Flaked salmon burger, parsnip fries & horseradish

By: Simon Bajada
From: The New Nordic
Serves: 4
Photographer: Simon Bajada

Salmon is often the first ingredient people think of when considering Nordic cooking. Unfortunately, wild salmon is not as prevalent as you would think. Because of this, I often find that, from supermarkets to fish stalls, it can taste pretty similar the world over because it is most commonly farmed, and it can have quite an overpowering flavour. Nordic salmon is, perhaps, a little more understated in terms of taste, but I usually prefer to use ocean trout. It is a very similar fish in terms of texture, but with a more subtle flavour. The fish burger recipe below gives a nod to the relatively recent popularity of the soft bun and soft meat culture coming over from America. You will need a kitchen thermometer for this recipe.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
700ml	sunflower oil, or enough to submerge the fish in the pot
3	juniper berries
1 x 800g	fresh salmon or ocean trout fillet
800g	parsnips
1/2	telegraph cucumber
100ml	Light pickling solution
	freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
4 tablespoons	remoulade, (see note)
4	sweet soft bread buns
50g	fresh horseradish, peeled and julienned, kept in a water bath

Method

To confit the salmon, gently heat the sunflower oil with the juniper berries in a large heavy-based saucepan until the oil reaches 55°C. Carefully slide the salmon into the pan – if the fillet is too large to fit comfortably, cut it in half crossways. The temperature should drop to 45°C. Cook, maintaining this temperature for 15–20 minutes, until it breaks apart when you pull at it with a fork. Keep testing the temperature of the oil. The aim is not to cook the salmon but to change its taste and texture through gentle heating. Remove the fish from the oil with slotted spoons and wrap it in foil. Set aside, near the stove top to keep warm. Increase the heat under the oil until it reaches 190–200°C.
While the fish is cooking, peel and cut the parsnips into batons about 10 cm long and 1–2 cm wide.
Use a mandoline or peeler to slice the cucumber into ribbons. Pickle it in the sweet pickling solution for 20 minutes before serving. (Remove the cucumber with a fork so you can use the pickling solution again.)
When the oil is hot enough, fry the parsnips in two or three batches for 3–4 minutes, until golden brown. Keep the temperature of the oil high otherwise the fries will be soggy; don’t overcrowd the pan. Transfer to paper towel to drain, then grate over a little nutmeg and season with salt.
To serve, spread some remoulade on to the base of each bun. Flake chunks of the fish over each one, and top with some pickled cucumber and a few strands of the fresh horseradish. Serve with the parsnip fries.

Note

Make the remoulade by mixing together 60 g mayonnaise, 60 g Greek-style yoghurt, 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley and/or dill, 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion, 2 tablespoons finely chopped dill pickles, 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice and 1 teaspoon mild curry powder, white pepper or turmeric. Chill.