Steemit-Ironchef Round 3/2nd entry ~ Fresh Cucumber Vish Salad "Ocean Breeze" 🌊🌊🌊

Here comes something I didn't do before: a second entry to this week's #steemit-ironchef challenge with the theme "cucumber". At first I didn't know what to do with it. But then because I thought so hard about it I had even several ideas. On my search for recipe ideas with a lot of pickled cucumbers in it (because a fresh one doesn't taste so thrilling at this time of the year in the middle of Europe) I found this: Pickled Herring Salad! That is a traditional dish in the skandinavian, polish and nothern german kitchens. If you check on it there are a hundred variations of it. And this is what it inspired me to:

Before I start with the recipe I would like to thank @progressivechef again for this challenge. Anyone who would like to contribute should follow the rules written down in this post: STEEMIT IRON CHEF 2018 Act 01 Round 03.

The secret of this recipe is to find something remotely similar in texture like the pickled herring and to conjure the taste of fresh seafood into it. May I present: The Vish! It's a newly discovered species and the name is Mediterranean Auberginling! 😜

Ingredients:

• one medium size eggplant 
• dried wakame
• one green cucumber 
• some pickled Cornichons 
• one shallot
• a piece of smoked tofu 
• capers
• one tablespoon of mustard
• a lemon 
• sunflower oil
• half an apple 
• some glasswort
• two bay leaves 
• dill
• salt and fresh ground pepper
• waxy potatoes 

Preparation:

The first goal is to charm the taste of the sea into the eggplant. For this I cut it into halves, removed the foamy seed parts inside and cut it into bite sized pieces. I made sure that every piece would have left a part of the skin on it.

To mimic the typical sea taste I cooked the eggplant in seasalty (very salty) saltwater together with a proper amount of wakame seaweed. The kitchen smelled like a steamy day on the beach instantly. Don't cook the pieces too long. They still need this little gouey resilient texture. Drain and leave to cool down. Remove most parts of the seeweed but some remaining doesn't hurt.

The pickled Cornichons were so small I just halved them. I chopped the shallot and the smoked tofu into small cubes and mixed them carefully under the eggplant - uhm, pieces of the cooled down Vish together with the cornichons, capers, the bay leaves, the mustard, some lemon juice, sunflower oil and pepper.

I covered it with a lid and let it rest in the fridge overnight for the flavours to infuse.

The next day I bought some glasswort on the green market. I thought it would fit perfectly and it gives the whole salad a stronger seafood taste.

When I came home I put the potatoes in their skin (all the delicious potato taste stays within the potatoes) with some water and a lot of sea salt in a pressure cooker and let them cook unt done. 

I halved the fresh cucumber, removed the glibbery seeds part and cut it and the apple into bite sized bices.

I cut the  glasswort in shorter pieces and fold everything togther with frozen dill under the eggplant vishies. I seasoned with salt (taste if necessary!) and pepper.

I served it with the incredible aromatic peeled potatoes and it was soo delicious! It totally reminded me of this original taste I had in my mind. It was fresh and salty and crispy and it had the typical seafood taste and the hubby didn't stop eating until the bowl was empty ... ... 🌊🌊🌊🌊🌊 🐟🌊🌊🌊🌊 (happy real fish thinks I choose wisely 😉)

The Parsley didn't fit in the recipe anymore. Sorry, Parsley! Maybe next time!