I do not label myself as vegan, vegetarian, or even flexitarian, but I very rarely eat animal products. So, if there is a rare occasion that I do eat something that is not plant-based, it better be amazing.
This beetroot and citrus cured salmon ticks this box, and since it is rather festive in its bright pink color, it is very suitable for the Christmas table too. I have prepared this salmon several times for cold spreads, and every single time I will be asked for the recipe, so it is not only me who finds it delicious ☺ The earthiness of the beetroot and zing from the citrus create perfect harmony. It pairs exceptionally well with freshly toasted bread. If you can find them, then the big caper berries are a nice addition to this dish, but be careful – the capers have a strong taste, so it might make sense to serve them on the side.
Preparing this dish takes a couple of days, but most of this time, there is nothing you need to do. The active time is probably around 20 minutes.
Beetroot Cured Salmon
Cooking time: 20 minutes + 2 days
1 side of salmon, as fresh as possible, without the bones, skin on
1 bigger beetroot, raw
2 tsp orange zest (organic oranges, if possible)
1 tsp lemon zest (organic lemons, if possible)
3 tbsp coarse sea salt
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp lemon juice
Instructions:
Make sure that there are no bones in the fillet. Set it on a big piece of baking paper, skin side down.
Grate the beetroot and mix it with everything else.
Spread the beetroot mix on the fillet and pat it down evenly with your hands.
Fold the ends of the baking paper on the fish, and then roll it evenly in the paper. Add the roll in a plastic bag, and let it sit on your fridge for two days, skin side down.
After two days, unwrap your fish, remove the beetroot mixture, give the fish a very quick rinse and pat it dry with kitchen paper.
To serve, slice it as thin as possible.
By Kadri Raig
Kadri is a food blogger and yoga teacher from Estonia. She loves healthy food and cooking and for her, these two are often the same thing. Cooking meals from scratch, you know exactly what goes in it and even without holding back with sugar or fat we end up using a lot less compared to ready-made frozen stuff from the supermarket.
She does love to spend time in the kitchen, but most of her recipes are simple and don’t take more than 20 minutes of active cooking time. She thinks that everybody can find time to cook healthy food at home, it is just a question of planning. "I work in an office full time, teach yoga 7-8 hours a week and write a blog. So if I manage to cook most of my meals, then so do you!" Connect with Kadri and enjoy many more of her delicious healthy recipes on her website here: http://www.kahvliga.ee/.
Practice Yoga for Detox to unwind after the holidays!