Olives are the nibble most closely associated with martinis but I always think that seafood is one of the best matches. It’s fresh, cold and goes well with citrus, just like a good martini. Consuming seafood also brings its own element of danger (food poisoning? Mercury?), much like the danger associated with drinking a strong martini.

So here is a simple and easy recipe for a seafood canapé to serve when you pour a drink.

Salmon tartare served on ritz crackers combines chilled, zesty, silken fish on a crunchy carb base.

Finely chop the solid ingredients listed below then mix everything well and serve immediately.

For 100g of chopped, skinless, boneless salmon add:

• The zest of a lemon
• A squeeze of lemon juice
• A finely shredded square inch of onion
• A smudge of wasabi paste (optional)
• A teaspoon of chopped capers
• A teaspoon of chopped chives
• A teaspoon of sesame oil
• A teaspoon of Sriracha sauce
• A pinch of sesame seeds (optional)

The mixture should be plenty for a large number of ritz crackers. Depending on how much you spoon on each it could make over 20.

You could also serve the mixture on miniature blini, which I like very much.

  
If you have to remove the salmon skin with a sharp knife you can roast it with a little bit of salt and oil for a crunchy side dish.

  
You can serve it as part of a full meal. Here I’ve dished it up with more salmon tartare and some grilled courgettes.

Or you could simply serve the roasted skin dabbed with a little sweet chilli sauce, which makes an unusual snack to serve with a martini.

Note that there are numerous variations of the above tartare recipe so I would recommend experimenting – although always ensure that the fish is extremely fresh!