Unlike at its less-cool siblings (sorry, breakfast and lunch), having a cocktail at brunch is definitely acceptable. In this cocktail and dish pairing from Brisbane’s Riverbar & Kitchen, even the cured salmon gets a little taste of Grey Goose. Sous chef Shaun Nash and assistant manager Lloyd Russ have taken the rosemary and white peach flavours of the infused vodka and created a fresh and breezy brunch menu of salmon gravlax and Fromosa (that’s a frozen Mimosa, FYI).
The two recipes are light and unhurried – ideal for those lazy days when the mercury rises early. “For something like brunch, the salmon is great because it’s a nice easy meal, you can take your time, you don’t have to worry about it getting cold and if the frozen Mimosa melts it’s okay, you’ve just got a Mimosa,” Russ says. With the salmon prepared up to a few days in advance and the Fromosa blitzed together in a blender, this pairing puts the focus back on the company you keep. “Pick at your salmon, pick at your drinks and just enjoy the chat, really,” says Russ.
The salmon
Gravlax is cured, unsmoked salmon, but this version comes with a twist. “The peach and rosemary in the Grey Goose Essences comes through in the salmon quite well,” says Nash. “It’s not something that’s hidden, but it’s not something that’s overpowering.” To get an even infusion of the vodka, wrap the salmon in a soaked cloth for at least half an hour.
The next layer of flavour builds with the cure – a ratio of salt to sugar that hits the right notes. “I put in 120g salt and 80g of sugar and then one lemon, lime and orange zest,” Nash says. “Some cures will have a 50/50 ratio of sugar and salt, but I personally prefer to lean more on the salty side.” The salmon will need about 24 hours in the fridge to cure, starting skin-side down and flipped halfway through. When it comes out of the fridge, rinse with cold water to remove the cure.
If you bought your salmon with skin on, slicing will be much easier. “If you take the skin off there’s nothing holding it there, so you’ll end up just mashing it,” Nash says. How thick you slice your salmon is completely up to you, but erring on the thinner side helps keep things nice and light.
Nash serves the dish sharing-style with crème fraîche, blackberries and some crispy fried capers, but it’s totally up to you. “There’s no set way to eat gravlax,” Nash says. “My personal preference would be on a plate and then just as a sharing option. Another way of serving it would be with a cracker or a piece of lavosh or something like that.”
The Fromosa
Frozen drinks are perfect partners to summer brunches. Though Russ’s drink is based on a Mimosa, keeping things in balance once blended with ice means adding a few extra layers like vodka. “Being a frozen Mimosa it doesn’t have that sparkling acidity,” says Russ. “It’s blended with ice so it’s getting that natural dilution but the vodka is giving it enough flavour to carry through.” Sugar syrup, fresh lime juice and orange bitters help brighten up the flavour too. Russ recommends Fee Brothers’ orange bitters, but an extra squeeze of orange juice will do if you can’t find it.
Whereas a traditional Mimosa uses sparkling wine, you’re going to lose that carbonation instantly once blended with ice. Russ uses a pinot grigio as the wine base instead. “Preferably Italian because it has the traditional characteristics but Australian pinot grigios work perfectly well,” Russ says.
With ingredients at the ready, the whole thing comes together in a blender in just 15 seconds. “Blend until smooth, until all the big chunks have gone,” Russ says. “You can keep going if you want. You can get more ice and get more of a granita kind of texture if you prefer. The more ice, the thicker it’s going to be, but it’s also going to give you more dilution as well.”
Salmon Gravlax
Serves 4
Preparation time: 25–35 minutes (plus 24-hour cure time)
Cooking time: 2 minutes
Ingredients:
500g salmon fillet, skin on, scored
100-150ml Grey Goose Essences, White Peach & Rosemary
The cure
120g table salt
80g caster sugar
Zest of 1 orange
Zest of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lime
100g dill, roughly chopped
The garnish
300ml olive oil
40g caperberries
50g crème fraîche, in a piping bag
50g fresh blackberries
5g each of herbs and edible flowers (e.g. dill, nasturtium, lemon thyme)
20ml olive oil
Method:
To infuse the salmon, soak a clean cloth (such as a kitchen wipe) in the Grey Goose Essences and use it to wrap the fillet of salmon, then use cling film to wrap these together. Place in the fridge for an hour or two, to allow the salmon to soak up the Grey Goose Essences.
To cure the salmon, combine the salt, sugar and the zests of orange, lemon and lime and mix well. Remove salmon from its wrap. On a large piece of cling film, spread half the cure mixture and form a bed about the size of the fillet and scatter half the dill. Place the salmon, skin side down, on top of the bed. Place the other half of the dill and cure on top of the salmon and tightly wrap it in cling film.
Store in the fridge for 24 hours, flipping it over after 12 to allow the cure to do its thing. (If you prefer less of a “raw“ texture to your salmon, you can extend the cure time to up to 36 hours. After 24 hours, however, use a fresh cure because the salmon will lose a lot of liquid during this time.) Remove the cure by rinsing the salmon with ice water. Slice the salmon thin, being careful to not slice through the skin (don’t eat the skin).
To create the garnish, heat olive oil in a small pot to 160°C, then add the caperberries and allow to shallow fry for about 2 minutes. Once crispy, remove the caperberries from the oil using a slotted spoon and place them onto a dry paper towel. Season with salt.
To serve, slice cured salmon and serve on a plate piped with the crème fraîche. Place blackberries, caperberries and other garnishes on top and a drizzle of olive oil to finish. The salmon and garnishes would also be fantastic served on a crostini or cracker.
(Note: Taste the salmon before seasoning with any salt. For some people the cure is enough whereas others may enjoy a little more salt to finish.)
Lloyd’s Spiked Fromosa
Serves 2. Approx. 1.3 standard drinks per serve.
Ingredients:
45ml Grey Goose Essences, White Peach & Rosemary
150ml pinot grigio (Italian preferred)
90ml orange juice
15ml sugar syrup
3 dashes orange bitters
15ml freshly squeezed lime juice
1 cup ice
Method:
Combine all ingredients in a blender. Blend on high for 10-15 seconds until smooth. Serve in a martini glass. Garnish with a wheel of fresh lime.
This article is produced by Broadsheet in partnership with Grey Goose.
