So, it is coming up to Christmas Day, your planning your festive feast, and you want to have a great, relaxed and stress-free day as possible. Over the next few days I’m going to do my best to help with some top tips, recipes to cover all the essentials and some menu suggestions and I’m thinking of soup, not a thick heart-warming, winter wonder, but something light, delicate and chilled as you need to leave room for all the Turkey, trimmings and the Christmas Pudding. This recipe can be made the day before, keep in the fridge overnight and served straight from the fridge. How is that for easy?
You have probably tried Gazpacho the rich, Spanish blend of tomato, day-old bread and good olive oil or Vichyssoise the classic cold combination of leeks, potatoes, chicken stock and cream, but my recipe today is Chilled Salmon, Dill, and Cucumber Soup. This is a lovely starter for a relaxed festive party or a fabulous light lunch, particularly with a nice glass of chilled Riesling or a crisp, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc.
If you fancy something different why not try my recipe for creamy Cauliflower Veloute with Cauliflower Pakora and Curry Oil which again can be made a day ahead and reheated or if soup is perhaps a little too filling why not make some delicious Chicken Liver Parfait finished with Brandy and some light crisp Melba Toast.
Chilled Salmon, Cucumber, and Dill Soup serves 4
Around 400 gr Salmon Fillet, skinned, boned and cut into 3 centimeter cubes
( ask your fishmonger to remove any of the dark flesh from underneath the fillet )
2 large English Cucumbers, peeled
1 bunch of Spring Onions, washed and trimmed, cut into 3 centimeter slices
750 ml quality Fish Stock
150 ml Double Cream
50 ml Pernod or Vermouth
100 gr Butter
60 gr Plain Flour
A good pinch of English Mustard Powder
Juice and zest of 1 Lemon
A handful of fresh Dill
Sea Salt and fresh ground White Pepper
Remove the seeds from the cucumbers and reserve until later, then cut the cucumbers into half centimeter dice. Heat half of the butter in a medium-sized, frying pan and quickly sauté for two minutes. Lightly season and pour on the Pernod and remove from the heat and leave to chill. In a medium-sized pan bring the fish stock to a gentle simmer and remove from the heat. Heat the remaining half of the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pan and add the spring onions. Cook for five minutes without colouring then add the flour, cook out the flour for two minutes, over a gentle heat, stirring continuously to prevent sticking and browning. Add the hot stock, stirring all the time and bring up to the boil. Turn the heat down and add the salmon pieces, lemon zest, and cucumber seeds. Simmer over the lowest possible heat for fifteen minutes regularly stirring to prevent the soup sticking. Add the cream and cook for two or three more minutes.
When the salmon is poached in the soup base remove from the heat and allow to cool. Add the lemon juice then using a hand blender or food processor blitz the soup. Pass the soup through a very fine sieve into a bowl and stir in the cucumbers and Pernod. Finely chop the dill and add to the soup. Check the seasoning, remembering when chilled the seasoning will be less prominent. Cover and thoroughly chill. Serve in bowls garnished with a little more freshly chopped dill and some smoked salmon pate on toast.
Allergens in this recipe are;
The Online Cookery School 