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Posts Tagged ‘Smoked salmon’

Smoked Salmon with Pickled Cucumber

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , on 5 November 2025| Leave a Comment »

Buy top quality smoked salmon for this and serve as a starter. A delicious recipe from The Italian Deli Cookbook by Theo Randall.

Wine Suggestion: Some good friends brought over a sparkling from Woodchester Valley vineyards in the Cotswolds which was charmingly matched with this dish; both contrasting and complimenting the various flavours and textures. A classic blend of the three Champagne grapes and a classic secondary fermentastion in the bottle. Creamy mousse, hints of bready autolysis and elegance, but a touch more chalky, saline giving this wine a sense of place too.

Smoked salmon with pickled cucumber – serves 4 as a starter

  • 1 small red onion, finely sliced
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthways and deseeds
  • 100ml sunflower oil
  • 50g coarsely chopped ciabatta
  • 300g sliced smoked salmon
  • 1 tbsp tiny capers in vinegar, drained
  • 50g flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked and roughly chopped
  • 1 lemon, quartered, to serve

Put the onion into a small saucepan with 1 tbsp of the caster sugar and 1 tbsp of the white wine vinegar and ½ tsp salt. Cover with a tight lid and cook over a low heat for 10 minutes, or until the onions are soft. Set aside and leave to cool.

Put the cucumber halves, flat-side down on a board and cut into 5mm slices. Put the sliced cucumber into a bowl with the remaining tbsp of sugar and of vinegar and add ½ tsp salt. Stir gently, then cover with cling film and macerate for 30 minutes. Pour off the excess liquid and put the cucumber into a clean tea towel and squeeze out any excess moisture. Set aside.

Heat the sunflower oil in a small saucepan over a medium heat. When hot, add the ciabatta and fry until lightly golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and leave to cool.

Lay the smoked salmon slices over a platter. Scatter over the pickled onion and cucumber, followed by the capers and parsley.

Dot over small teaspoons of the crème fraîche and top with the ciabatta. Season with black pepper and serve the lemon wedges on the side.

(Original recipe from The Italian Deli Cookbook by Theo Randall, Hardie Grant: Quadrille, 2021.)

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Little Salmon Sausage Rolls

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 23 March 2025| Leave a Comment »

These are great with drinks and much lighter than actual sausage rolls. You can also freeze them uncooked and then cook from frozen for a handy standby.

Wine Suggestion: Bubbles of course … we’re particularly fond of the Domaine de la Taille aux Loups Triple Zero, so named as it uses no chaptilisation, no liquer de tirage and no dosage. As unfettered and refined a Pet Nat you can find anywhere and very special for it.

Little salmon sausage rolls – makes 24

  • 1 x 320g sheet all-butter puff pastry
  • 1 egg beaten

FOR THE FILLING:

  • 200g skinless salmon fillet, finely chopped
  • 115g smoked salmon, finely chopped
  • 125g full-fat cream cheese
  • 25g Parmesan, finely grated
  • small bunch of dill, finely chopped
  • 6 scallions, finely chopped
  • juice of ½ lemon
  • 75g dill pickle from a jar, finely chopped

Heat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

Preheat a large baking tray.

Put all the filling ingredients into a large bowl, season with salt and pepper and mix well.

Roll the puff pastry sheet out on a lightly floured surface to make a rectangle 30 x 40 cm. Brush with the beaten egg, then divide vertically into 3 even-sized pieces.

Divide the filling into 3 and make a mound down each piece of pastry. Lift and fold the pastry over and seal by pressing down with the back of a fork.

Cut each section into 8 and brush the tops with the beaten egg.

Line the hot baking tray with non-stick baking paper and place the rolls on top. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until golden brown.

(Original recipe from Mary’s Foolproof Dinners by Mary Berry, BBC Books, 2024.)

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Pasta with Smoked Salmon and Mascarpone

Posted in Fish, Food, Italian, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , , , , on 20 December 2023| Leave a Comment »

We love this easy pasta dish. If you haven’t cooked smoked salmon before you should.

