First of all, National BBQ Week (30 May – 5 June) is creeping up however at the time of writing this, it feels as though it’s three weeks too late. It’s currently over 20 degrees and truly feels like summer has arrived.
Now, we know that there are countless awareness days throughout the year (we’ve only just prepared a blog on British Sandwich Week) however BBQ season is important because it represents everything that is good about the UK summer – when we’re lucky enough to have one, of course.
However if you, like the majority of the UK population, associate BBQs with sausages, burgers and steaks, then it’s time for a rethink.
Why?
Because barbequed fish, if cooked properly, is delicious. And it’s a healthier alternative, too. Whilst we’re predominantly known for our Scottish smoked salmon, we also offer fresh salmon fillets, plaice fillets, skate wings, sea bream fillets and swordfish steaks. Of course, if you can’t quite grasp the concept of a BBQ without red meat, then our Scotch Beet Ribeye and Fillet is outstanding, too.
To get you prepared for the long-awaited BBQ season – if you’re not already cooking up, that is – we’ve compiled a simple ‘how to’ guide to make sure you get the fullest flavour from your fresh fish this summer.
Make sure you’re grill is as clean as possible to prevent sticking – simply get the grill as hot as possible and scrape off the excess with a strong grill brush
Use a high heat so that you don’t leave most of the fish on the grill. You really want the heat to be high enough for it to sear the fish as it hits the grill
Try and use thick fish fillets – John Ross Jr’s salmon fillets are ideal – as they’re thicker, meatier and less delicate, making it harder to overcook
ALWAYS cover your fish with a layer of oil – again, this helps to prevent sticking
A general rule of thumb is that for every inch of thickness, try and cook for between 8 – 10 minutes
Don’t fear the foil. For thinner, more delicate, fish, protect it during the cooking process with a foil pocket. You can even use this ‘envelope’ to hold herbs and spices, too. And it keeps your grill clean.
What are your BBQ plans this summer? And do you have any techniques – and recipes – you’d like to share? Let us know via our Facebook Page or our Twitter handle, @JRJsmokedsalmon.
It’s that time of the year when all that is good about that traditional, tasty and typically easy to prepare lunchtime meal – the sandwich – is celebrated nationwide.
Yes, British Sandwich Week 2016 (8 – 14 May) is almost upon us, which means that the iconic sandwich (sarnie, sanger or, if you’re Scottish, ‘piece’) is to be given a week-long acknowledgement.
Let’s face it, everyone loves a sandwich. And with so many types of fabulous fillings and lovingly baked breads available to concoct that perfect blend of flavours, it really has to be one of the most universal (and universally loved) meals.
In fact, the British Sandwich Week website claims that the British alone consumer a whopping 11.5 billion sandwiches each year – that’s almost twice the global population. Not only that but over 3,500,000,000 sandwiches were purchased from retail outlets for a total of £7,850,000,000!
Now, everyone at John Ross Jr loves a sandwich but when there are so many fantastic ingredients readily available from artisan producers to make your own sandwich – and to the highest quality, too – why pay double the price for half the flavour?
To make it easier for you we’ve listed our top three interesting smoked salmon sandwich ideas so that you can spend less money on buying ready-made sandwiches – and more money on the best quality ingredients (and yes, that includes John Ross Jr smoked salmon).
Smoked salmon and cream cheese sandwich
This is pretty much the entry-level smoked salmon sandwich. Everyone knows that smoked salmon and cream cheese is a winning combination. However to not include it here would be the equivalent of excluding the bacon sandwich from a top 10 list of the UK’s favourite sandwiches.
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 heaped tablespoons of cream cheese (one for each sandwich)
4 slices of the highest quality bread (fresh granary would be our choice)
Spread the cream cheese over one slice of bread for each sandwich. Sprinkle the capers on top, before adding a layer of smoked salmon. Then add a twist of fresh lemon and a sprinkle of black pepper. Add the remaining slice of bread on top. Slice and serve.
Smoked salmon and goat’s cheese sandwich
Two big flavours in one sandwich. What more could you ask for?
4 slices of fresh bread (again, granary would be our preferred option)
Cracked black pepper
Small handful of chopped dill
Method
Mix the cheese with the yoghurt in a bowl. Spread one slice of each sandwich with the mixture. Layer on the smoked salmon and then top with a layer of cucumbers. Give each sandwich a twist of lemon and a sprinkle of pepper. Slice the sandwich in two and serve.
