I am always very impressed by beetroot cured salmon. It looks so amazing, don’t you think?

So, I had a crack at making some myself. In the rush around Christmas eve I looked up a couple of recipes for the vibe.  I think I looked at a couple of Jamie Oliver’s recipes.  And then true to form just made it up with what I had.

Here’s what I combined:

• 1 cup rock salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 bunch chopped coriander
• 1 beetroot grated

I skinned the salmon fillet, and covered it all over with the mixture. I then wrapped it in glad wrap and put it in the fridge for 3 days. I had to keep draining off the very pink liquid, so if you make it DO put it on a plate with a lip. Then, when it was done I washed it gently, to get rid of as much salt as possible. And sliced it thinly.

We ate it with a cream cheese dip on bread and crackers. I just mixed some light cream cheese with milk (to make it more spreadable) and added grated lime rind and juice and also garlic salt and chopped parsley. I was going to add dill, but I didn’t have any. So parsley it was.

And we also had some blanched fresh asparagus. It was good!

And the December issue of Country Style magazine which I read yesterday has a cured trout recipe that’s really similar (sans beetroot) but with dill.  Yum!  Are you inspired?