Hot-smoked salmon, roasted garlic & apple salad

Most of the smoked salmon that you buy in shops – the kind that is usually sold in flat slices – is cold smoked. This means it has been smoked for a long time without any heat source. I prefer hot-smoked salmon, which is usually sold as an individual fillet. The smoky flavour in hot-smoked salmon is bolder and it has a similar texture to cooked salmon. Like all smoked fish, hot-smoked salmon makes a great base for a salad because of its fantastic intense flavour and saltiness. Here, the roasted garlic yoghurt provides a much-needed savoury note, and the crisp apple provides sweetness and crunch.

Credit: Simon Bajada

• serves

  4

• prep

  15 minutes

• cook

  25 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 1 head garlic
• 250 g (1 cup) natural yoghurt
• 100 ml full-cream milk
• Pinch of white pepper
• 500 g hot-smoked salmon
• ½ red onion, thinly sliced
• ½ telegraph cucumber, halved lengthways, thinly sliced
• ½ bunch radishes, thinly sliced into cold water
• 1 Granny Smith apple, cored, thinly sliced into acidulated water
• 150 g watercress or mâche
• ½ lemon

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 200ºC. Place the garlic on a baking tray and cook for 20–25 minutes, until the edges start to turn dark brown. Squeeze the garlic flesh into a bowl and mash with a fork. Add the yoghurt, milk and white pepper and mash together, making sure the garlic is evenly combined. Season, to taste.

Flake the salmon into a separate bowl and gently combine with the onion, cucumber, drained radish and apple slices and the watercress or mâche. Transfer to a serving platter and drizzle with the yoghurt sauce. Squeeze over the lemon and serve.

Any leftover yoghurt sauce will keep in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Recipe and image from The New Nordic by Simon Bajada (Hardie Grant, $49.95, hbk)

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.