Smoked salmon, asparagus and poached egg sandwich
Serves 2
Ingredients
4 slices of bread
1 bunch green asparagus
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 eggs
4 tablespoons of feta cheese
100g smoked salmon
Method
Poach the eggs (approx. 3 minutes) and boil the asparagus (approx. 3 minutes). Whilst they’re boiling, toast the bread and crumble the feta cheese. When all the ingredients are ready, layer the bread with smoked salmon, and then place a few pieces of asparagus on each slice. Crumble the topping with feta cheese, making sure it falls between the gaps, and then top with the egg. If you’re feeling brave place the remaining half of the sandwich on top and eat as you would a normal sandwich – but beware, it could get messy. If not, eat with a knife and fork and keep the second slice on the side, using it to clean up that lovely poached egg yolk.
Do you slice your sandwiches into triangles or rectangles? Let us know via our Facebook Page or @JRJsmokedsalmon.
Kale, the vitamin-rich and supremely healthy vegetable, has been featuring quite heavily in conversations of late, which is why a smoked salmon and kale soufflé omelette recipe that we recently discovered online caught our eye.
And inadvertently, it became the inspiration for this blog.
No, not a blog on kale, but a blog on our favourite three smoked salmon omelette recipes as selected by three member of the John Ross Jr team.
And whilst smoked salmon, in our opinion, is best served uncooked, there’s no denying that its inclusion as an ingredient in a hot dish can, well, make the dish. And omelettes are no exception.
So, first up, is the smoked salmon and cream cheese omelette, which proves that you can take the cream cheese and smoked salmon out of the sandwich, but you can’t take it out of the hearts and minds of foodies who absolutely love this traditional combination.
Smoked salmon and cream cheese omelette
Serves 2
Whether it’s for breakfast, lunch or dinner, this omelette is a smoked salmon winner.
Use two egg whites and beat them until foamy and airy. Then crack the third egg and, using both the egg and the yolk, mix with the remaining two yolks. Fold in the whites of the two eggs. Once mixed, pour the mixture into a hot (and buttered) pan and cook until your preferred texture.
Take off the heat, place on a plate and spoon on the cream cheese before layering on the smoked salmon on one half of the omelette. Sprinkle the chives on top before folding and serving.
Smoked salmon and courgette omelette
Serves 2
You can always rely on Delicious magazine to provide tasty and easy to make recipes. We’ve taken theirs and made it our own using our Tea Smoked Salmon with Lapsang Souchong Tea.
Beat the eggs together and add 75 per cent of the chopped chives. Heat a pan and add the butter before pouring in the egg mixture, ensuring that it’s evenly spread. After a couple of minutes add the courgette. When it’s starting to set add the Tea Smoked Salmon pieces. When it’s to your preferred texture, fold and place on a plate to serve. Repeat the process with the remaining mixture/ingredients. When both are ready, use the remaining chives to garnish each plate.
Smoked salmon and goats cheese omelette
Serves 2
This is a case of saving the best until last – and this omelette really is a cut above.
40g British goat’s cheese (crumbled or chopped into small pieces)
Mix the eggs in a bowl. Add the parsley to the mixture. Pour in the mixture to a large pan and leave to cook. When setting, add the cheese and just before it’s cooked to your preferred texture add the smoked salmon slices on one half of the omelette. Then fold, take out of the pan, cut into two and place each half on a separate plate.
We love omelettes. Do you? If so, share your favourite recipe with us via our Facebook Pageor Tweet them to @JRJsmokedsalmon.
We recently reviewed our blogs and not only were we genuinely surprised by the amount we’ve posted over the last couple of years, but also by the fact that there was something missing; something so obvious that we feel as though we’ve let fellow lovers of smoked salmon down.
We’ve covered Christmas parties, we’ve made countless references to entertaining (at lunch, dinner and even breakfast!) however there has been no reference made to what is one of our favourite dishes – and its relationship to smoked salmon… sushi (except for our Halloween blog, but that doesn’t count).
Yes, sushi (or Japanese dining) has become a firm favourite amongst the western world and as one of the key ingredients is, more often than not, smoked salmon, it’s probably about time that we gave it some real attention.
So, here are three of our favourite smoked salmon sushi recipes. And whether you’re entertaining or simply want a night in enjoying a taste of the orient, we’re confident that you’re going to like these easy to make and tasty dishes.
Easy smoked salmon sushi
This really couldn’t be any easier. And whilst it only consists of rice and smoked salmon, it’s perfect for large parties where you have lots to make – but little time.
