Allyson Gofton - Mexican Cured Salmon

The flavours of Mexican cuisine are often nowadays melted into TexMex cuisine. Herbs used include parsley, coriander, oregano, thyms and bayleaf, all of which we can buy fresh, though more authentic herbs such as epazote can be bought dried from local spice companies. I have used some of these herbs, with chilli and lime to create a dazzling cured salmon, perfect for this time of the year.

Recipe:
Lime Cured Salmon On Grilled Cornbread With Mexican Salad
Gently marinating thinly sliced, uncooked salmon with lime, coriander and palm sugar balances its richness. Toss it through a salad with a Mexican-inspired dressing for a light lunch meal or entree. Use toasted brioche or panini if too busy to make cornbread.

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

Cornbread:

1½ cups flour
½ cup fine cornmeal
½ cup sugar
¼ cup cornflour
1 tblsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ cup corn, use char-grilled fresh corn, frozen or canned (about 1 corn cob)
1½ cups milk
¼ cup melted butter
1 egg

Lime Cured Salmon:

400 grams salmon fillet, boned removed
3 tblsp lime juice, chopped coriander root and stalks
2 tblsp grated palm sugar or brown sugar, white wine vinegar,

Mexican Dressing:

1 tblsp jalapeno chillies, finely chopped, 1 tblsp chopped coriander
1 tsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp ground allspice, ½ cup olive or avocado oil
2 tblsp minced red onion, 2 tblsp lime juice

Method:

1. Sift the flour, cornmeal, sugar, cornflour, baking powder and salt into a bowl and make a well in the centre.
2. In a separate bowl combine the corn, milk, butter and egg. Stir into the dry ingredients only until just mixed - do not overbeat. Pour mixture into a greased, and lined 21cm x 11cm x 6cm loaf tin, (6 cup capacity).
3. Bake at 180ºC for 50 minutes until a cake skewer inserted comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the tin before turning out onto cake rack to cool completely. Keep in an airtight container.

Lime Cured Salmon:

1. Cut the salmon on a sharp angle into thin slices and arrange in the base of a non-metallic dish. Mix all the marinade ingredients together and pour over. Cover and allow to stand for 15 minutes.

Mexican Dressing:

1. Mix all the ingredients together. Keep refrigerated for up to one week.

To Serve:

1. Cut the cornbread into thick slices and toast. Drizzle with a little olive oil if wished. Top with salmon, a few rocket leaves and thinly sliced red onion rings. Drizzle with the dressing just before serving. Add extra toasted cornbread on the side.