Conchiglioni filled with salmon mousse

Conchiglioni are large shell shaped pasta perfect for stuffing and you can now find them in any supermarket.
They can be filled with virtually anything you fancy but this time I chose to use salmon mousse. That way they can be served as nibbles or if you prefer, as a starter on a bed of salad and pickled cucumber ribbons drizzled with dill oil.
I have broken down the recipe so you can make each element separately and then out it together however you like. It does take a little bit of time to make (1h30) but the preparation is very simple and all you will need as equipment is a pan, a blender and a strainer.
















You will need:

For the mousse:
- 250g of salmon
- 150g of single cream
- 1 lemon
- salt and pepper

For the pickled cucumber:
- 1/2 a cucumber
- salt
- 1 tbs of sugar
- 3 tbs of white wine vinegar

For the dill oil:
- bunch of fresh dill
- 4 tbs of olive oil

and of course some conchiglioni pasta (the amount of mousse make about 15 stuffed pasta shells)


Preparation:

1. Steam cook the salmon for 10 min. If like me you do not own a steamer, put the wish into a small net strainer and poop in on top of a pan of boiling water (being careful that the water does not touch the fish) and then pop a lid on top (cling film or foil will work too).

2. Peel the cucumber and cut lengthway into two. Scrape the seeds off the middle and cut into small cubes. Put the cubes into a strainer and put a good pinch of salt on top. Place a muslin or kitchen towel on top and then a weight on top of that and leave for 20 min. This process allows for some of the water to drain and you will end up with a much crunchier cucumber.

3. Once your salmon is cooked and had time to cool, put into a food processor and blitz until it has formed a paste. Add the cream and blend on high speed for 2 min before adding the lemon, salt and pepper (to taste). Another quick blitz to mix it all in and you are done.

4. Mix the vinegar and the sugar together until the sugar has dissolved and once your cucumber has been draining for 20 min add it to the pickling liquor. Leave for 30 min.

5. Cook the pasta adding a pinch of salt and 1 tbs of olive oil in the water (to prevent them from sticking to each other) for about 15 min and drain. Leave to cool.

6. For the dill oil, put the oil and and handful of dill into a blender and mix for 2 min. Pass the liquid into a muslin sheet to remove the solids.

7. We are now ready to assemble! Drain the pickled cucumber and add gently to the salmon mousse. it will make it lighter and add some freshness to it. Spoon, pipe the mixture into the pasta shells and drizzle with the dill oil.
Top up with a couple of sdill sprigs and some salmon roe for a bit of colour.

Time to eat! I hope you enjoy this recipe :)