Cold Smoked Gin and Myer Lemon king salmon with a Goats cheese Cloud, Lemon Verbena and pistachio

This recipe is one of those Mise en Place-focused dishes that every great establishment has on its sleeve. Chef Russell Billing has shared his tips and tricks to perfect this dish.

The salmon is delicately cured for 24–48 hours, for a soft and sweet flavour. Always use high-quality king salmon; Chef Russell recommends Ora King or Mt Cook Alpine salmon in New Zealand. If you're in Australia, a good substitute would be a nice fillet of Ocean Trout.

Chef Russell smoked the salmon in the RATIONAL iCombi Pro using manuka dust in the Vario Smoker. This flavour-packed smoked salmon goes beautifully with the light citrus notes of goat’s cheese foam/cloud, freshness of lemon verbena, crunch of toasted pistachios, and seasonal fresh herbs. For this dish, he used thinly sliced red radish and lamb’s lettuce. Serve it with a nice Pinot Gris for the perfect entrée or downsize it to a canapé.

For the Salmon

Ingredients:

• 1 side of salmon, skin on and pin bones removed
• 1 cup good quality gin
• 2 Meyer lemon, Zest only – finely grated
• 1 bunch fresh thyme
• 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 cup coarse sea salt
• 1 cup soft brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, crushed
• 1 tablespoon juniper berries
• 500g Fine Manuka smoking dust

Instructions:

1. Prepare the Cure:

• In a medium bowl, combine the sea salt, brown sugar, juniper, zest, thyme, garlic and crushed black peppercorns.
• Mix well to ensure even distribution of the ingredients.

2. Prepare the Salmon:

• Lay the salmon on a large piece of plastic wrap, skin side down.
• Rub the gin evenly over the flesh of the salmon.

3. Layer the Flavors:

• Sprinkle the salt and sugar mixture evenly over the salmon, ensuring the entire surface is covered.

4. Wrap and Weigh Down:

• Wrap the salmon tightly with the plastic wrap, ensuring there are no gaps.
• Place the wrapped salmon on a baking sheet or in a large dish.
• Place another baking sheet or dish on top of the salmon and weigh it down.

5. Curing Process:

• Refrigerate the salmon for 24 to 48 hours, turning it over halfway through the curing time.
• The longer the curing time, the firmer and more flavourful the salmon will be.

6. Drying

• After the curing period, remove the salmon from the refrigerator.
• Unwrap the salmon and gently rinse off the curing mixture under cold water.
• Pat the salmon dry with paper towels.

7. Smoking

• Plug the RATIONAL Vario smoker into your iCombi pro and select smoke. Select 1 hour and allow to preheat. This will take approximately 5 minutes, while you are waiting for the Vario to generate smoke place the salmon skin side down on a RATIONAL grid/rack (pro tip: lightly oil the skin with EVOO).

Lemon Verbena oil

• 1 cup lemon verbena leaves
• 1 cup Italian flat leaf parsley
• 2 cup grapeseed oil

Blanch the Lemon Verbena leaves and parsley in 95c water (just under boiling) for 45 seconds, I use the RATIONAL iVario pro you could just use a pot though. Quickly refresh in ice water, this preserves the chlorophyll. Next step is to wring out the blanched herbs in a dry clean towel. Once the herbs are dry place in a blender with the sunflower oil and blend on high for about one minute. (Pro tip – place your hand on the blender jug, once you feel a slight warmth it is done) It the friction of the blending that transfers in infuses the flavours into the oil. Pass through a fine strainer, only letting it drip don’t force it through.

Aerated Goat Cheese Foam

Ingredients:

• 250g fresh goat cheese
• 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
• 1/4 cup (60ml) whole milk
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• Salt and white pepper, to taste
• 10g  Xanthium gum

Equipment:

• Blender
• Fine-mesh sieve
• Siphon (cream whipper) with a nitrogen (N2O) charger

Instructions:

1. Blend the Mixture:

• In a blender or food processor, combine the goat cheese, heavy cream, whole milk, Xanthium and lemon juice.
• Blend until the mixture is smooth and well combined.
• Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Blend again briefly to incorporate the seasoning.

2. Strain the Mixture:

• Pour the goat cheese mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl to remove any lumps and ensure a smooth texture.
• Use a spatula to help press the mixture through the sieve if needed.

3. Prepare the Siphon:

• Pour the strained mixture into the siphon (cream whipper).
• Secure the lid on the siphon tightly.

4. Charge the Siphon:

• Insert the nitrogen (N2O) charger into the charger holder.
• Screw the charger holder onto the siphon until you hear a hissing sound, indicating the gas is being released into the siphon.
• Shake the siphon vigorously to distribute the gas evenly throughout the mixture.

5. Chill the Foam:

• Place the siphon in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour to chill and allow the foam to stabilise.

Plating

1. Toast 50g pistachio nuts and roughly chop
2. Slice radish and pick lambs lettuce or other herbs you have selected
3. Slice salmon ready to be plated.
4. Using the Siphon gently disperse the goats cheese cloud onto a bowl plate/Coupe
5. Gently and artistically arrange the salmon and herbs on top of the cloud
6. Sprinkle over toasted pistachios and drizzle with the lemon verbena oil.

Enjoy!

Russell Billing

National RATIONAL Corporate Chef