This is a perfect dish for leisurely, relaxed entertaining in the summertime. It can be made a day ahead and it will keep well refrigerated for a few days afterward; that is, if there is any left-over!
We have been making this for years in the Cooking School and, although it is reminiscent of the 1980’s everyone still loves its flavour and creaminess, the crunchy texture of the celery and spice of the chilli.
I serve it in various ways, accompanied by my sourdough bread and a salad, as the main course for lunch, as part of a smorgasbord for a party, and as a slice for an entrée. It is very pretty made in individual moulds, such as timbale moulds I use for our pannacotta, and then plated surrounded with a mixed salad of greens, cucumbers, olives, avocado, capers and lemon wedges. Here I served it as an entrée for a lunch I had with friends.
For those of you who are adventurous cooks, you can also finely slice, delicate cucumber ‘scales’ and set them into the mousse for decoration.
Ingredients:
20g leaf gelatine or 12g gelatine powder
1 x 450g can red salmon, strained and liquid reserved
125ml salmon liquid, topped up with water if insufficient
1 cup my home-made egg mayonnaise –my recipe
½ cup diced celery
70g stuffed green olives sliced finely – reserve one slice for the garnish
3 tsp grated onion
1 tbsp lemon juice, more to taste
3 tbsp bottled horseradish
¼ tsp paprika
1 red long chilli, finely diced
3 pinches dried chilli flakes – optional
1 cup sour cream
Sea salt and cracked pepper
Garnish
Salad greens
Lemon cut into thin wedges
Slice of capsicum stuffed olive for the salmon ‘eye’
Method:
Take a heatproof bowl; sprinkle the gelatine over the reserved salmon juice liquid, plus water to make 125ml liquid. Soften and dissolve the gelatine by placing the bowl over a pot of boiling water, stirring until no lumps remain, and brushing down the sides of the bowl with a pastry brush dipped in a little hot water. Stir in the mayonnaise. Remove the bones and skin from the salmon and flake it with a fork. Add the flaked salmon and all the other ingredients to the mayonnaise mixture, stir well to combine.
Season with sea salt and cracked pepper, plus extra lemon juice if necessary.
Brush the fish mould with olive oil and pour in the mixture and smooth the top. Refrigerate overnight or at least 6 hours.
To unmould, carefully run a knife around the edge of the mould to release the suction, turn upside down on your serving plate, hold firmly and shake from side to side to release. Decorate by surrounding the mousse with salad greens and thin lemon wedges. Place a sliced stuffed olive over the ‘eye’.
You may wish to toss the salad greens in a vinaigrette dressing before garnishing the platter.
Variations:
You might like to add 2 tsp chopped capers, 2 tbsp pickled cucumbers, and substitute ½ cup of mayonnaise with ½ cup of whipped cream.
Substitute the olives for 70g brunoise red or use both!
You may use individual soufflé moulds or something similar. Unmould and serve. Or serve in individual glass dishes and serve in the glass.
For those more adventurous cooks, oil the mould and line with cling wrap, carefully place small, finely sliced cucumber or zucchini, fanned out to look like fish scales, and fill the mould with the mousse. Gently unmould and serve.
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