James Strawbridge's Smoked Fish Platter

James Strawbridge's Smoked Fish Platter

The perfect platter for a picnic! James makes great use of Macneil's smoked fish for this easy-to-throw-together dish
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Serves 4

Ingredients:

For the ciabatta:

  • 1 loaf of sliced ciabatta
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp chopped chives
  • 1 bulb of roasted garlic
  • Pinch of sea salt

For the beetroot:

  • beetroot, finely julienned
  • 75ml cider vinegar
  • 75ml boiling water
  • 1-2 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 tsp yellow and black mustard seeds
  • 1 tbsp chopped dill

For the potato salad:

  • 150g salad potatoes, finely sliced and boiled
  • 1 tbsp mayonnaise
  • 50g samphire – pickled in cider vinegar and sugar
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped gherkins
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped mint
  • Pinch of salt and cracked black pepper
  • 1 tsp lemon zest

To garnish:

 

Method:

  1. Preheat your grill and toss your sliced ciabatta in a bowl with oil, finely chopped chives and plenty of seasoning. Grill for 3-4 mins on each side until crispy and golden.
  2. Dress the platter with watercress, lemon and smoked mussels.
  3. For the beets: slice very thinly and cover with a hot pickling solution. Make this by dissolving sugar in a pan with vinegar, mustard seeds, dill and hot water. Allow the pickled beets to cool to room temperature for 10-15 mins and then drain out of the pickling liquor and serve.
  4. For the potato salad, toss the boiled potatoes with lightly pickled samphire, chopped gherkin, mint and mayo. Season to taste.
  5. Top the ciabatta with pickled beetroot on half of them and potato salad on the remainder. Add salmon to accompany the potato and mackerel to pair with the beetroot.
  6. Serve this starter at room temperature and garnish with some sprigs of dill and lemon on the side.