Tom Kerridge's Proper Pub Food (9 page)

This salmon is very similar to Scandinavian gravadlax and needs a couple of days to cure. You can play around with the flavour combinations in the cure to suit – try vodka
and dill or whisky and coriander seeds.

The buttermilk pancakes are dead easy to make and go well with many different ingredients – I especially like them with fish, fruit and cured meats.

Serves 4

For the buttermilk pancakes

Two days in advance, line a roasting pan or deep dish large enough to hold the salmon fillets with clingfilm, leaving enough over-hang to wrap around the fillets. Mix the brown
sugar, sea salt flakes, fennel seeds and juniper berries together in a bowl. Spread a layer of this mix over the clingfilm. Place a salmon fillet, skin side down, on top. Spread half the remaining
mix onto the salmon. Pour over the gin and then place the other salmon fillet on top, skin side up, so the two flesh sides are facing each other. Put the remaining cure mix on top of the salmon,
then wrap very tightly with the clingfilm. Place this parcel in a non-metallic deep dish and place a weight on top. A large milk container will do. Leave this in the fridge for 48 hours, turning
the salmon over after 24 hours. After 48 hours, rinse the salmon fillets and pat them dry.

To make the buttermilk pancakes, mix the flour, sugar, salt and bicarbonate of soda together in a large bowl and make a well in the centre. Mix the buttermilk, butter and egg
together. Add about half the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and give the mixture a quick whisk, but not too much. Gently stir in the rest of the wet ingredients. The mixture should be quite
thick and a little lumpy. Leave it to rest at room temperature for 5–10 minutes before cooking.

When ready to cook the pancakes, heat a little oil in a non-stick frying pan over a low heat. Working in batches, depending on the size of your pan, add spoonfuls of the pancake
mix and fry for 1½–2 minutes on each side until bubbly on the surface and golden brown. You should get 12–16 pancakes. Transfer them to a low oven to keep warm while you cook the
rest of the batter.

When you’re ready to serve, very thinly slice the salmon and divide among the plates. Serve with the pancakes with a little crème fraîche, a spoonful of maple
syrup and juniper berries sprinkled over. A shot of frozen gin goes really well with these, too!

Gin-cured salmon with buttermilk pancakes

I love classic buckwheat blinis. I serve them here with mackerel, but they go so well with any smoked or oily fish. The pickled beetroot is the true garnish for these little
lovelies!

Serves 4

For the pickled beetroot

For the buckwheat blinis

First, make the pickled beetroot. Put the redcurrant jelly, red wine vinegar and cloves in a saucepan over a high heat and bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the jelly.
Continue boiling until the mix is reduced to a glaze. Pass this glaze through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Stir in the beetroot and Dijon mustard. Leave to one side to cool completely. Taste and
see if it needs any seasoning, then cover and chill until required.

To make the blinis, mix the white flour, buckwheat flour, sugar and yeast together in a large mixing bowl and make a well in the centre. Warm the milk in a saucepan on the hob
until it is blood heat. Make sure it is not too hot or it will kill the yeast. Pour the milk and egg yolk into the flour mix and whisk together to form a thick paste.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then fold them into the batter mix. Cover the bowl with clingfilm and leave in a warm place for about 30
minutes until frothy.

Meanwhile, whisk the crème fraîche until thick, then add the chives and season to taste. Cover and chill until needed.

When the blini batter is frothy, heat a thin layer of vegetable oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Drop small spoonfuls of the blini mix into the pan and fry
for 3–4 minutes on each side until bubbly and golden brown. Continue making blinis until all the batter is used. You should get about 20. Keep the cooked blinis warm in a low oven while you
cook the rest of the batter.

Rub each mackerel fillet with a little rapeseed oil. Place them in a roasting tray and use a blowtorch to cook them until they are just cooked, but still a little pink in the
centre. They will have a fantastic charred flavour.

Divide the blinis among 4 plates and top with the pickled beetroot and the thinly sliced shallots. Serve the mackerel fillets alongside, with a spoonful of Avruga caviar on
top.

This is a pub classic that has been on our menus for many years, and has been done with so many variants of skill. Here, a dill-flavoured pickle mix gives the dish a Scandinavian
feel. I use my blowtorch on the fish first to give a further charred dimension that adds a lovely bitter taste.

You could also use other oily fish, such as sardines or herring, and serve the fish with a little soured cream alongside, if you like.

Serves 4

For the dill pickled vegetables

At least 6½ hours before you want to serve, begin the dill-pickled vegetables. Mix the carrots, garlic, shallots and cucumber together in a large non-metallic bowl. Stir
in the salt and leave the vegetables to cure at room temperature for 20–25 minutes.

Wash off the salt thoroughly in cold running water, then return the vegetables to the rinsed bowl. Set aside a few sprigs of dill to garnish, then put the remainder in a blender.
Add the pickle mix and blend to make a green dill-flavoured vinegar mix. Pass this mixture through a fine sieve on to the vegetables. Add the water and sprinkle with the chilli flakes. Cover and
chill until needed.

Rub each mackerel fillet with a little rapeseed oil. Place them into a roasting tray and use a blowtorch to cook them until they are just cooked, but still a little pink in the
centre and charred on the outside. Grate the lemon zest over the top of the warm mackerel to release the citrus oils, then leave them to one side to cool a little.

Place the mackerel fillets into the pickling mix with the vegetables, then cover and place into the fridge for 6 hours.

To serve, remove the fillets from the mixture, sprinkle with the remaining dill leaves and serve with the pickled vegetables and bread.

The French call this moules marinières and cook the mussels with white wine. Here, I use ale and call them ‘mussels cooked in ale’ – so very English,
don’t you think! The bitter flavour that comes from the mussels goes so well with beer or stout, this seems more of a natural combination than the French original.

Serves 4

Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the carrot, celeriac, shallots and bay leaves and fry, stirring, for 5–8 minutes until softened. Pour in the ale and
bring to the boil. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to one side.

Wash the mussels in running cold water. Discard any mussels that float, any with cracked shells and any open ones that do not snap shut when tapped. Heat a large saucepan over a
high heat. Add the mussels and the vegetable and ale mix, cover and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, for 4–5 minutes until the shells have opened. Discard any mussels that remain closed.
Strain the mussels through a colander, reserving the cooking liquid.

Place the cooking liquid into a large pan over a high heat and bring to the boil. Continue boiling until it reduces down to one-third. Stir in the crème fraîche and
the chopped herbs. Check the seasoning, but you probably won’t need any. Pour this mix back over the mussels, then serve with warm crusty bread, if you like. And, a glass of ale alongside
isn’t bad, either.

Mussels cooked in ale

This really does have a taste of summer about it. Make sure the crabmeat you buy is super-fresh – or even better still, cook the crab and pick the meat yourself! I love
broad beans with marjoram; they work so well together, just like a proper marriage. Once the crab has been picked, this dish is very easy to assemble and has so much flavour.

Serves 4

Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil and place a bowl of iced water in the sink. Add the broad beans to the boiling water and blanch for 3–5 minutes until tender.
Drain well, then immediately plunge them into the iced water to stop the cooking and set the colour. Leave to cool, then drain well and pop them out of their grey outer skins. Leave on one side
until needed.

Meanwhile, bring another large pan of water to the boil and set another bowl of iced water in the sink. Add the tomatoes to the boiling water and boil for 10 seconds, them
immediately drain them and put in the iced water to stop the cooking. Drain the tomatoes again, then use a small knife to peel off the skins. Cut the tomatoes in half, scoop out the seeds and
finely dice the flesh. Leave to one side until needed.