Home tea-smoked salmon with potato scones and caper butter
If you're up for a bit of home smoking, you can do it in a wok over jasmine rice and tea, but have that extractor fan on high! Served with pan-fried potato scones and caper butter, this would make a special dinner for two.
Ingredients
For the salmon
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú sea salt
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú demerara sugar
- 400g/14oz piece sustainably-farmed salmon
- 150²µ/5½´Ç³ú jasmine rice, uncooked
- 2 tbsp jasmine tea
- 1 tsp caster sugar
For the scones
- 500g/1lb 2oz mashed potato
- 80²µ/2¾´Ç³ú ²µ°ù³Ü²âè°ù±ð, grated
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus extra if needed
- 150²µ/5½´Ç³ú plain flour
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 40g/1½oz unsalted butter, plus 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú for frying
- ½ tsp salt, plus extra if needed
For the caper butter
- 150²µ/5½´Ç³ú unsalted butter, softened
- 1 lemon, zest only
- 2 tbsp baby capers, roughly chopped
- 1–2 tbsp snipped fresh chives
To serve
- handful small watercress leaves
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú large caperberries
Method
To make the salmon, mix the sea salt and demerara sugar together and spread all over the salmon. Leave to cure for 40 minutes, then wash off the salt and sugar and pat dry.
Cover the base of a lidded wok with three sheets of kitchen foil and add the rice, tea and caster sugar. Put the pan over a high heat until the rice and sugar begin to smoke (this will generate a lot of smoke, so ensure you have a lot of ventilation). Place a rack over the smoking rice and place the salmon on rack. Smoke, covered, for 5–8 minutes and then turn off the heat. Leave covered for another 5 minutes.
To make the scones, rub the butter into the flour in a bowl until it has the consistency of fine breadcrumbs. Mix the remaining scone ingredients and season with more salt and pepper. Form into 8 round patties, about the size of scones.
Heat the butter in a frying pan over a medium heat and fry the scones for 2–3 minutes on both sides until crisp.
To make the caper butter, mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl. Any leftover butter can be frozen or kept in the fridge for a few days.
To serve, butter the scones with the caper butter. Flake the salmon into large chunks over the scones. Garnish with the watercress, lemon wedges and caperberries and serve.
