Smoked Salmon Salad

It doesn’t get much easier than this.

Sure, it’s best if you smoke your own salmon and pick the greens fresh from your garden but I just popped down to the local grocer’s instead.

The only thing “made” here is the tartare sauce [tartar in the U.S.] which in this case is a continental version so we can be snobby and call it a remoulade. With either name it amounts to mayonnaise plus pickles and other stuff.

I used an off-the-shelf olive-oil mayonnaise since my mayonnaise-making fails at least half the time and I didn’t want the hassle.

It’s simple really; take a cup of the good-quality mayo, finely chop 2 Tablespoons each (when chopped) of

• shallots (really really fine)
• gherkin pickles (the tiny ones)

1 T of chopped

• capers (not at all fine because they turn to mush; just so they’re not whole)

and stir it into the mayo. Add a squeeze of lime juice (1/4 lime or there about).

Taste, add more of whichever thing it needs. Add some pickle juice or caper juice if it’s a real thick sauce; it ought to flow somewhat (see the picture with a puddle of sauce).

The salad is just some greens, a thin layer of the sauce, more greens, then the smoked salmon on top. This was done in one of those little circular forms to give it some structure. And extra sauce on the side.

If this was a real remoulade you’d add some fresh chopped tarragon, chervil and parley; chervil’s the key ingredient there.

Anyway… that’s it. Simple, fast, pleasing. What more could one ask?

Technorati Tags: remoulade,smoked salmon salad,tartare sauce,tartar sauce

Smoked Salmon Crepes : Crêpes au Salmon Fumé : LCB at Home : Lesson 4 : Part 5

Not so easy this one - if you haven't done crepes before.  But, once that's mastered - which could take a couple of minutes - then it's a cinch.  Crepe making is worthwhile to have in the repertoire; all sorts of fancy/tasty seeming dishes can be whipped up in a flash.

No special crepe-pan is required, use a small frying pan. It works just fine.

The picture's not top notch - must have messed up the macro setting. It's the obligatory overhead shot. That's 11 crepes (there was one more but I Aited it), filled with smoked salmon, covered with crème fraiche and gratinated (gratined?) for a little color.

 

I did a crepes recipe back in 2006 (Crepes : French Pancakes) which was for about 4 times what's needed today (well... last Wednesday to tell the truth).  So I did it with:

• 2 eggs
• 1 C milk
• 3/4 C flour
• 3 T oil (or use butter) into the mixture
• a bit of salt

then you should be fine.

For the smoked salmon part of this "recipe" get

• 300 gr smoked salmon bits (lox) [10 oz]
• milk enough to cover the salmon in a bowl

and soak the salmon in milk for 2 hours (removes saltiness and refines/smooths the taste.

1. Then fill the crepes with smoked salmon (not much per crepe, just a taste)
2. Roll/fold and place seam-side down in an oven-proof pan
3. Cover with crème fraiche (seasoned with salt and pepper)
4. Under the broiler for 5 minutes - until browned

Serve - Ta Da!

del.icio.us Tags: recipe,smoked salmon,crepes

Smoked Salmon Stuffed Smoked Salmon Rolls: Recipe

Now for the recipe of these salmon rolls I made the other day.

Ingredients

• 250 gr smoked salmon, chopped [½#]
• 3 T ricotta cheese
• 1 T dill, dried, chopped
  
• 2 T chives, fresh, chopped
• ¼ t salt
• ¼ t pepper (maybe less)
  
  
• 250 gr smoked salmon, thin slices[½#]
• 4T strawberry preserves [jam]
• chives, whole

Procedure

1. Blend salmon, ricotta, chives, dill, salt & pepper in a mixer/food processor
• Taste it and adjust the ingredients
  
2. Lay sliced salmon on a blue cutting board
3. Lay a little salmon-cheese mix across the center of each one (see pic in previous post)
   
4. Apply a dollop of strawberry
5. Roll them up, seam side down
   
6. Probably you should cut each roll into 2 pieces
7. Tie a chive around each one
   

Notes

1. I just made this up on the spur of the moment so these notes contain a lot of the thinking process in making this; it could get tedious.
   
2. I actually used Requesón cheese, not Ricotta. This could work with a small curd cottage cheese too.
   
3. Strawberry & smoked salmon taste surprisingly good together
4. Salmon goes good with dill and chives (for a bit of texture)
5. Some would use cream cheese but ricotta is more diet-friendly
   
6. Amounts are approximate. Use about equal volumes of smoked salmon and ricotta
7. Trim the smoked salmon slices so that they're rectangular/square and use the trimmings in the cheese mix. Rectangular salmon rolls much more neatly.
8. Use of a blue cutting board is not obligatory
   
9. A light touch with the strawberry preserves; want the flavour to be subtle.
   
10. Split fat chives in half lengthwise for easier tying
11. The rolls are larger than a cigarette but smaller than a cigar - perhaps a panatella would be about right
12. The chives are not only practical ( to hold the roll together) but give a touch of colour too
13. You could put these on little toasts instead (a toast, spread with smoked salmon-cheese then strawberry, then topped with a square of regular smoked salmon
14. I made twice as much as this recipe. Then used the extra on a pizza; with Requesón instead of tomato sauce on the base (quite tasty too).