Salmon in Blankets

Ingredients:

• Salmon

• Fennel seeds

• Streaky bacon

• Butter

Method:

Cut the salmon into bite sized chunks.

Put some fennel seeds on a plate and roll the salmon in the seeds, coating all sides.

Wrap a rasher of bacon around each of the salmon chunks. Repeat for all your salmon.

Heat a little butter in a frying pan over a fire and add the bacon wrapped fish.

Cook for 10-15 minutes, turning occasionally, until the bacon has browned and the fish is cooked through.

Alternatively cook in your oven at 200 degrees celsius.

Planked trout

Ingredients:

• Water

• A 2-3 cm thick plank of oak or other ‘food safe’ wood

• 1 whole trout (or any other fish)

• Salt

• Nails or wooden pegs

• Optional Parsley, bay or other herbs

Method:
Soak the plank for 3 to 4 hours, or ideally overnight in water. You could substitute the water for beer or wine.

Prepare the fish by gutting, and removing the head, tail, and spine. Leaving the fish ina ‘butterfly’. Clean the fish and season the flesh with a little salt and any extra herbs. Fold in half, place onto the oak plank, nailing or pegging to hold it in place. If pegging you’ll need to drill some suitable holes into the plank.

Place the plank near to a fire and leave to slowly cook for about an hour, rotating the plank by 180 degrees half way through. Ensure the fish is cooked through before serving.

Taken from my book ‘Eat like a Viking!’ Available now on Amazon 

Cured salmon (Viking Gravadlax)

Ingredients:

• 100g sea salt

• 80g honey

• 30g dill (finely chopped)

• 12 juniper berries (crushed)

• A splash of mead

• 2 salmon fillets

Method:

Mix the Salt, honey, dill & berries well.

Place some cling film into a dish and lay 1 salmon fillet, skin side down and cover with the salt mix.

Place the second fillet, skin side up, on top and wrap tightly in the cling film.

Place something heavy on top and leave in the fridge for 2 – 4 days, depending on how salty you want the fish to be. Turn every 12 hours.

Drain any surplus liquid before serving.

Taken from my book ‘Eat like a Viking!’ Available now on Amazon 

Smoked Mackerel Butter

Ingredients:

• Smoked mackerel fillets (skin and bones removed)

• Unsalted butter (about half the same volume as fish)

• A mix of salad leaves, such as garlic-mustard, wild garlic, rocket, watercress (finely chopped)

Method:
Flake the fish into a bowl

Add the fresh butter and work together into a paste, until smooth. Add more butter if too stiff.

Add the salad leaves and mix well.

Serve on warm fresh bread, flat breads, crisp breads or oat cakes

Taken from my book ‘Eat like a Viking!’ Available now on Amazon