Barbecued salmon with soused cucumbers

Serves 4

(Jason Lowe)

The salmon and sea trout season is now well under way and thankfully a lot of rivers are showing many more fish than in the past. You may well not have access to wild fish, but there are some great organically and responsibly farmed fish on the market these days. I source my Freedom Food-accredited salmon from Loch Duart in Scotland.

4 portions of salmon weighing 150-200g, skinned and pin-boned
cucumber, halved lengthways with the seeds scooped out
2 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
A good pinch of cumin seeds
4tbsp cider vinegar
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1tbsp chopped fennel or dill
2tbsp rapeseed oil

Cut the cucumbers on the slant into ¼cm-thick slices and place in a non-reactive bowl. Put the shallots and cumin into a saucepan with the vinegar and a tablespoon of water, season well, bring to the boil, remove from the heat and pour over the cucumber and mix in the chopped dill or fennel. Leave to stand for about 4-6 hours or overnight.

Preheat a barbecue, season and lightly oil the salmon fillets and grill for about 3-4 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness and keeping them slightly pink.

To serve, drain the vinegar from the cucumbers and mix in the rapeseed oil. Spoon on to a serving dish and lay the salmon on top.