Why Viking

Details such as cold marinating the sliced cucumbers enhance the clean, fresh taste of Chairman Hagen’s favorite dish, one that Norwegians have loved for generations. You may get the chance to enjoy the “Chairman’s Choice” on board a Viking ship, but why wait? Watch this brief instructional video by our Chairman himself to learn how to plate and garnish your salmon and cucumber salad beautifully.

Chairman’s Choice: Norwegian Salmon

Join Viking Chairman Torstein Hagen for a cucumber salad cook-off in The Kitchen Table, our onboard cooking school.

Ingredients

Pickled Cucumber

1 cucumber
Salt
2 Tbsp (26 g) sugar
3½ oz (100 ml) water
8½ oz (250 ml) rice wine vinegar

Poached Salmon

4 6-oz (170-g) salmon fillets (around 6 oz/170 g)

Chive Sauce

1 pt (475 ml) heavy cream
2¾ oz (80 g) butter
1 Tbsp (3.5 g) fresh chives
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Pickled Cucumber

Peel the cucumber and slice into disks. Sprinkle the disks with salt and allow to marinate for 5 minutes. Squeeze out the liquid. Mix the sugar, water and vinegar, pour over the sliced cucumber, and place in the fridge for half an hour. Drain and reserve.

Poached Salmon

Bring a pan of salted water to a boil, then turn down the heat and add the salmon fillets. Allow to poach for about 8 minutes, until just tender.

Chive Sauce

Meanwhile, prepare the chive sauce. Bring the cream to a boil in a saucepan, then reduce the heat and allow to simmer until reduced by half. Whisk in the butter, then add the fresh chives and season to taste.

Prep time: 38 minutes.
Cook time: 10 minutes.
Makes 4 servings.