PREPARATION TIME: 10 MINUTES

MAKES: ENOUGH FOR 4–6 TO SHARE OR START A MEAL

SALMON SASHIMI WITH YUZU AND WHITE SOY DRESSING

This dish is super simple, fresh and brings together some elements that you normally see in a Japanese restaurant, but these are surprisingly accessible and easy to manage at home. This is the perfect starter to any dinner party, utilising the freshest of fish and highlighting how the acid from the yuzu cuts perfectly through the fattiness of the salmon. Pull out the chopsticks, sneak in a little sake and you’ll have a great night for sure!

600 g (1 lb 5 oz) sashimi-grade salmon, skin removed and pin-boned

YUZU DRESSING

1 French shallot (eschalot), thinly sliced

1 cm (½ inch) piece ginger, grated

½ teaspoon fresh wasabi (see note)

60 ml (2 fl oz/¼ cup) white soy sauce

2½ tablespoons yuzu juice

1½ teaspoons sugar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 teaspoon olive oil

TO SERVE

1½ teaspoons puffed amaranth (see note)

1 spring onion (scallion), thinly sliced, placed in iced water to curl

coriander (cilantro) cress

purple basil cress

Slice the salmon widthways, as thinly as you possibly can, then transfer on to a large round serving plate. Arrange the salmon in concentric circles so it looks like a flower (see note).

To make the yuzu dressing, combine all the ingredients in a small bowl and allow to sit in the fridge until needed.

Dress the fish with 2–3 tablespoons of the dressing, sprinkling over the puffed amaranth, curly shallots and cresses.

NOTES

∎   Fresh wasabi can be bought from Asian greengrocers. If you can’t find it, you can use fresh horseradish, which is available at larger greengrocers. Failing that there is always the wasabi paste (just get the best and most authentic version you can get your hands on) or horseradish in a jar.

∎   Yuzu juice can be bought at speciality Japanese grocers and some Asian supermarkets. The yuzu is a citrus fruit that is cultivated in Asia and tastes similar to a mix between a mandarin and lemon or grapefruit.

∎   Yuzu dressing can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge until needed.

∎   Puffed amaranth can be bought at health food stores and adds a textural element to the dish.

∎   The key to slicing the salmon super thin is using an extremely sharp knife and cutting in one fluid motion. Once on the plate, the salmon can be covered with plastic wrap and placed in the fridge until needed.

∎   Check out my video here.