Garden flower salad recipe

Pick edible flowers from your garden to give this fresh marinated salmon salad the taste of pure summer

Ingredients

• 300g (10oz) top-grade salmon fillet, skinned
• 5tsp sea-salt flakes
• Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon,
• 2tbsp caster sugar
• 2tbsp chopped fresh dill
• 8 radishes
• ½ a small cucumber
• About 60g (2oz) salad leaves (we used pea shoots with a rocket and chard mixture)
• A few sprigs of herbs, such as chervil, parsley or mint
• A few edible flowers, such as borage, cornflower, rocket flowers and/or nasturtium

For the dressing:

• 1tbsp elderflower cordial
• 1-2tsp lemon juice
• ½tsp Dijon mustard
• 2-3tbsp light olive oil
• About 1tbsp chopped fresh chives
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Rub the salmon fillet with salt, put in a non-metallic dish, cover with cling film and weigh it down with cans or weights. Leave for 30 mins to 1 hr. Wash off the salt, pat the fish dry with kitchen paper and rinse out the dish.
2. Whisk together the lemon zest and juice, sugar and dill in the dish. Spread it over the fish and set aside to cure for 2-4 hrs, depending on the thickness of the salmon.
3. To make the dressing: Whisk or shake all the ingredients together and then season.
4. Thinly slice the radishes and make a few cucumber ribbons using a vegetable peeler. Mix in a large, shallow bowl with the leaves and herbs.
5. Slice the salmon as thinly as possible into strips. (If it has not gone as opaque as you’d like, pop the slices back in the marinade for a few minutes.) Arrange the fish on the leaves. Scatter with flowers, spoon dressing over and serve.