Salmon cutlets with cucumber and dill sauce

Serves six

6 salmon cutlets, about 1-cm thick
1 small lemon, sliced
3 thick onion slices, halved
Handful parsley and celery stalks
2 torn bay leaves
Half tsp black peppercorns
200 ml dry white wine
Half large hothouse cucumber
20 g butter
150 ml sour cream or crème fraîche
2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
Salt and pepper
Lemon juice

Split the cutlets into two pieces, and carefully remove the bones. Put them into a large frying pan in a single layer, then tuck in the lemon and onion slices, parsley and celery stalks and bay leaves. Scatter in the peppercorns, pour in the wine and bring to the boil. Lower the heat until just simmering, cover with a lid and cook for three minutes.

Turn out the heat and leave the fish to stand in the covered pan for 10 minutes.

Lift out the cutlets, remove the skin and put them on to a large dish. Cover with clingfilm and chill. Strain the juice into a small pan and discard the flavourings. Bring to the boil and bubble until reduced to just three tablespoons.

Using a potato peeler, peel the cucumber and halve it lengthways. Scrape out all the seeds with a teaspoon, then halve it lengthways again and cut it into one-cm slices.

Heat the butter in a pan and fry the cucumber over high heat for a minute, then add the reduced juices and cook for a minute more. Take the pan off the heat and cool slightly.

Whisk in the sour cream and dill and season to taste with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Pour it into a bowl, cover with clingfilm and chill.

Arrange two of the cutlets on each of six plates, spoon over some cucumber sauce and serve with the beetroot and potato salad.