Mark Hix: Curing familiar foods gives them an exciting new edge

In the days before fridges, salting our food was a necessity in order to preserve it, but nowadays the salting process is used more to create luxury dishes. Over the years there has been more understanding about the way that salt can change the flavour and texture of certain foods, and salted cod – or bacalao – as it is known in Spain – in particular has maintained its popularity. It can be used in such dishes as brandade and salt cod fritters. The same goes for salted and preserved anchovies, and even salt beef, which can be used in many ways other than in sandwiches. The method of salting draws moisture out of the food, and this explains why cold preserved fish, such as smoked salmon, is first salted or cured before the smoking process – as it loses moisture, the flesh of the fish firms up and this makes it easier to carve.

There are some very good artisan salmon smokers out there, such as Tim and Bron Youard at the Derreensillagh Smokehouse in County Kerry, Ireland (00 353 87 792 3318), who really understand the traditional methods of smoking.

Since vacuum packing has become ubiquitous, quality ham and lots of other cured meats and fish have suffered in their look and taste – vacuum packing prolongs the life of the foods but often at the expense of their natural flavours. However, for the last few of years I have bought a leg of pata negra ham every year and kept it in my larder at home; it lasts nearly the whole year, and is always perfectly moist left the way it is.

Salt beef sandwich

Serves 4

Salt beef bars used to be dotted all over London but now it seems that they only exist in certain pockets of the Jewish community of London, as well as smart stores like Harrods and Selfridges. There is something very comforting about a really good salt beef sandwich, and your main concern should be to make sure that the filling is of excellent quality. Salting beef is an age-old method of preserving meat; and although these days the amount of salt used is probably a fraction of what it once was, that long brining process still gives salt beef its unique characteristics.

You can buy salt beef ready-cooked from delis and supermarkets, but it's much better if you cook it yourself. I prefer to use brisket which is traditionally the cut you see in the few remaining salt beef bars; or there is always the option of silverside, which is a bit leaner.

You will need to boil your salt beef (about 500-600g or more) for a good couple of hours or according to the cooking instructions on the packet, then remove from the liquid if serving straight away or leave to cool a little in the liquid. The beef should be served hot.

Take 8 slices of rye and caraway bread – but make sure it's the soft light rye, not the dark Scandinavian type. Slice up some large gherkins and mustard (English or American French's go well). Thinly slice your salt beef and pile generously on to the bread with the gherkin and mustard.

Beetroot soup with smoked duck

Serves 3-4

Some of you may have read newspaper reports recently in which Gordon Ramsay was unfairly accused of "borrowing" some of my recipes for his new boozer, The Narrow, but I don't think being inspired by other chefs' recipes is a crime. All chefs take from each others' recipes – which is why I have taken the liberty of "borrowing" this "borscht with a difference" from Gordon's new book    And while we're on the subject of culinary inspiration, something else has recently come to my attention. Someone spotted on the shelves of a Sainsbury's a shepherd's pie with the words "based on the Ivy recipe". On sampling it, it bore no apparent resemblance to the Ivy recipe and we requested it be pulled off the shelves immediately.

3-4 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 bay leaf
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, trimmed and chopped
2 x 250g packs cooked beetroot in natural juices
1 litre hot vegetable or chicken stock
Sea salt and black pepper
Squeeze of lemon juice
200g smoked duck breasts, thinly sliced
Soured cream, to drizzle

Heat a large saucepan and pour in the olive oil. Add the onion, bay leaf, garlic, carrots and celery. Cook over a high heat, stirring often, for 4-5 minutes until the vegetables have softened. Meanwhile, coarsely grate the beetroot (wearing rubber gloves to prevent your hands from staining). Add to the pan and pour in the stock. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Discard the bay leaf.

Whiz the soup to a smooth purée using a hand-held (or free-standing) blender. Taste and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Reheat gently if necessary.

Ladle the soup into warm bowls. Lay the smoked duck slices on top and drizzle over the soured cream and olive oil to serve.

Marinated wild salmon

Serves 4-6

This is a modern-day, quick curing method rather like a ceviche. In fact it's not even strictly curing, but it is a very healthy way to eat really fresh fish. It makes a light seasonal starter that takes no time to prepare.

1 fillet of wild salmon weighing about 300-400g, skinned and boned
Half a cucumber
Juice of half a lemon
1tbsp olive oil
2tsp sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1tbsp chopped chives

Using a very sharp carving knife, slice your salmon on the angle or vertically as thinly as you can and arrange in a layer on serving plates. Half the cucumber lengthways, then dice the flesh, including the skin, as finely as you can (about ¼cm). Mix the lemon juice with the cucumber, olive oil, salt, pepper and chives. A few minutes before serving, mix the dressing well and spoon over the salmon. Serve with brown bread or a green salad.

Ham and eggs with padron peppers

Serves 4

Ham and eggs make the perfect lazy Sunday brunch, although they don't need to be confined to just brunch, especially if you scatter over some asparagus tips or piquant pardon peppers, as I have done here. You can find these tiny Spanish green peppers from places such as Brindisa (www.brindisa.co.uk). Most of them have a delicate peppery kick, but be warned, as one in 10 are apparently very hot. The quality of the ham is the important thing here and really a good home-cooked, rolled Cumbrian or York ham or similar gammon, smoked or unsmoked, makes all the difference. Last year I tried a delicious pata negra York-style cooked ham from Sayell Foods in London (71 Fanshaw Street, London N1, 020-7256 1080; www.sayellfoods.co.uk).

4 slices of cooked ham about 1/2-1 cm thick, at room temperature
25-30 padron peppers
3-4tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
4 free range duck or hen eggs
1tsp pimenton (Spanish paprika)

Place the ham on to four serving plates. Heat a couple of tablespoons of the olive oil in a frying pan and cook the peppers on a medium heat for 3-4 minutes, turning them every so often, then season with a little sea salt.

Meanwhile, lightly fry the eggs in a tablespoon of the olive oil and place an egg on each slice of ham. Spoon the peppers and oil over the eggs and scatter with a pinch of the pimenton.