This is from a Waitrose recipe card . The main appeal of this recipe for me was the light pickling treatment given to the cucumber and onion.
As luck would have it, it seemed that no sooner was this recipe published than my local Waitrose store stopped stocking the required hot-smoked trout. How perverse is that? Undeterred, I used a couple of pieces of their excellent lightly cold-smoked salmon portions, which, being cold-smoked and therefore raw, I poached gently and allowed to cool. Actually, it was great to have something appealing that suited them. They worked well as, I’m sure, would the trout if it ever returns.
Despite the enforced modification, it shot straight into my favourite salads list.
Planning
| serves: | 2 |
| preparation time: | 15 mins |
| cooking time: | 10 mins |
Ingredients
- 250g new potatoes
- 2 eggs
- ½ cucumber, finely sliced
- ½ red onion, halved & finely sliced
- 2 tbs white wine vinegar
- 1 tsp honey
- 130g fresh leaves (e.g. spinach, rocket & watercress)
- 125g hot-smoked trout fillets/2 lightly cold-smoked salmon pieces
- 3 tbs Greek yogurt
- handful chopped fresh dill
Method
If you’re using the raw, lightly cold-smoked salmon option, poach it gently in water (just below simmering point) until barely set (about 6-7 minutes). Set aside to cool.
Boil the new potatoes in salted water for about 10 minutes or so until just tender. Set aside to cool.
Boil the eggs. I tend to start with the water cold, bring it to the simmer and cook for about 5 minutes to get a soft set to the yolk. Drain and set aside to cool.
In a bowl large enough to hold the cucumber and onion slices, mix together the vinegar and honey with a pinch of salt. Add the cucumber and onion and toss well together with the pickling juices. Stir occasionally, pickling it for about an hour.
When everything is cooled and either you or the cucumber is pickled, dress the plates with the salad leaves. Halve or quarter the potatoes, depending on size, and add them to the salad leaves. Flake the smoked fish over the salad. Lift the cucumber and onion from the pickling juices, reserving the liquid, and scatter them over the top. Stir the yogurt and most of the dill into the pickling juices to make a dressing; spoon the dressing over the salad. Peel and quarter the eggs and place these on top of the salad. Scatter over the remaining dill.
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