Nici Wickes: Salmon with quick pickled asparagus

Plate up individual servings of this simple, elegant dish as a starter or set out a platter for people to help themselves. 

Serves 4-6 

4 thick spears asparagus 

1 small carrot, peeled 

1 small zucchini 

1 tsp sea salt 

1 cup white wine vinegar 

1/3 cup caster sugar 

½ tsp mustard seeds 

3cm piece lemon rind 

½ cup thick Greek yoghurt or crème fraiche 

200g-250g smoked salmon – I used hot smoked but cold smoked salmon will work just as well or smoke your own! 

4 tablespoons good quality olive oil 

Ground black pepper 

Sprigs fresh dill 

Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard. Use a vegetable peeler to shave very thin strips of the asparagus stem and use a knife to cut the tips into thin slices. Cut the carrot and zucchini into very thin matchsticks. Toss together in a bowl with salt.
Heat vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds and lemon rind and simmer until the sugar has dissolved. Pour this over the vegetables and gently toss them in the pickling liquid. Cover and set aside until required. Note that you could do this stage up to a few days before the big day, tossing them every now and again.
To serve; spoon 1-2 tablespoons of yoghurt or crème fraiche onto each plate (or all of it on the platter) and spread it with the back of a spoon. Top with salmon, dividing it evenly between the plates. Add a decent spoonful of the pickled vegetables to each plate. Just before serving drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with pepper and add springs of fresh dill.

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