COOKED SALMON FILET
Level 2
Smoked Salmon Mousse
Yields approximately 2 cups
We like our salmon as glossy and salmon-colored the day after as the day we cooked it -- so no surprise that we undercook salmon a bit so that the next day we can serve it over a bed of greens or over cold pasta. But what if you're caught off guard? This time the salmon’s been cooked through and the center isn't sushi-ish anymore. Your best alternative is Total Transformation: spoonfuls of chilled salmon mousse. Courtesy of some smoked salmon tidbits, onions, capers and horseradish, this sassy Salmon mousse tastes like Sunday brunch at The Bagel.
1 cup cooked salmon filet, flaked (skin and bones removed)
½ cup chopped smoked salmon (tidbits or cut strips)
1 tsp. chopped onion
2 tsp. nearly expired capers
2 tsp. lemon juice (or more for added tartness)
4 oz. cream cheese cut into cubes
½ cup heavy cream
2 tsp. fresh horseradish
1 tsp. chopped dill, fresh or dried (optional)
Salt and white pepper to taste
- In a food processor fitted with a blade, purée salmon and salmon tidbits, onions and capers. Add lemon juice, cream cheese, heavy cream, horseradish and dill. Season with salt and pepper. Purée until completely blended.
- Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Chill for three hours, or overnight.
Serving suggestion: You don’t have to limit yourself to mousse as a first course. You can also paint with it. Decorate a Belgian endive leaf and other crudités by squeezing salmon mousse out of a pastry bag or any plastic storage bag with a corner snipped off. Trace an outline around a plated fish, hot or cold. Or refrigerate it overnight in a ramekin and offer it as tomorrow’s dip, plated with crackers or rounds of crispy toasted French bread.
