Meet Joe, a professional private chef who has been based on the island for 13 years.
After having trained for six years at the five star ‘Celtic Manor Resort’ in South Wales, Joe went on to work for Michelin-starred chef, James Sommerin.
He became a finalist in the National Junior Chef of Wales competition and was a Culinary Arts of Excellence semi finalist, just to name a few of his achievements.
He has an impressive professional record for someone who’s still, only 33 years of age.
A little closer to home, Joe was voted a two-times winner of the annual Pintxa San Antonio competition here in Ibiza, and now owns Wild Thymes Ibiza with his partner Bex.
Wild Thymes Ibiza is a diverse private chef service, offering bespoke menus for all events.
We’re thrilled to have Joe involved with Home Cooked Heroes, and here he shares one of his favourite recipes for you to practice.
It’s not an easy one but if you’re looking to push your creative boundaries, this is definitely one to give a whirl.
Ingredients
-
Salmon
- Pickled Carrots
- Cucumber Ribbons
- Horseradish Crème Fraiche
- Herb Oil
- Garnish
Instructions
- **Prep time is 24 hours for the curing of the Salmon, and pickling of the Carrot but there is no cook time** Salmon
- Mix all ingredients for the Salmon together in a bowl, and cover with the marinade, place fish skin side down in a zip lock bag and refrigerate for at least 24 hours (or up to 48 hours).
- Once cured, remove from the bag and rinse the salmon under cold water (removing excess marinade) and pat dry with paper towel.
- Cover and store in the fridge until needed. Pickled Carrots
- With a speed peeler, peel the carrots from top to bottom producing long, wide, thin ribbons. Discard the skin.
- Meanwhile, bring all pickling ingredients to a simmer in a sauce pan.
- Remove from heat and immediately add the carrots, insuring they are totally submerged
- Allow to cool and store in an air tight container in the fridge. (This will last for at least two months and it's is great as a condiment for cheese, salads or burger toppings). Cucumber Ribbons
- Simply peel the green skin off the cucumber and discard, continue peeling long thick ribbons of cucumber flesh (stop when you reach the seeds)
- Keep ribbons separate and dice up the seedy centre of the cucumber to be used as part of the salad. Horse Radish Crème Fraiche
- Combine all the ingredients together and add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to taste. Herb Oil
- Create an ice bath by adding some ice to a large mixing bowl, then add 3 cups of water.
- Set a medium size pot of water over high heat. When the water is boiling, add the fresh herbs.
- Let the herbs cook for about 20 seconds, until they wilt and darken slightly in colour. Quickly transfer the herbs from the boiling water to the ice bath.
- Remove the herbs from the ice bath and squeeze out as much excess water from the herbs as possible. Take your time with this step, really try to get as much water out of the herbs as possible.
- Transfer the squeezed herbs to a high-powered blender. Add the oil and blend on the highest speed for 2-3 minutes.
- The heat from the friction of the blender will help to break down the herbs and create a deep green color in the oil. When you turn the blender off, the herb oil should feel warm to the touch, and literally have a little steam rising from the top of it.
- Line a fine strainer with cheesecloth, and put a large mixing bowl underneath. Pour the oil from the blender through the cheesecloth-lined strainer. Don't force the oil through the strainer, just let the oil drain naturally through. This may take about 30 minutes.
- When the oil has fully drained through the strainer, you can store it in a small container in the refrigerator for up to a few months. Use this oil to garnish anything, from soups to fish to eggs Plating
- OK so now for the fun part, even though this is a starter Joe always uses a mains plate as he feel it helps make this dish look more impressive. You obviously don't have to do this but we added the 'how to' just in case
- Take the salmon and using a sharp filleting knife, carefully remove the skin (insuring the skin is and knife are flat to the surface and you are very careful) and slice the salmon in about 1⁄2 centimetre thickness.
- On the base of each plate put a table spoon of the horseradish dressing, swiping it across the plate. Joe then places three slices of salmon rustically across the plate, followed by ribbons of the carrot that have been dabbed on a paper towel to remove the excess vinegar.
- Try not to put too much pressure on the carrot as you're trying to find a balance between the acid of the carrot, salty sweet salmon and creamy dressing.
- Place ribbons of cucumber and diced cucumber heart.
- Add sprigs of picked dill (about 2 teaspoons of either salmon, or lumpfish roe) and then drizzle around the herb oil.
- Serve this dish with some toasted rye bread or any thinly sliced toasted bread, add an ice cold glass of Chablis and enjoy!!!
Notes
Useful items for this recipe
