ingredients
650g sweet potato, peeled, cut into 2cm cubes
420g hot smoked salmon
1 small onion, finely diced
50g plain flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
70g dried breadcrumbs
125ml vegetable oil
Dressing:
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 thumb sized piece of ginger, peeled & roughly chopped
Sea salt
2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 cucumbers
2 tbsp sesame seeds, toasted
Serves 6 / makes 12
instructions
First make the cucumber salad. Use a pestle & mortar to bruise and mash the garlic and ginger with a generous pinch of sea salt. Crush them together roughly as they don’t need to be made into a paste. Scrape the roughly mashed garlic and ginger into a bowl and add the remaining dressing ingredients. Set aside for an hour or so for the flavours to develop.
Peel and halve the cucumbers. Scrape the seeds out and cut thickly into half moon shapes. Transfer to a serving bowl. Press the dressing ingredients through a fine sieve over the cucumber. Discard the remaining bruised garlic and ginger. Sprinkle the salad with the toasted sesame seeds just before serving.
Meanwhile, steam or boil the sweet potato until just tender. Drain well and leave to cool slightly. Coarsely mash.
Remove the skin from the salmon and flake into a mixing bowl. Add the finely diced onion and the mashed sweet potato. I find it easiest to use my hands to mix all of this together but a wooden spoon is also good.
Place the flour, egg and breadcrumbs in 3 separate bowls. Divide the potato mix into 12 and roll into oval shaped croquettes. Roll each one in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs. Place on a baking tray until each one is done.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium high heat. Cook the croquettes in batches, turning occasionally, for six minutes or until golden and heated through. Place on kitchen paper to drain and keep warm. Serve warm with the cucumber salad.