Wine Suggestion: this is a deceptively rich dish and we think needs something like a fuller Pinot Gris, like Au Bon Climat’s blend with Pinot Blanc which is treated very much like a Burgundian Chardonnay and is both textured and vibrantly fresh with flavours of fresh pears, toasty creaminess and gentle spices.

Pasta with smoked salmon & mascarpone – serves 4

  • 400g farfalle
  • 200g smoked salmon
  • 125g mascarpone
  • 20g butter, at room temperature
  • zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
  • dill, snipped

Cook the pasta in lots of salty water until al dente.

Meanwhile, cut the salmon into short pieces with scissors and put them into a large warm serving bowl along with the mascarpone, butter and lemon zest. Ladle some pasta cooking water into the bowl to loosen to a cream, then taste and add salt if needed.

Drain the pasta, reserving some more pasta water, then tip on to the sauce and gently mix together, adding more cooking water if needed. Serve, sprinkled with dill.

(Original recipe from An A-Z of Pasta by Rachel Roddy, Penguin: Fig Tree, 2021.)

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Tagliatelle con salmone e mascarpone

Posted in Fish, Food, Italian, Pasta, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 9 January 2023| 2 Comments »

We’re clearing out in January, rather then dieting. This recipe used up the last of a side of smoked salmon and its simplicity is perfect.

Wine Suggestion: We think Verdicchio is under-rated as a grape and for food combinations like this where you have a creaminess, combined with some Omega fatty acids and citrus zest it is the business. Tonight our choice was Sartarelli’s Tralivio which balances fruit weight with an almost saline minerality.

Tagliatelle with Salmon and Mascarpone – serves 4

  • 400g tagliatelle
  • 200g smoked salmon, snipped with scissors into short strips
  • 125g mascarpone
  • 20g soft butter
  • zest of 1 lemon, plus more to garnish
  • a few sprigs of dill, snipped

Cook the tagliatelle in lots of very salty water until al dente.

Meanwhile, tip the salmon strips into a large warm serving bowl along with the mascarpone, butter and lemon zest. Add a ladleful of the pasta cooking water to loosen it all to a cream, then taste and add salt if needed.

Drain the pasta, reserving some water, then tip into the bowl with the sauce and toss gently, adding more cooking water if needed. Serve sprinkled with the dill and some more lemon zest.

(Original recipe from An A-Z of Pasta by Rachel Roddy, Penguin: Fig Tree, 2021.)

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Smoked Salmon, Ricotta & Dill Wraps

Posted in Fish, Gluten-free, Party Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 13 January 2022| Leave a Comment »

A simple idea to serve with drinks, something sparkly perhaps.

Wine Suggestion: a great match for any sparkling wine made with the Champenois method, double fermented in the bottle, and with some autolytic, yeasty, bready aromas that help give the structure for the food. Tonight a 100% Pinot Meunier from Laurent Lequart in the Vallée de la Marne, Champagne.

Smoked salmon, ricotta & dill wraps – makes 16

  • 300g soft ricotta
  • zest and juice of 1 lemon (use a zester if you have one rather than a grater)
  • a handful of dill, chopped, plus a bit extra to serve
  • 16 thin slices of smoked salmon

Mix the ricotta, lemon zest and dill together in a bowl. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.

Put 1 tsp of the ricotta mixture onto each slice of salmon and roll up, then skewer with a cocktail stick.

Arrange on a plaste and garnish with extra dill. Squeeze over some fresh lemon juice just before serving.

(Original recipe from Polpo by Russell Norman, Bloomsbury, 2012.)

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Smoked Salmon Soufflé

Posted in Fish, Food, Uncategorized, tagged , , , , , , , , on 31 December 2021| 2 Comments »

This has to be the perfect post-Christmas dish; great for using up the cheeseboard leftovers and all that smoked fish you though you would eat. Our daughter was so enamoured of this that she has been demanding it ever since. Serve with a green salad and some crusty bread.

Wine Suggestion: Find yourself a Chardonnay made on the lees, but not necessarily in oak. This will preserve a freshness and mid-weight while giving a yeasty, buttery character. A good producer from the Maçon, like Manciat-Poncet, would be ideal and that’s what we had.

