Ingredients
- FOR THE INFUSION:
- 1 Large slice of watermelon, 1 1/2 inches thick
- 50g Dashi stock
- 5g Ponzu sauce
- 6 Thin slices ginger
- 1 Star anise
- 1 Cardamom pods
- 1 Makrut lime leaf, crushed and sliced.
- 1 Stalk of lemongrass, crushed and sliced lengthways
- Juice of 1/2 a lime
- SALTED SALMON:
- 4 Salmon fillets, cut Japanese style
- 1 Tbls Obento brand sake
- Salt (see notes)
- TO SERVE:
- Grated Daikon, from the wide end of the daikon
- Thinly sliced cucumber rounds
- Lime wedges
- Onigiri and dipping sauce (optional)
- Scallions, thinly sliced
Method
- This is a make ahead recipe. For best flavour make your watermelon a week ahead.
- INFUSED WATERMELON:
- Trim the rind from your watermelon and place in a vacuum bag or large ziplock bag.
- In a small jug combine the dashi stock, ponzu, lime juice, lime leaves, lemongrass, cardamom and star anise. Pour the dashi mixture into the bag with the watermelon, coat the watermelon evenly with the mixture, remove the air and seal.
- Place into the freezer for 7 days. Remove from the freezer at least an hour before making your dish.
- SALTING THE SALMON:
- At least 2 days before you want to serve this you will need to cure your salmon.
- Drizzle the sake over the salmon pieces and coat evenly on both sides, set aside for 10 minutes. Pat dry with paper towel.
- Weigh the salmon and calculate the amount of salt needed (see notes).
- Starting with the skin, distribute the salt evenly over each salmon fillet until they are all coated, if there is any salt left over add this to the skin.
- Line an airtight container with paper towel and place the salmon onto the towel. If you cant fit all the fillets then place another sheet of paper towel over the first layer of fillets and place the rest of the fillets on top. Lay a sheet of paper towel on top and place the lid on. Refrigerate for 2 days.
- COOKING THE SALMON:
- Remove the salmon from the fridge, pat dry with fresh paper towels.
- Heat the grill to high, place the salmon on a lined baking sheet on the centre rack, skin side up. Cook for 8-10 minutes or until well done.
- TO SERVE:
- Cut 12 equal pieces approximately 2cm wide from the watermelon (place any extra watermelon into the fridge). Use a blow torch to scorch the top of each piece to give it a umami flavour boost.
- Place 3 cucumber rounds on each plate and top each cucumber round with a piece of watermelon. Place about 1/2 Tablespoon of grated daikon next to each slice of cucumber.
- Place the salmon on the plate and some lime wedges, Scallions and onigiri (if using) on the side.
- NOTES :
- 4%-5% of salt is needed to cure the salmon. Personally I prefer 4%. My Salmon weighed 400g in total so my total salt weight was 16g. A tablespoon of salt weighs approximately 10g so I used just over 1.5 Tablespoons.
- The cooking time does not include the infusion time or curing time.
- This seems like a lot of effort but it's a really simple recipe. If you are looking for something different to try then give it a go, it's definitely worth the wait time.
Product used in recipe
- Obento - Cooking Sake