Tag Archives: cider

Hop Smoked Salmon with Red Sails Perry

 Kris: Thanks to a very kind neighbour, I had a freshly caught Australian salmon to cook with. In a previous blog post, I hot smoked some Atlantic salmon using some Tasmanian Cascade hops. I thought I would do a different version of smoked salmon using some Tasmanian grown Topaz hops. I also came across a bottle of Tasmania’s newest Pear cider from Red Sails. They have planted a huge variety of heirloom cider and perry trees and are producing some awesome cider. I thought the perry would be a great match for my smoked salmon.

Kris: Instead of brining the salmon like last time, I simply smoked it for 15 minutes over a mix of mallee wood chips and topaz hops. I then seasoned it with salt and pepper, drizzled over some olive oil and baked it in some foil in a 160 C oven for 25 minutes.

Kris: I was brewing my first saison, so the smoked salmon was a perfect lunch time snack. While waiting for the fish to bake, I started preparing the spices for my home brew. I used some Tasmanian pepperberries, lemon myrtle  and bush tomatoes and I can’t wait to see how it turns out.

 Kris: I served the salmon with some Bruny Island O.D.O. (One day old) cheese and some fresh, crusty bread. I also made a simple salad from the garden with a dressing of olive oil and lemon juice.

Caroline: I love using Nasturtium flowers in salads! Not only are they delicious (peppery) but they are so beautiful. I think they make even the simplest salad look fancy. Not only are they delicious, but they are so easy to grow! Ours grow like weeds; we have to prune them back regularly just so they don’t take over the back yard. More facts about nasturtiums and some recipes here.

 

Kris: The Perry was a great match for the smoked salmon. It’s fine carbonation and dryness cut through the smoky richness of the salmon. It also complimented the cheese and the fresh bread. I will be keeping an eye out for some of the other ciders from Red Sails. The perry was one of the best I have ever tried.

Caroline:  I really liked the Perry by itself. It was refreshing and fruity. However, I did not really like it with the smoked fish. I thought the fish brought out a lot of fruitiness in the cider (which I guess is a good thing) but to me this masked over the smoked salmon a bit, and I love me some smoked salmon so I don’t want anything overpowering it.

TheTaste of the Huon Festival

Kris: It was a perfect day for the Taste of the Huon Festival. Nothing beats strolling around tasting amazing local food and booze. Sadly there were no craft beers available, so we settled for some Gillespie’s Ginger Beer and some cider from Captain Bligh’s and Tasmania Inn.

Caroline: I love pulled pork, it’s a classic American beer snack. The pulled pork roll from Fat Pig Farm was sweet, spicy and smoky, just the way I like it. The roll was fresh, but it could of used some classic smoky BBQ sauce on top. It was still really tasty though.

 Kris: Some Dry Apple and Blackberry Cider from Captain Bligh’s was a great match for the pulled pork roll. Apples are a classic match with pork, also the dryness and the carbonation of the cider cut through the sweet and smoky pork.

Kris: Next it was off to grab some tasty alcoholic Ginger Beer from Gillespie’s. I was thinking it would be a great match for the San Choi Bao served in a wasabi leaf from Red Velvet Lounge’s stand next to Captain Bligh’s.

Caroline: I love Gillespie’s Ginger Beer, especially on a warm and sunny day. It is a touch sweet, but has heaps of fresh ginger flavor and spice. It was a perfect match with the San Choi Bao from Red Velvet Lounge too.

Kris: Another day in Tasmanian paradise! It reminds me of why I have always wanted to live down here. Great local produce cooked perfectly, matched with some great local beverages. We also stopped in at the Home Hill cellar door on the drive home to taste some wine. The 2009 Pinot Noir and the Chardonnay were my two picks. Definitely worth stopping off if your traveling through the Huon Valley, 40 minutes south of Hobart.