Smoked Salmon Soufflé – Serves 3

  • 20g freshly grated Parmesan, plus an extra 1 tbsp
  • 1 small onion, peeled
  • 100g smoked salmon or smoked trout, finely chopped
  • 300ml full fat milk
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 50g butter
  • 55g plain flour
  • 4 large eggs, separated
  • 2 tbsp chopped tarragon

You will need a soufflé dish or baking dish, approximately 18-20cm.

Lightly grease the inside of the dish with butter, then dust with the 2 tbsp of grated Parmesan.

Preheat the oven to 200C/Gas 6.

Put the milk into a small saucepan with the onion and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat and leave to sit for a few minutes. Remove the onion and bay leaf and discard.

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan, then stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Then pour in the warm milk and stir vigorously until you have a smooth, thick sauce. Continue to cook for another couple of minutes, then remove from the heat.

Lightly beat the the egg yolks with a fork, then stir them into the sauce with 20g of Parmesan, the chopped fish and the tarragon.

Beat the egg whites until stiff with a whisk in a large bowl. Fold the egg whites into the sauce, then spoon into the buttered dish. Smooth the top if needed, then sprinkle over the remaining Parmesan. Put the dish onto a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes. The crust should be pale brown and the centre slightly soft, it should still have a little wobble when you give it a shake.

Serve immediately with dressed salad leaves and crusty bread. You need to eat it all up as this dish will not keep.

(Original recipe by Nigel Slater in The Guardian, Tuesday, 28 December 2021.)

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Smoked Salmon, Horseradish & Dill Crostini

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , on 21 March 2019| Leave a Comment »

Smoked Salmon, Horseradish & Dill Crostini

Do try this. It looks like regular smoked salmon crostini but the balance of ingredients is perfect, including the rather generous portion of salmon per toast. Don’t be tempted to scrimp on either quantity or quality!

Wine Suggestion: excellent with sparkling – your choice of Crémant, Champagne, or your local version. Just make sure that it a fresh, more acidic style … Prosecco need not apply as it doesn’t have enough zing for this. Tonight the Soalheiro Espumante, a sparkling made from alvarinho in northern Portugal and wonderfully citrus, vibrant and refreshing.

Smoked salmon, horseradish & dill crostini – makes 20 crostini

  • 250g crème fraîche
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • about 3 tbsp freshly grated horseradish
  • pinch of caster sugar (optional)
  • 1 French stick, cut into discs and lightly toasted
  • 500g thinly sliced top quality smoked salmon
  • 20 dill sprigs
  • lemon juice

Make the horseradish cream by mixing together the crème fraîche, mustard and horseradish. Season with salt and pepper and add a little sugar if it tastes tart.

Put a generous slice of salmon in each piece of toast and top with a spoonful of horseradish cream. Decorate with a sprig of dill. Add a few drops of lemon juice and some black pepper before serving.

(Original recipe from Polpo: A Venetian Cookbook (of sorts) by Russell Norman, Bloomsbury, 2012.)

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A Celebratory Salmon & Crab Starter for New Year

Posted in Fish, Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , , on 31 December 2018| Leave a Comment »

Smoked salmon & crab timbales with cucumber parpadelle

This luxurious starter of smoked salmon timbales filled with creamy crab can be made up to a day ahead. You do need to find big slices of smoked salmon as you need to completely line the moulds to stop the filling leaking out.

Wine Suggestion: as befits the occasion these go great with bubbly. We love good Champagne, but have recently been sampling various Cremants from around France and enjoying the variation and character each brings. With this we served the Manciat Poncet Cremant de Bourgogne which our friend brought along to dinner.

Smoked salmon timbales with cucumber pappardelle – serves 8

  • 12 large slices of smoked salmon
  • 225g full-fat soft cheese
  • 100-150ml sour cream
  • 100g white crab meat
  • 2 tsp chopped fresh dill, plus some sprigs to garnish
  • lemon wedges, to garnish

FOR THE CUCUMBER PAPPARDELLE:

  • 1 tbsp caster sugar
  • finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 150ml olive oil
  • a few black peppercorns
  • 1-2 tsp white wine vinegar
  • 1 large cucumber peeled

Line eight 100ml ramekins with the smoked salmon making sure there are not gaps and hanging it well over the sides.

