Mike van de Elzen: Cured and roasted salmon pate

Cured and roasted salmon pate 

Cook time: 10 minutes 

Prep time: 20 minutes 

Serves: 6-8

1/4 side of salmon; de-boned with the skin on  

Salmon salt  

100gm flaky seasalt  

2 tbsp brown sugar  

Pate  

200gm cream cheese  

1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard  

1 lemon  

1 tbsp chopped fennel or dill  

1 small red chili  

3 tbsp sunflower oil  

Salt  

Serve with Lebanese flat breads  

Pickled cucumbers

Start the night before by curing the side of salmon.  

Lay the salmon skin side down onto a rack and then place the rack into a tray to catch all the juices. Combine the salt and brown sugar and spread over the top of the salmon. It should be a nice thick layer. Cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight. Next morning, wash off any salt and pat dry.  

If you have a cold smoker, smoked for 4 hours at this point.  

Preheat your oven to 220*c. Lay the salmon skin side down onto a roasting tray and brush the top of the salmon with oil.  

Cook for 10 minutes, before checking. The salmon should be cooked just under. Remove from the grill and leave to rest.  

For the salmon pate Take the cooked salmon and put into a food processor with the cream cheese, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, chili, fennel and remaining oil. Blitz until smooth. Check seasoning.  

Serve with the flatbreads and pickled cucumbers.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sunday Session podcast with Francesca Rudgin
from News Talks.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
I'd be right joining me now is our resident chef,
Mike Vander Alison.

Speaker 3 (00:15):
Good morning, Good morning.

Speaker 2 (00:17):
So, if you were still in the restaurant business, would
you be a little bit stressed about now knowing that
Mitchellan is coming to New Zealand. Ah, apparently they're already here.
I didn't know that. Apparently they're already on the ground
dining anonymously. Do you think that those in the industry
will have knownin.

Speaker 3 (00:35):
That, I would say I would say so, And I
would say those in the industry potentially who are going
to get one, if there are any, would they probably
wouldn't know what they're getting. But they probably wouldn't know
they are getting because people would have been in there.
They need media shots, they need interviews, they need backgrounds,

(00:57):
So you know, there might be a few people out
there keeping their mouths quietly. Ah.

Speaker 2 (01:02):
I thought all that might happen afterwards, like once it's
been a warded.

Speaker 3 (01:07):
No, because once it's awarded then that the guide goes
out instantly. Oh, so it all has to be It's
kind of like the cuisine cuisine restaurants the year awards.
You know, you kind of quietly you may have some
photos or images of the judges up on the inside
kitchen wall, and you may be keeping an eye on

(01:27):
the patrons coming into the door. But when it comes
to Michland, who knows. You know that the Michelan system
is a worldwide system and their judges are not probably
as commonly known as n Z judges. I guess.

Speaker 2 (01:42):
I think it's very exciting that it's coming, but I
can't quite work out what it costs. Six point three
million dollars, but that's by the way. I think it
is great for chefs. I think it's great for you know, restaurants.
You know, it'll be it'll be of some importance to
some travelers to New Zealand. But I also think being
for our local chefs to be kind of recognized on

(02:03):
a global scale, it's fantastic.

Speaker 3 (02:05):
I think to be to be judged on a worldwide
scale is massive. And yes, I was taken back by
the price as well. And I guess you know the
Micheland Star or the Micheland guiding system and the Micheland Box.
You know, it's a worldwide it's a business now and
so the opening it up to the world to potentially
make more money. You know, I heard Australia they were

(02:27):
paying up with a forty four million, So it's a
big business. And so these these guides they take it
pretty seriously. And you know, it was never my It
was never my scene to chase a star. It was
never my scene to ever want to work in a
restaurant that had a start. Like you know, going back
to London twenty five years ago, the restaurants that had

(02:47):
stars were very different than the restaurants that are now
or are today. You know, back then it was all
kind of really kind of I guess French cuisine. You
had your Marco po White, she had your Gordon Ramses,
you had your scoff Years and you know, to work
in those kitchens as a chef, potentially all you do
as a as a coming chef would be to turn
carrots all day. And that didn't excite me. So I

(03:10):
went for the bigger restaurants that had the higher turnovers.
Still excellent food, but you know the pressure was somewhat different.

Speaker 2 (03:18):
But Mike, didn't you and b get a watered a
star when you were working an island we did.

Speaker 3 (03:23):
We did, and the year that we were there, we
were judged and we were given one star. But the
owner at that point said, yeah, it's too much pressure.
What happens when you leave. We have to keep the momentum,
we have to keep the standards, and he felt that
it was just too much pressure for the hotel, so

(03:45):
he turned it down and they got what you call
a blue star, which basically means that you are of
the level, but you're not in the game.

Speaker 2 (03:52):
So to say, oh, fascinating, you did have a recipe
for us today. We will put it up on our website.
It's a nice little tribute to Scotland this morning, a
cured and roasted salmon patta which sounds divine. We'll get
that up on our website for you. Thank you so much, Mike.
Interesting talking about the mitchellind isn't it. I mean, I
think it's great, I am but confused as to white

(04:12):
of course so much. But never mind. Let them hand
out those stars because I think we've got a lot
of establishments which very much deserve them.

Speaker 1 (04:22):
For more from the Sunday session with Francesca Rudkin, listen
live to news Talks. It'd be from nine am Sunday,
or follow the podcast on iHeartRadio