It is rather late in the season but I have made this dish several times over the summer, both as a starter, served with brown bread and butter, and a part of a main course with a salad and crunchy French bread. It really is delicious. Takes a little time to make (always do it the day before) but is worth the effort.
4 oz/110g poached salmon (buy this ready cooked, or if you have time poach it yourself.)
Cool, and flake the salmon.
4 ox/100g cream cheese
½ pint/275 ml double cream
2 small or 1 large pack smoked salmon
Fresh basil
9 oz/250 g prawns
Juice of half a lemon
Black pepper
Beat the cream cheese and cream together, add the herbs and lemon juice, mix well together.
Place a large sheet of cling film on the table and lay the smoked salmon on top, overlapping to make a bed for the filling, doesn’t matter if it’s not perfect or flat as long as there are no gaps for the filling to squeeze out of.
Spread a layer of the cream cheese on top of the salmon, then a layer of prawns and finally the poached salmon. Then I add some fresh basil leaves along the centre for colour and that lovely summer flavour.
Now, get the end of the cling film and carefully roll the salmon into a tight log shape, then wrap tightly in the cling film and put in the fridge over night. Next day, when you unwrap the roulade, it should hold it’s shape and you can cut into thick slices.
Decorate with wedges of lemon or lime, a little salad, and cooked beetroot which cuts through the richness of the roulade.
One of my favourite sandwiches uses the same ingredients; the sweetness of homecooked beetroot is just delicious with the richness of smoked salmon. Use grainy bread for the best texture, spread with cream cheese, add some fresh herbs if you feel like it, top with smoked salmon and slices of beetroot, drizzle with lemon juice and eat with some rocket or watercress. You can’t beat it with a stick as my husband always says!.