Serves 12 (32 pieces)
600g sushi rice
8 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons caster sugar
400g John Ross Jr smoked salmon (we recommend you buy our 454g pack)
Method
Bring the rice to the boil and cook for around 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and place a lid over the pan and leave for around 15 minutes. Heat the rice wine vinegar with the sugar and a pinch of salt. Once dissolved, drain the rice and place it in a bowl before adding the vinegar solution. Once cool, place the rice in a large – and shallow – tin (such as a roasting tin) and mould it so that the rice is level and covers the space of the tin. Use two if required. Note: the rice will be very sticky.
Then take the John Ross Jr smoked salmon and lay it on top so that all the rice is covered.
Then, when ready to serve (or before if you want to get everything ready in advance), simply take a sharp knife and cut the rice/smoked salmon combination into approximately 32 rectangles.
Arrange on a dish, serve and enjoy.
Smoked salmon and avocado sushi
This one is still simple – but more fun – to prepare. And given how it has more ingredients it’s a much more interesting dish, too.
Prepare the rice using the same method as the previous recipe.
Whilst the rice is cooking slice the avocado and lie out the four sheets of seaweed on a plate or board. Once the rice is cool, divide it across the four sheets. Divide the smoked salmon and lay it over the rice and then do the same with the chives. Lastly, lay the avocado in the centre before taking one edge of the seaweed and roll it up. If you’re serving immediately then cut into sections big enough to allow you to get 32 pieces. If you’re waiting until later, then simply wrap in Clingfilm without cutting it and place in the fridge.
Smoked salmon sushi roll
Slightly more advanced, in as much as we’re now rolling the roll in seaweed AND smoked salmon. But when it comes to presentation then this dish is guaranteed to impress.
300g sushi rice
6 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
6 sheets of seaweed
1 avocado (sliced)
1 cucumber (sliced into thin strips)
400g John Ross Jr smoked salmon (we recommend you buy our 454g pack)
2-3 tablespoons wasabi
Method
Again, cook the rice as previously instructed.
Then lay a sheet of seaweed on a plate, board or sushi mat before placing some of the rice onto the sheet and spreading (as delicately as you can) so that the rice covers the seaweed.
Then place the salmon, avocado and cucumber on top of the rice, lift the edge and roll it tight. Now you have a roll similar to our second recipe. Now you need to create that standout factor, which you do by laying out the remaining smoked salmon slices side by side so that the entire space is as wide as the length of the roll. Then, place the sushi roll on the layers of smoked salmon and roll it once more, being careful to keep the smoked salmon slices in line so that they all roll at the same time.
Slice into pieces and serve.
What’s your favourite sushi dish? And do you have any recipes you’d like to share with us? If so, share them with us via our Facebook Pageor Tweet them to @JRJsmokedsalmon.
Our blog has touched on a number of typically British ‘things’ over the years. From picnics and Wimbledon through to traditionally British foods and recipes, we’ve aimed to celebrate a selection of those things that make us proud to be, well, British.
However one element that we have NEVER touched on is up there as being as British as it gets – the pie.
And with British Pie Week around the corner (7 – 13 March) we thought it wouldn’t do any harm to celebrate the humble pie by making it less humble. And the best way of doing this, we felt, was to give it the John Ross Jr treatment.
So, for those looking for a pie with a twist, then this smoked salmon pie recipe will not disappoint, not only in terms of flavour but also down to the fact that it can be made the night before for ease.
We’ve also put our recently launched product, the Cajun Pulled Salmon (salmon that has been slowly kiln roasted before being pulled off the fillet and marinated in mild Cajun spices), to the test here and it certainly works, combining traditional smoked salmon flavours with the more adventurous tones of the Cajun spices.
Bring the stock to the boil before adding the rice and salt and cooking until ready.
In a separate pan, melt the butter and add the lemon juice. Once mixed, add the cooked rice. Lightly wilt the spinach in another pan with butter until you have a cooked spinach texture. Then chop both eggs, mix with the spinach, rice, chopped dill and pepper.
Roll out the pastry into a large rectangular shape approx. 40cm x 30cm and cut in two in the middle so that you have two squares of equal size. Take the first square, lay it on a greased tray and spoon out the rice mixture on top of it. On top of that, lay the Pulled Salmon with Cajun Spices in flakes (the product is already flaked, however you may want to break it down into smaller pieces). Brush the edges of the pastry with the egg yolk mixture before taking the second pastry square and placing it on top to seal the pie.
Brush the whole pie with the egg yolk mixture, sprinkle with the nutmeg and prick it with a fork before placing in a pre-heated oven, at 220 degrees Celsius, and cooking for 25 minutes.
Will you be cooking a pie for British Pie Week? If so, we want to hear about it. Send in your pie pics via our Facebook Pageor Tweet them to @JRJsmokedsalmon.
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