Cucumber & dill salad with smoked mackerel and egg

Name: Cucumber & dill salad with smoked mackerel and egg
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 Essential Cucumber; 1 tsp fine salt; 1 echalion shallot; 1 tbsp Essential White Wine Vinegar; ½ tsp caster or granulated sugar; 4 Essential Free Range White Eggs; 210 g pack 4 smoked mackerel (or hot smoked salmon) fillets; 8 slice/s baguette, cut on the angle; 20 g pack dill, leaves only; 2 tbsp Essential British Crème Fraîche

Elly Curshen's leftover salad can be made ahead, covered and chilled at the end of step 4, if you prefer. Boil the eggs and prep the mackerel and toast when you’re ready.

4 out of 5 stars(1) Rate this recipe

HealthyHigh in omega 31 of your 5 a day

Serves4
CourseMain meal
Prepare10 mins
Cook15 mins
Total time25 mins
PlusPreparation time 10 minutes + salting

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1 Essential Cucumber
1 tsp fine salt
1 echalion shallot
1 tbsp Essential White Wine Vinegar
½ tsp caster or granulated sugar
4 Essential Free Range White Eggs
210g pack 4 smoked mackerel (or hot smoked salmon) fillets
8 slice/s baguette, cut on the angle
½ x 20g pack dill, leaves only
2 tbsp Essential British Crème Fraîche

Peel a few strips from the cucumber skin lengthways, creating stripes. Cut it in ½ lengthways, then slice into 0.5cm half moons. You can eat the skin you peeled off – chef’s perks!
Put the cucumber in a sieve and set over a bowl. Sprinkle with the salt and toss to coat. Leave to drain for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, finely dice the shallot. Mix the vinegar with the sugar in a medium bowl and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the diced shallot and plenty of black pepper. Stir to mix and leave to one side.
Put the eggs in a pan of boiling water and cook for 8 minutes. Peel the skin from the mackerel, removing any visible bones, and flake the fish into large pieces. Drain the eggs, cool under cold water, then peel and set aside.
Once drained, rinse the cucumber under cold water, then pat dry with a clean tea towel or kitchen paper. Tip into the bowl with the shallot. Preheat the grill.
Spread the baguette slices over a baking tray and toast under the grill until golden on both sides. Finely chop the dill and add to the cucumber, along with the crème fraîche. Toss together and taste for seasoning, then serve with the mackerel, halved and seasoned boiled eggs and toasted baguette.

Cook’s tip

You only need a couple of spoonfuls of crème fraîche to dress the salad, so if you don’t have any open, feel free to swap with thick Greek-style yogurt or soured cream. You can even omit it entirely.

Angela Hartnett served this recipe to Caitlin Moran with a rösti instead of toast on season 3, episode 15 of the Dish podcast. To make the rösti: Grate peeled potatoes, place in a clean tea towel, sprinkle with salt and squeeze the liquid from the potato (into the sink). Add to a hot pan with oil and butter and press the potato down. When it's fried on one side flip it over and cook the other side then transfer to the oven to crisp up. Add the eggs to boiling water for 8 minutes then place in ice water and peel.