Marinated Salmon, Danish-style
This salad is two weeks in the making. The salmon is cured with beer, then sliced and served over greens. Homemade asparagus mayonnaise adds the perfect spring touch.
Ingredients
- Salmon
- Salmon - one, 5-pound, filleted
- Saltpeter - 2 ounces
- Sugar - 1 cup
- Salt - 1/2 cup
- Freshly ground black pepper - 1/2 cup
- Basil - 2 tablespoons, chopped
- Beer - two, 12-ounce cans
- Asparagus Mayonnaise
- Egg Yolks - 3
- Asparagus - 1/3 bunch, cooked and roughly chopped
- Lemon Juice - 3 ounces
- Olive Oil - 1 cup
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- Lemons - 2
- Bibb Lettuce - 1 head, cleaned and separated into leaves
- Tomatoes - 4
- Curly Parsley - 1 leaf, stemmed
Instructions
To prepare the salmon: Place the fish, skin-side down, in a flat glass dish. Sprinkle with saltpeter, sugar, salt, black pepper, and basil. Pour beer over the fish to cover. Wrap the dish with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 weeks.
To prepare the mayonnaise: In a food processor, blend the yolks, asparagus, and lemon juice. With the machine running, drizzle in the olive oil, blending until emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Use immediately, or cover and chill until ready to use.
To serve: Using a sharp knife, draw a zig-zag line around the equator of a lemon. Insert the knife halfway into the lemon on each zig and zag, then separate the lemon into two. Repeat with the other lemon. Make a bed of lettuce on each chilled serving plate. Peel each tomato in a continuous spiral. Wrap the skinned tomatoes for another use; coil up the spirals to make tomato roses. Place one tomato rose and one lemon half on each plate. Drain the salmon well and slice very thin. Lay strips of salmon over the lettuce. Spoon asparagus mayonnaise over the salmon and lettuce. Place a bit of parsley leaf on each lemon half.
