the sousing liquid and reserve until required.
3. Blanch carrots for 5-10 seconds in boiling salted water. Dress all vegetables with sousing liquid, extra virgin olive oil and flaked salt for seasoning.

Salt and vinegar jelly

1. Combine 250g sherry vinegar, 15g flaked salt, 500g stock syrup and 12g agar agar in a saucepan and cook on a low heat, stirring continuously until all the agar agar is cooked out. This should take 5 to 15 minutes, depending on batch size. Finish with 10ml Tabasco and pass through a fine chinois.
2. Set into a greased cube or rectangle. Once set, turn jelly out of mould and dice into 1cm x 1cm cubes and refrigerate until required. Don't stack diced jelly in layers.

Garnish

• Red elk

To serve:

1. Place dots of each puree randomly around the plate as required.
2. Place three pieces of jelly on each plate then place the salmon portion at 2 o'clock position.
3. Continue with a piece of fennel with the stalk resting on the rim of the plate. Rest one of each carrot against salmon and jelly and add leaves. Serve immediately.