Salmon Crudo with Edamame-Jalapeño Purée, Parsley & Gooseberry Relish

This is summer on a plate — silky raw salmon against a punchy, jade-green edamame purée with jalapeño heat that creeps in at the back. The gooseberry relish cuts through the richness with tart little bursts, and cherry tomatoes bring sweetness and colour. It looks like something from a tasting menu but takes about thirty minutes and nothing gets cooked beyond a quick blanch.

How to prepare

Start with sourcing. The salmon is the star and it's served raw, so this is non-negotiable: buy sashimi-grade from a fishmonger you trust. It should smell like clean ocean and nothing else. Ask for a centre-cut piece from the thickest part of the fillet — this gives you even, uniform slices. Run your fingers along the flesh to check for pin bones and pull any stragglers with tweezers.

Begin with the purée, since it needs time to chill. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil — large pot, because you need the temperature to barely drop when the edamame go in. Blanch the edamame (200g) for 2 minutes. They should be tender but still have a slight bite — overcooked edamame turns the purée army-green and starchy. Transfer immediately to an ice bath and leave until completely cool, at least 2 minutes. Drain thoroughly and pat dry — any water left on the beans will dilute the purée.

In a blender or food processor, combine the blanched edamame with the seeded jalapeño (1, roughly chopped), garlic (1 small clove), olive oil (2 tablespoons), and lime juice (1 tablespoon). Blend on high, scraping down the sides as needed. Add ice-cold water (start with 50ml) a splash at a time until the purée is completely smooth and spoonable — you want it to hold its shape when spooned onto a plate but flow gently at the edges, not sit in a stiff mound. Taste it now: it should be vibrant, green, and carry a slow jalapeño warmth that arrives a beat after the edamame sweetness. If it's flat, add more salt. If you want more heat, add another quarter of the jalapeño seeds — but go carefully, you can always add heat, you can't take it back. Refrigerate while you prep everything else.

For the relish, quarter the gooseberries (100g) — they're small and firm, so just top and tail them and cut into quarters. Toss in a bowl with the chopped parsley (1 tablespoon), chives (1 tablespoon), honey (1 teaspoon), white wine vinegar (1 tablespoon), and olive oil (2 tablespoons). Season with a pinch of salt and mix gently. Let this sit at room temperature for at least 10 minutes — the vinegar and honey soften the gooseberries' sharp tartness into something more nuanced. Taste a piece: it should be tart, slightly sweet, herby, and bright. If it's too sharp, add another half teaspoon of honey. If it's flat, another pinch of salt.

Gooseberry substitutes: Gooseberries can be hard to find outside of their short summer season. Here are alternatives that give you the same tart, fruity punch:

• Green grapes + a squeeze of lemon — halve seedless green grapes and toss with a teaspoon of lemon juice and a pinch of lemon zest. The closest match in texture, though milder in tartness.
• Cape gooseberries (physalis) — halved, they have a similar tart-sweet profile with a more tropical note. Reduce the honey slightly.
• Tart green apple — peeled and cut into a fine dice (3mm). Toss with a little lemon juice immediately to prevent browning. Adds crunch and acidity.
• Unripe cherry tomatoes or tomatillos — finely diced. More savoury than sweet, but the tartness works. Skip the honey entirely.
• Kiwi — peeled and diced small. The acidity and colour are right, though the texture is softer. Use a slightly under-ripe kiwi for more bite.

Now the salmon. Place the fillet in the freezer for 15–20 minutes — you want it firmed up but not frozen. This is how professional kitchens get those clean, precise slices from raw fish. Use your sharpest, longest knife and hold it at a shallow angle, almost parallel to the board. Slice on the bias in a single smooth pull per slice — no sawing, which tears the fibres and gives you ragged edges. You want slices about 3–4mm thick. If they're not perfect, it doesn't matter much; just keep them reasonably even so they drape nicely.

For the cherry tomatoes (150g), use a mix of colours if you can find them — yellow, orange, red. Halve the small ones, quarter anything larger. Season lightly with salt and a thread of olive oil.

Plating is everything with a dish like this. Chill your plates in the fridge for at least 15 minutes — cold plates keep the salmon firm and the purée thickened. Spoon a generous tablespoon of the edamame purée slightly off-centre and spread it with the back of the spoon into a smooth, organic smear. Drape 4–5 salmon slices over and alongside the purée so they overlap slightly — let them fall naturally rather than arranging them too precisely. Scatter the cherry tomatoes around and over the salmon. Spoon the gooseberry-parsley relish on top of the fish, distributing the gooseberry pieces evenly. Drizzle generously with your best olive oil — let it pool in the plate — and squeeze over a little lime juice (1 tablespoon total across the plates). Finish with flaky sea salt directly on the salmon and a grind of black pepper.

Bonus points

• Cure the salmon lightly: Sprinkle the fillet with a teaspoon each of salt and sugar, leave for 20 minutes, then rinse and pat dry before slicing. This firms the flesh, seasons it through, and gives a slightly more opaque, silky texture — halfway between raw and cured.
• Make a jalapeño oil: Blend 2 seeded jalapeños with 100ml of neutral oil, warm gently to 60°C, and let it steep for 20 minutes. Strain through muslin for a vivid green oil. Drizzle around the plate instead of — or alongside — plain olive oil.
• Add citrus segments: Supreme a blood orange or grapefruit and tuck a few segments between the salmon slices. The citrus gently "cooks" the fish where it touches and adds jewel-toned colour.
• Toast some sesame seeds: Dry-toast white and black sesame seeds in a small pan for 30 seconds until fragrant. Scatter over the finished plate for nutty crunch and a nod to the edamame's Japanese roots.
• Upgrade the tomatoes: Marinate the halved cherry tomatoes in a tablespoon of yuzu juice and a pinch of salt for 10 minutes before plating. The yuzu adds a floral citrus note that ties everything together.
• Use salmon roe: A small spoonful of ikura on each plate adds briny pops that echo the fish and make the whole thing feel like a proper crudo course.

Serving

Serve immediately — this is not a dish that waits. The salmon should be cool and silky, the purée cold, and the relish at room temperature for contrast.

For a composed appetizer, plate individually on chilled shallow bowls or flat plates with a wide rim — the kind where the food sits in negative space. For a more casual summer spread, arrange everything on a chilled platter: spread the purée across the centre, shingle the salmon over it, and scatter the tomatoes and relish across the top. Let guests serve themselves with a fish slice.

This works as a light main for two alongside crusty bread and a simple green salad, or as part of a multi-dish spread with other light plates.

Pair with something crisp and high-acid: a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc (the grassy, citrus-forward style complements the edamame and gooseberry), a dry Vinho Verde, or a chilled Albariño. For something non-alcoholic, a sparkling yuzu soda or tonic with a strip of cucumber and a squeeze of lime keeps the same bright, clean energy.