Served chilled with rye bread, pickled salmon's tangy, subtly spiced flavour adds a refreshing touch to the Christmas table
In Martin Chuzzlewit, Mrs Gamp orders ‘pickled salmon, with a nice little sprig of fennel, and a sprinkling of white pepper…’
This recipe is from Christmas with Dickens, published by CICO Books (£9.99) Photography © CICO Books
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To make the marinade, put all the ingredients except the salmon and dill in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10–15 minutes, then put through a sieve, into a bowl. Reserve 50–100ml of the marinade for a salad dressing.
If you wish to poach the salmon, put the strained marinade back in the pan, lower the fish into it, and simmer gently for 8–10 minutes, then set aside to cool.
Alternatively, if you wish your salmon to be a little raw and soft in the middle, place the salmon fillets in a glass or ceramic dish in a single layer and pour the hot marinade over them. Set aside to cool. When the liquid is tepid, add the dill to the marinade, then place in the fridge for 2 hours to chill.
Remove the salmon from the marinade. Using a sharp knife, slice the fish thinly. Arrange on a plate, decorated with fennel sprigs, fennel flowers, or dill.
To make a salad dressing, whisk the reserved marinade together with olive oil (in the ratio of 3 parts oil to 1 part marinade) and a little mustard. Serve with salad on the side.
