A salmon crudo with capers and cucumber, a lovely, fresh salmon larb with Thai basil, soy and chilli, and a great big Medovnik (layered Slavic honey cake with peaches)

So this week I have two little salmony numbers, no cooking required. Just make sure that when you make them, you devour them right away.

I’m sure that won’t be a problem.

And since it’s been chaos the last fortnight and I owe you all an extra post, I also have a Medovnik, which is a layered Slavic honey cake, covered in fresh sliced peaches.

It’s a bit of fun to make - some ‘therapeutic’ effort required, but as far as celebration cakes go, it’s up there. Stressy line chefs like me always envy the calm of the pastry station.

Now I know that a certain generation tends to shy away a bit from salmon. There was a time where you couldn’t move for all the slabs of the stuff, inevitably pan-seared, see-sawing on top of their little beds of mesclun or couscous or risotto, the inevitable flourish of crossed chives, and, gasp, a few Cy Twombly-esque rings of reduced balsamic (the crowd absolutely roars). What a time it was.

These days, no one can afford to sell such prodigious wodges of the stuff, not that such American style generosity is fashionable much these days anyway. Luckily, a little goes a long way. As always, it’s about getting a good return on your investment, and don’t forget that salmon doesn’t need to be held to a somewhat unfair reputation for being too cloying and rich.

Keep it fresh, use it sparingly, and make sure you match it with a good sharp acidic foil. You’ll need much less of it than you think. And in this heat / economic turmoil, thank god for that.

There are variations of Medovnik, Medovik or Miodownik, depending on where you are, all over Central and Eastern Europe - Poland, Ukraine, Russia and the Baltic States. It became vastly popular during the Soviet era, in spite of the apparent fact that it seems to have been developed by chefs working in the Imperial Russian court in the early 19th Century. Tsarina Elizabeth of Russia, the wife of Alexander I, absolutely hated honey more than anything else in the world (which to me is beyond peculiar) - however, a new pastry chef at court, ignorant of his new mistress’ near-pathological aversion, made a traditional Slavic honey cake in layers with sour cream icing, and the Empress, far from having a meltdown, absolutely loved it and made it a court staple.

Happy cooking, all, and thank you all for the ongoing messages and feedback. They are appreciated, as always.

S xx

SALMON CRUDO