Starters

Kick off a day of feasting with fabulous finger food – including delicate blinis and classic seafood - that is sure to impress your guests.

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Swedish gravlax platter

SERVES 8 PREP COOK TIME 30 MINUTES (+24 HOURS REFRIGERATION TIME)

You need to start the gravlax recipe at least 1 day ahead (see Tips).

¼ cup (70g) Dijon mustard ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh dill 250g cream cheese rye crispbread, to serve

GIN & JUNIPER GRAVLAX

1 tablespoon coriander seeds 1 tablespoon fennel seeds 1 tablespoon juniper berries 2 teaspoon finely grated lemon rind 300g sea salt flakes ⅓ cup (75g) white sugar ⅓ cup (80ml) gin 800g piece salmon fillet, pin-boned, skin on

QUICK PICKLED VEG

¾ cup (180ml) white wine vinegar ½ cup (110g) caster sugar ½ teaspoon salt 3 cloves 1 cinnamon stick 2 small beetroot (200g), shaved 1 small red onion (100g), shaved 1 Lebanese cucumber (130g), sliced thinly

1 GIN & JUNIPER GRAVLAX Pound coriander seeds, fennel seeds and juniper berries using a mortar and pestle until coarsely ground. Transfer to a medium bowl; add lemon rind, salt, sugar and gin. Season with pepper. Spread half the mixture on a large deep tray lined with a large sheet of plastic wrap. Top with salmon, skin-side down; spread with remaining mixture to cover. Wrap plastic tightly over salmon to cover and reduce leaks. Refrigerate for 24 hours, turning salmon after 12 hours.

2 Rinse salmon lightly under cold running water; pat dry with paper towel. Spread mustard on flesh-side of salmon; top evenly with dill. Refrigerate for 1 hour.

3 QUICK PICKLED VEG Place vinegar, sugar, salt, cloves, cinnamon and ⅓ cup (80ml) water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Simmer for 3 minutes. Place beetroot and onion in a medium heatproof bowl. Place cucumber in a small heatproof bowl. Pour two-thirds of the hot pickling liquid over beetroot and onion; pour remaining liquid over cucumber. Set aside until cool.