Pascal Aussignac serves lightly cured and peppered salmon with a refreshing pastis sauce and textural celeriac and apple rémoulade. This peppered salmon recipe takes time to prepare, but each step is fairly straight-forward - so don't be put off!
To prepare the salmon, place the fillet in a shallow dish and evenly coat in salt. Refrigerate for half an hour, then rinse and pat dry. Brush with some olive oil, then sprinkle the crushed pepper all over the salmon. Wrap in cling film and leave to chill for 1 hour
Meanwhile, prepare the rémoulade. Peel the celeriac and cut first into approximately 5mm wide slices, then julienne into thin matchsticks. Fill a bowl with cold water, add the lemon juice, then drop in the celeriac. Leave for 5 minutes, then drain and pat dry. Mix in some seasoning, followed by the mayonnaise
For the sauce, place the Martini, pastis, balsamic vinegar, cardamom and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Reduce by two thirds until a light syrup is achieved, then remove from the heat and set aside
Slice the cured fillet lengthways into 2cm wide strips. Place each strip into a large piece of cling film and wrap tightly, tying off at both ends to form thin sausage shapes. Store in the fridge to set for 1-2 hours
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To serve, cut the salmon sausages into 2cm barrels, then carefully remove the cling film. Arrange onto plates with the rémoulade (garnished with tarragon leaves), drizzle over the strained sauce and serve
