Smoked Salmon Spread
A unique way to serve smoked salmon, with a delicious Dijon/Caraway flavor served along side crackers, pita chips or Lavash; the recipe was created by the owner of a seafood market in Plano, Texas.
Captain Dave’s Seafood Market
This recipe is actually one of the reasons why I started this online recipe blog in 2009. This is a recipe I acquired in the ‘90s from a seafood market in Plano, TX that I used to routinely go to for fresh fish, called Captain Dave’s Seafood Market. I became a loyal customer of theirs shortly after they opened in 1994 for seven years before I moved out of state.
The place appears to still be there in business after thirty years and to this day, and after living in a number of locations since then, I’ve never found a better seafood market. They created recipes to promote their products, in this case, their own in-house smoked salmon.
But I forgot about the recipe after I moved and didn’t think about it for a while when I ran across the original index card that Captain Dave’s gave away free if you bought their salmon. I wanted an easier, faster way to archive recipes that I really liked rather than put them in a stack with other printed recipes that I have, literally, by the thousands. So, that’s how Kitchen Tapestry got its start.
I have refined the original recipe with the addition of chives and capers, the latter of which I think adds a fresh, salty finish to the bright flavors of lemon, caraway and Dijon mustard. Get the kind of salmon that is a chunk of salmon filet, not the "lox" variety of salmon that is thinly sliced. You also need roasted red bell pepper, the kind you buy in a jar. Make sure the roasted pepper has been stored in brine, not olive oil and Mezzetta makes a good one. If you can't find the roasted red bell pepper, then jarred pimentos can be easily substituted.
Incidentally, this appetizer goes exceptionally well with side shots of ice cold Tito’s Vodka.
Smoked Salmon Spread
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound smoked salmon (do not use lox)
- 2 tbsp caraway seeds
- 6 tbsp fresh chopped or 3 tbsp dried parsley
- 6 tbsp fresh snipped or 3 tbsp dried chives
- 4 tbsp Dijon mustard (like, Grey Poupon)
- 1 small shallot, finely minced
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 chopped jarred roasted red bell pepper (like, Mezzetta)
- 3 tbsp capers, drained
Instructions
- Place the caraway seeds in a spice grinder (I use an electronic coffee grinder that is exclusively for spices, never coffee beans). Grind the seeds to a powder.
- Remove and discard the skin from the smoked salmon and place it in a mixing bowl. Using two forks, shred the salmon until it is relatively free of any large chunks.
- Add all the remaining ingredients except the capers, further breaking down the salmon as you go.
- When all the ingredients are well combined, cover the mixture and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour. This is particularly important if you used dried herbs as it allows the herbs to reconstitute but even if you used fresh herbs, you want the flavors to amalgamate.
- Just before serving, fold the capers into the mixture being careful not to mash them.
- Serve the mixture along side crackers, pita chips, lavash or similar. This dish goes great as a hearty appetizer served along side ice cold shots of Tito's Vodka.
