Local Aoraki Salmon & Beetroot Gravelax with Orange Dressing, Herb & Cucumber Salad.

For six people

Ingredients

 Fillet of Salmon (we use Aoraki Salmon from Mount Cook)
 2 large Beetroot (peeled)
 1 cup Rock Salt
 ¼ cup Brown Sugar
 12 Coriander seeds
 Fresh herbs - dill, chervil, Italian parsley, -watercress, basil
 2 Oranges
 60ml light Olive Oil
 1 Lemon
 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
 1 Cucumber

Cooking method

 Two days before:

Pin bone and trim the salmon fillet. Place it skin side down in a large dish and cover first with the sugar and then with the rock salt. Cover with plastic wrap and place a heavy pan, or chopping board, on top and place in the fridge for 24 hours.

 After 24 hours:

After 24 hours wash off the salt and sugar and pat dry. Next, toast the coriander seeds and crush them in a pestle and mortar. Zest one of the oranges and rub the coriander seeds and orange zest into the salmon flesh (not the skin).

Put the beetroot into a food processor until it is finely chopped and then spread this thickly over the salmon flesh, on top of the orange and coriander mixture. Cover the salmon tightly in plastic wrap again and leave for a further 24 hours, turning the salmon over after 12 hours.

 On the day:

Make the orange dressing

Put the juice of the two oranges in a pan and reduce by one third. Take it off the heat and add the Dijon mustard, olive oil and the juice of one lemon. Season with sea salt and freshly milled black pepper.

Make the salad

Slice the cucumber into long strips with a mandolin or peeler, discarding the seeds. Add the watercress and freshly picked herbs and toss together.

To assemble

Unwrap the salmon and remove some of the beetroot - leaving just a very thin layer - and then slice the salmon, quite thinly, starting from the tail end, and arrange on a plate.

Dress the cucumber salad with the orange dressing. Spoon a little of the dressing over the salmon and top the salmon with some of the salad and serve.