Limoncello-cured Salmon Ceviche With Crispy Shallots, Capers & Spicy Red Chillies

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Limoncello-cured Salmon Ceviche With Crispy Shallots, Capers And Spicy Chillies

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Cure in sweet limoncello and lime. Sprinkle some fresh tarragon for its anise flavour. Top generously with crispy shallots for a contrast between savoury shallots and smooth succulent salmon. Finally, you must add a touch of cut chillies for heat and capers for that vinegary bite.  

I am quite addicted to this. I like cured seafood. I like sashimi. I like fried shallots. I like everything about this dish. I am going to have this again tonight. 

This is a dish that my dinner guests enjoy. Quite simple it is to whip up too and there is no cooking involved. 

If you do not have limoncello in your larder, there are substitutes. Scroll down to the ingredient list.

LIMONCELLO-CURED SALMON WITH CRISPY SHALLOTS, FRESH TARRAGON, CAPERS & RED CHILLIES

Prep:	10 minutes
Cook:	-
Inactive:	30 minutes and up to 1 hour
Level:	Easy
Makes:	Enough for 4 as an appetiser, 2 as a light lunch
Oven Temperature:	-
Can recipe be doubled?	Yes
Make ahead?	No

Just the ingredients 8.46oz (240g) pre-sliced sashimi style, sushi-grade salmon To cure the salmon 1 Tablespoon neutral tasting oil  1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 2 teaspoon limoncello 4 teaspoons lime/lemon juice Zest of lime/lemon 1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon salt  1/8 teaspoon black pepper To top cured salmon just before serving Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil ~1/2 - 1 Tablespoon Squeeze of lime/lemon juice ~1 and 1/2 teaspoons Sprinkle of salt and black pepper to taste 1/2 - 1 teaspoon tiny capers 1 small red chilli ~1/8 - 1/4 cup fresh tarragon leaves 4 Tablespoons fried shallots/onions

Ingredients

8.46oz (240g) pre-sliced sashimi style, sushi-grade salmon
Sushi-grade tuna will be quite nice too. You can buy a fillet and slice it as thin as you like if you are not accustomed to the thickness of sashimi. The thinner the slice, the less time you need to cure the fish. I would estimate that 10 - 15 minutes would be sufficient.

To cure the salmon

1 Tablespoon neutral tasting oil 

1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

2 teaspoon limoncello

This is a lemon liqueur which gives a nice subtle sweetness. Substitute with moscato, prosecco, ouzo, vodka, mirin. Depending on the alcohol you choose to use, adjust or omit the amount of sugar called for (below). For instance, moscato can be very sweet and I would omit the sugar altogether. If you are a teetotaller, replace the limoncello with lime juice (use ~ 1/2 - 1 teaspoon) and adjust quantity of sugar.

4 teaspoons lime juice

Lemon will do as well.

Zest of limes
Use the zest from the lime(s)/lemon(s) which you would be squeezing juice from.

1/2 - 3/4 teaspoon salt 

The cure should have sufficient salt. It should taste somewhat like a vinaigrette.

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

To top cured salmon just before serving

Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil ~1/2 - 1 Tablespoon or to taste

Squeeze of lime/lemon juice ~1 and 1/2 teaspoons or to taste

Sprinkle of salt and pepper to taste

1/2 - 1 teaspoon tiny capers or to taste

1 small red chilli, sliced thinly into rings

~ 1/8 - 1/4 cup fresh tarragon leaves

Substitute with any soft-leaf (comparatively sweet tasting) herb such as oregano and dill. Parsley, thyme and celery are too harsh for this dish. Use as much or as little herb as you like. I like a lot of tarragon in this dish. Tear the leaves up before sprinkling to get the best flavours out of it.

4 Tablespoons fried shallots/onions

I prefer the fried shallots that are packed in Thailand. They are crispy and sweet. I like to keep a separate pile of fried shallots on the side so that I can sprinkle more on the salmon as I eat. So clearly 4 Tablespoons is not sufficient for me.

Method

With a whisk, incorporate all the ingredients for curing the salmon.

Pour the mixture into a vessel that can fit all the sliced salmon in a single layer.

Coat each slice of salmon in the mixture and let the salmon cure for 30 minutes and up to 1 hour, covered in plastic wrap in the refrigerator. Sashimi cut salmon is sliced ~1/8" (0.31cm) so it can sit in the citrusy mixture for a longer period of time without the taste and texture of the salmon being ruined.

If you choose to slice the salmon thinner, reduce the time the salmon sits in the citrusy mixture. I estimate that 10 - 15 minutes would be more than sufficient.

Plating it up

Prepare all the ingredients that would be used for topping the salmon 5 minutes before you are ready to serve.

Taste a little slice of the cured salmon. Does it need more salt, lime, extra virgin olive oil? Keep a mental note of any seasoning adjustments required.

Transfer the cured salmon (discard the citrusy mixture) onto your serving platter.

Top the salmon in the order below, with:

• Extra virgin olive oil ~ 1/2 - 1 Tablespoon or to taste
• Squeeze of lime/lemon juice ~ 1 and 1/2 teaspoons or to taste
• Sprinkle of salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 - 1 teaspoon tiny capers or to taste
• Sliced red chillies 
• ~ 1/8 - 1/4 cup fresh tarragon leaves or to taste
• 4 Tablespoons fried shallots/onions or to taste

Keep a bowl of fried shallots/onions on the side for your dinner guests to help themselves to.

Tips

Apart from tuna, sushi-grade white fish will work well with this recipe.
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