When you start out as a chef, you’re bombarded with a lot of information.

There’s a seemingly endless torrent of technical names and techniques. It’s a lot to remember, especially when you’re being tested, and all these years later, though I think I’ve forgotten a great deal, I can still tell my brunoise from my Macédoine and a chiffonade from a julienne.

Yet last week, I picked up on a technique I hadn’t ever heard of in over 25 years of cooking. It was a foodie comment on some website or other, and it leapt out at me and hit me for six. I thought it was a typo at first. Someone had mentioned that they were having smacked cucumber for their supper.

“Ah”, I thought, “they mean ‘snacked’ or ‘packed’, don’t they? It must be the dreaded smartphone auto-correct weaving its evil magic as usual.” But no, I was wrong.

Smacked cucumber really is a thing. It took me all these years to find out, and I’m so glad I eventually did, because it’s a brilliant technique for dealing with the rather temperamental cucumber.

The act of ‘smacking’, essentially just giving the thing a couple of hefty whacks before cutting into pieces, helps shatter and loosen the flesh, which allows better sauce absorption. Thus it’s a great technique to have in one’s repertoire, as I imagine it works well for Greek salads and anything else using raw cucumber where there is a sauce or dressing involved.

Quite often, the cucumber, especially if it’s a firm, crisp one, can repel the dressing, meaning you eat a rather under-seasoned salad, only to find all the yummy vinaigrette left at the bottom of the bowl. Well, not any more!

As a side-note, in much the same way, I once learned a great trick to improve jacket potatoes no end. When they come out of the oven, all crisp-skinned and crackling hot, slam them down once on a hard work surface – not so hard that they pop open, but enough to give them a good wallop.

The steam within the potato will rapidly exit, shattering the flesh, and making the resulting spud creamier and softer, and much more amendable to the even melting of the butter. Do try it; it’s one of those little kitchen miracles I now do without even thinking. So, smacking is definitely permitted, but only in the kitchen, and only on unsuspecting vegetables.

To go with the cucumber, I thought I’d invite along an old friend, the salmon.

Whether it’s in the quintessential British tea sandwich, or elegantly garnished as part of a fancy summer lunch, the creamy, pale flavour of the salmon sits beautifully with the snap and gently-perfumed crunch of fresh cucumber.

They also work together very well in oriental dishes, as they can handle quite a bit of rough treatment, flavour-wise.

Salty, spicy sauces seem to blend well, and yet the delicate salmon flavour is rarely overpowered. It’s almost unique in this respect. So, I thought I’d give the salmon a quick half-hour waddle in a classic honey-soy marinade, enlivened with fresh lime and savoury sesame seeds, before roasting it to just-about-cooked perfection and sitting it atop our juicy cucumber.

This we have dressed with a vinaigrette made with a little more soy, fresh garlic and ginger and a gentle (or not-so, should you prefer) nudge of heat from Szechuan pepper.

For added crunch, I’ve added some juicy pak choi and snappy French beans, but you could add whatever vegetables or salad leaves you fancy.

Just remember to discipline your cucumber firmly before you start.

FOR THE SALMON:

4 x 250g salmon fillets

3 tsp Kikkoman dark soy sauce

3 tsp good local honey

A splash of fresh lime juice

A few teaspoons sesame seeds

FOR THE CUCUMBER:

2 medium cucumbers

2 bulbs pak choi

A handful French beans, trimmed

6 tsp Maldon salt

2 heads garlic, peeled and finely minced

1 small piece fresh ginger, very finely minced

8 tsp unrefined golden caster sugar

4 tsp Kikkoman dark soy sauce

8 tsp white wine vinegar

4 tbsp chilli oil

1 tsp Szechuan pepper (optional)

METHOD

Prepare the salmon by mixing the marinade ingredients and pouring them over the fish in a glass bowl or tray. Chill for at least half an hour, flipping the salmon occasionally.

Lay the cucumbers on a chopping board and smack them hard a few times with a rolling pin or a heavy book.

Trim off the ends, and cut the cucumbers lengthways into two, then cut the two halves lengthways once more.

Cut these lengths on the angle into nice thick slices.

Place them in a bowl with the salt, mix well and tip into a non-reactive sieve or colander, set over a wide bowl and leave to drain for about 10 minutes.

This process acts to remove the excess water from the cucumber.

As the cucumber drains, make the dressing; in a small bowl, whisk together the garlic, ginger, sugar, soy, vinegar and chili oil to make a light emulsion.

Add the Szechuan pepper if you want a heftier kick.

Chop the pak choi into bite-size pieces. Quickly rinse, then pat the cucumber slices dry.

Tip them into a bowl, along with the chopped pak choi and pour over the sauce.

Quickly blanch the beans in boiling salted water, and toss into the salad.

Stir well, and allow to marinate for a few minutes while you cook the salmon. Heat the oven to 190ºC / Gas 5. Remove the salmon from the marinade.

In a pan, quickly sear the salmon pieces, skin-side down, until the skin is crisp and golden.

Transfer, skin-side-up, to a tray and bake for a further 7-10 minutes, until the fish is almost cooked through.

Leave to rest in a warm place. It will continue to cook a little as it rests. Spoon some of the cucumber salad into the centre of a bowl and set a salmon piece on top.