Ingredients

Method

• 240 g coarse rock salt
• 135 g white sugar
• 3 T fresh fennel leaves finely chopped
• 2 T lemon zest
• 8 juniper berries
• 1 t gin (optional)
• 1 x 500 g trout fillet
• bread, for serving
• For the minted cucumber-and- yoghurt sauce:
• 2 cups cucumber coarsely grated
• ½ t salt
• 1 cup plain yoghurt
• 1 T fennel leaves finely chopped
• 1 T garden mint finely chopped
• 1 t freshly squeezed lime juice

Method

Ingredients

Mix the salt, sugar, fennel, lemon zest and juniper berries in a bowl. If you are using gin, sprinkle it over the salt mixture. Pour half of the salt mixture onto a deep baking tray and spread out evenly.

Place the trout fillet, skin side up, on the bed of salt and cover with the remaining salt mixture. Cover with clingwrap and place a smaller baking tray on top, then place some weights, such as canned food, on top.

Chill for 6 hours, remove the weights and scrape the salt off the trout to the side of the baking tray.

Place the fillet, skin side down, on the salt mixture and cover with the remaining salt mixture. Cover with cling wrap once more, weigh down and chill for 6 hours.

Brush the salt mixture off the trout fillet and discard it. Chill the gravlax until you are ready to serve it, then slice thinly across the grain and serve with the minted cucumber-and-yoghurt sauce.

To make the minted cucumber-and-yoghurt sauce, place the half the grated cucumber in a colander and sprinkle with half the salt. Top with the remaining cucumber and salt and leave the mixture to drain for 30 minutes. Stir in the yoghurt, fennel, mint and lime juice.

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