serves
6
prep
15 minutes
cook
10 minutes
difficulty
Mid
serves
6
people
preparation
15
minutes
cooking
10
minutes
difficulty
Mid
level
This recipe first appeared in Monday Morning Cooking Club’s second book, The Feast Goes On.
Ingredients
Salmon curing mix
- 1½ tsp black peppercorns
- 1½ tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tbsp salt
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 300 g skinned sashimi grade salmon, pin-boned
Pastrami crust
- 1½ tsp black peppercorns
- 1½ tsp yellow mustard seeds
- 1½ tsp coriander seeds
Potato laktes
- 2 Desiree potatoes, about 300 g, peeled
- 1 egg
- 2 tsp plain flour
- 250 ml (1 cup) oil, for frying
- salt and black pepper
- sour cream, to serve
Chilling time: 48 hours
This recipe needs to be started 2 days in advance.
Instructions
- To cure the salmon, coarsely crush the peppercorns and coriander seeds with a mortar and pestle or in a food processor. Place with the salt and sugar in a small bowl and mix until well combined. Rub this mixture all over salmon and transfer to a ceramic or other non-reactive dish. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for 24 hours. There will be a lot of liquid in the dish which you do not need to remove. Turn the salmon over and return to the fridge for another 24 hours.
- Remove the salmon from the fridge and drain away any liquid. Use a dry pastry brush and paper towel to brush off any excess curing mixture.
- For the pastrami crust, use a mortar and pestle or spice grinder to crush the peppercorns, mustard seeds and coriander seeds together. Press the spice mixture onto both sides of the salmon fillet to form a thick crust. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to slice. To serve, slice the salmon thinly on an angle.
- For latkes, peel and grate the potatoes. Place in a colander and squeeze the grated potato with your hands to remove any liquid. Tip the potato into a large bowl. Add the eggs and flour, then season generously with salt and pepper. Mix well.
- Add enough oil to a large frying pan over medium heat to reach a depth of about 5 mm-1 cm. When the oil is hot, carefully add teaspoons of the potato mixture to make small round potato cakes. Flatten them slightly, then fry for a few minutes on each side or until deep golden brown. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate.
- Serve the potato laktes hot or at room temperature, topped with salmon pastrami and sour cream.
Photography by Adam Liaw.
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Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
This recipe first appeared in Monday Morning Cooking Club’s second book, The Feast Goes On.
