Hot smoked salmon salad, with lemon yogurt and quick pickled fennel

Season
Spring/Summer
Skill level
Keen cook
Preparation Time
15 minutes
Cooking Time
15 minutes
Serves
Serves 2

Emma Hatcher has created this fresh take on a bright much-loved salad, but with a bit of extra tang from capers, lemon-spiked yogurt and quick pickled fennel.

Eating it will make you instantly want to be on a picnic blanket in the sunshine. It also makes for a great packed lunch.

Ingredients

  • 400g new potatoes
  • 100g natural yoghurt
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 50g watercress
  • 200g hot smoked salmon
  • 2 tablespoons capers, roughly chopped

For the quick pickled fennel:

  • 100g fennel
  • 1 1⁄2 teaspoons flaky sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon caster sugar
  • 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

Method

  1. 1Cut any large potatoes in half. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil and add the potatoes. Bring back to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
  2. 2To make the quick pickled fennel, thinly slice the fennel and add to a bowl. Sprinkle over the salt and sugar and massage well for a few minutes before squeezing out any excess moisture.
  3. 3Move to a clean bowl, pour over the vinegar, stir well and leave to one side until ready to serve.
  4. 4To make the lemon yogurt, combine the yogurt with the zest of ½ the lemon and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Stir through 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil and season to taste.
  5. 5Once cooked, drain the potatoes well, tip into a mixing bowl and season immediately with salt and pepper. Drizzle with a little olive oil and leave to cool.
  6. 6To serve, divide the lemon yogurt between 2 plates, spreading it out with the back of a spoon. Toss the potatoes lightly with the watercress, hot smoked salmon and capers and place on top of the yogurt. Spoon over the pickled fennel and finish with a final drizzle of extra-virgin olive and a few lemon wedges.