Beat the cheese to soften and mix in 100ml soured cream – loosen with a little more cream if still too firm to spoon.

Pick over the crab and remove any tiny bits of shell. Stir into the cheese with the chopped dill and season. Spoon into the moulds and fold over the overhanging salmon, then cover with cling film and chill in the fridge for 2 hours (you can do this up to a day ahead).

Make the dressing for the cucumber. Put the sugar and 3 tbsp of water int a small saucepan and bring quickly to a simmer. Add the lemon zest and juice, oil and peppercorns, then taste and add 1-2 tsp of vinegar. Season with salt. Return to the boil, then cool (this can also be made up to a day ahead).

Use a swivel peeler to shave long strips of cucumber until you get to the seeds. Discard the centre. Don’t do this any more than 30 minutes beforehand or it will go soggy.

To serve, unwrap and run a knife between the salmon and the ramekins to pop them out onto plates. Strain the dressing through a sieve, mix a few tablespoons with the cucumber and arrange next to the timbales. Garnish with lemon wedges and dill and drizzle over some more dressing.

(Original recipe by Gary Rhodes in BBC Good Food Magazine, December 2004.)

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Salmon Pâté with Lemon & Dill

Posted in Food, Gluten-free, tagged , , , , , , , on 19 August 2018| Leave a Comment »

Salmon pâté with Sheskin smoked salmon

This simple pâté can be whipped up in just a few minutes. Serve with some toast or breadsticks. We also had some fabulous candied salmon from Sheskin in County Monaghan. It’s amazing!!! See here for more details: http://www.sheskin.ie

Wine Suggestion: we paired this with the Bouvet-Ladubay “Trésor” Sparkling Saumur, a vintage sparkling made from Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay made in oak. Creamy, smooth and deep while remaining fresh and vibrant.

Smoked Salmon Pâté with Lemon & Dill – serves 4

  • 150g smoked salmon, chopped into small pieces
  • 200g tub soft cheese
  • 1 tbsp crème fraîche (optional)
  • juice of half a lemon
  • a small bunch of dill or chives
  • breadsticks or toast, to serve

Put the soft cheese, crème fraîche and lemon juice into a food processor. Season generously with salt and black pepper, then whizz to combine. Add the smoked salmon and pulse a few times. We like a chunky texture but you can keep going until smooth if you prefer.

Stir in the herbs and serve in a bowl with breadsticks or toast on the side.

(Original recipe from BBC Good Food)

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Salmon Tartare with Lemon & Capers

Posted in Fish, Food, tagged , , , , , , , , on 22 December 2014| 2 Comments »

Salmon Tartare

A perfect starter for the festive season. Get the freshest and best salmon you can as it will make all the difference; ours was meltingly tender while cutting it up and we were rewarded with a melt in the mouth starter.

Wine suggestion: Try an appropriately festive and indulgent Vintage Champagne like the Billecart-Salmon Blanc de Blanc which has a richness and depth alongside a minerally freshness and great purity of fruit. Alternately if on a budget, but another classic match, would be a zippy and herbaceous Sauvignon Blanc or for a bit of a lemony twist a Verdejo from Rueda in Spain.

Smoky salmon tartare with lemon and capers – serves 6

  • 1 shallot, finely diced
  • 2 lemons, 1 juiced and 1 cut into wedges
  • 400g skinless salmon fillet
  • 200g smoked salmon
  • 2 tbsp chopped dill
  • 2 tbsp small capers
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 tbsp crème fraîche
  • olive oil
  • melba toast, to serve

Put the shallot into the lemon juice and leave to soak.

Cut the salmon into tiny cubes and finely chop the smoked salmon. Put all of the fish into a bowl, add the dill, capers, mustard, crème fraîche, 1 tbsp olive oil and the shallot and juice. Fold together gently and season with salt and black pepper.

Serve in rounds with the melba toast and a drizzle of olive oil.

(Original recipe from BBC Olive Magazine, December 2014)

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