Peach Schnapps Cured Salmon Tacos

(Makes 6 – 8)

This is great as an appetiser and makes an excellent cocktail canapé too.

Ingredients

• ¼ cup parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 3 leaves of iceberg lettuce, torn
• 1/3 cup avocado salsa
• 100g peach schnapps cured salmon, diced or sliced
• 2 tablespoons sour cream, mixed with chopped chives
• 2 tablespoons sweet chilli sauce or Poppies Pantry Blood Orange Marmalade
• fresh coriander leaves

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Sprinkle the grated parmesan in small circles on a sheet of Teflon/silicon baking paper placed on an oven tray.  Bake until golden.

Remove from the oven and cool slightly until you can handle.

Place the discs of parmesan over a clean broom handle, or similar, to ‘set’ the shape for a taco shell.  Allow to cool and crispen.  Provided you store them in an airtight container you can prepare these shells up to two days ahead. 

To assemble, place a small amount of iceberg lettuce and a dollop of avocado salsa in the base of each taco shell.  Add diced or sliced cured salmon and a teaspoon of the sour cream.  Finish off with a drizzle of sweet chilli sauce or blood orange marmalade.

To Serve

Shape a quenelle of avocado salsa and place in the centre of a plate.  Sit the taco on the avocado.  Garnish with fresh coriander leaves and spoon around a little more sauce.

Peach Schnapps Cured Salmon

• 350g Akaroa salmon fillet, skin on, boneless

Curing Mixture

• Zest of 2 lemons
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1/8 cup rock salt
• 1/8 cup fresh dill, chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh coriander leaf and root, chopped
• ½ teaspoon juniper berries, crushed
• 1 teaspoon dried pink peppercorns, crushed 
• 2 tablespoons peach schnapps
• 2 teaspoons fresh dill, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh coriander, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh chives, finely chopped

Method

Place salmon fillet skin side down on a sheet of cling film.

In a bowl, combine curing mixture ingredients.

Pack the curing mixture all over the flesh of the salmon.  Drizzle over the peach schnapps, and then wrap the fish tightly in the cling film.  Place a weight on top of the fillet, and placed in the refrigerator for a minimum of 12 hours.

Wash all the curing mixture off the salmon with cold water.  Sprinkle over the remaining fresh herbs, and place in the refrigerator until required.

Cured salmon can be wrapped in cling film and stored in the refrigerator for 5 days.  Rewrap in clean cling film after each use.  It can also be frozen, and will keep for up to 4 weeks.  Use immediately after defrosting.

Wine Suggestion

Champagne / Bubbles:

• Lindauer Sec
• Lindauer Special Reserve 2004
• Lanvin NV
• Krug Grande Cuvee NV

Lightly/Unoaked Chardonnay:

• Craggy Range Kidnappers Vineyard 2007
• Southbank Estate 2006