Nicky's Plaice smoked salmon with crab salad & cucumber

© Recipe created by Derry Clarke, L'Ecrivain, for the 2010 Irish Food Writers' Guild Food Awards

Serves 4

Ingredients:

225g (8oz) Nicky’s Plaice smoked salmon

FOR THE CUCUMBER JELLY:

1 gelatine leaf
½ cucumber, roughly chopped

FOR THE CUCUMBER ROLL:

½ cucumber
100g (4oz) fresh white crab meat, picked over to remove any pieces of shell
1 tsp creamed horseradish
2 tbsp mayonnaise
squeeze of fresh lemon juice

FOR THE AVOCADO PURÉE:

1 ripe Hass avocado, skinned, halved & stone retained
1 tbsp crème fraiche
squeeze of fresh lemon
Maldon sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
salted cured salmon eggs and micro cress, to garnish


TO MAKE THE CUCUMBER JELLY:

Soak the gelatine leaf for 3-4 minutes in a bowl of ice-cold water

Purée the cucumber in a food processor, then season to taste

Place in a small pan with 100ml (3 ½ fl oz) of water

Drain the gelatine and squeeze dry, then dissolve in the cucumber mixture

Push through a fine sieve into a small container and allow to set in the fridge for at least 2-3 hours

Using a long, straight-edged knife, slice thin horizontal slices from the smoked salmon. Cut these layers into 4cm (1 ½ in) squares.


TO MAKE THE CUCUMBER ROLL:

Place the crab meat in a bowl and fold in the horseradish and mayonnaise

Add the lemon juice and season to taste

Remove the seeds from the cucumber using a small teaspoon and then pare long thin ribbons from the cucumber using a swivel vegetable peeler – you’ll need 8 in total

Arrange two slices of the cucumber on a clean work surface in a slightly overlapping layer

Divide the crab mixture into quarters and place one quarter at one end of the cucumber, then roll up tightly to enclose the filling


TO MAKE THE AVOCADO PURÉE:

Blend the avocado, crème fraiche and lemon juice together in a food processor

Season to taste, then transfer to a bowl and pop the avocado stone into the middle of the mixture (this prevents the avocado from going brown). Seal with clingfilm and chill until needed.


TO SERVE:

Arrange the smoked salmon on chilled plates

Cut the cucumber jelly into small squares and arrange one on each plate with a cucumber roll

Scatter over the cured salted smoked salmon eggs and micro cress to garnish. Finish each one with a small pile of Maldon salt