Smoked Salmon Pate

This easy Smoked Salmon Pate recipe is the perfect appetizer for your festive table whether it is Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year celebrations.

It is a simple and flavorsome dish made with a combination of smoked salmon and poached salmon for extra texture and flavor.

And the best news is that this delicious creamy spread is ready in just 20 minutes!

Jump to:

• The Perfect Appetizer - Smoked Salmon Pate
• Why This Recipe Works?
• Ingredients You'll Need
• How to Make Smoked Salmon Pate?
• Top Tips From the Chef
• Serving Suggestions
• How to Store Smoked Salmon Pâté?
• Recipe FAQs
• Related Recipes
• Smoked Salmon Pate

The Perfect Appetizer - Smoked Salmon Pate

Same as Tirokafteri (Spicy Whipped Feta Dip) and Mediterranean Hummus Dip, Smoked Salmon Pate is the perfect party food that you can serve as an appetizer, as a canapé on croutons, or as a dip with some crudités.

You can make this Smoked Salmon Pate up to 2 days ahead and keep it refrigerated until you need it.

Simply remove it from the fridge, garnish it with chopped herbs, and bring it to room temperature for 30 minutes before serving it.

For more appetizer recipes for your next party, you might also want to check out Avocado Deviled Eggs without Mayo, Thai Chicken Satay with Peanut Sauce, Baked Brie with Jam, and Chicken Liver Parfait - Pate.

Why This Recipe Works?

• It is super easy to make this delightful party food, simply place your ingredients in a food processor and blitz it!

• You can serve Smoked Salmon Pate as an appetizer for your dinner parties, a healthy snack when you feel peckish, or a light lunch along with a nice bowl of Beetroot and Feta Salad.

• The leftovers would keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container when refrigerated.

• You can make this Smoked Salmon Pate with poached or leftover salmon to save some time. Alternatively, you can omit the poached salmon and use only smoked salmon for a stronger flavor.

Ingredients You'll Need

Please scroll down to the recipe card below for the full ingredients list with measurements, complete recipe method, recipe notes, and nutritional information.

• Smoked salmon - Use your favorite brand. The trimmings also work perfectly with this recipe, and they are less pricey.

• Poached salmon - You can use leftover salmon or poach from the fresh. Alternatively, replace it with the same amount of smoked salmon.

• Cream cheese - I use full-fat soft cream cheese with plain flavor. You can also use a low-fat version but the pate wouldn't be as creamy.

• Yogurt - Plain natural or Greek yogurt adds a bit of tanginess. You can substitute it with sour cream, creme fraiche, or mayonnaise.

• Horseradish sauce - It is made with horseradish mixed with cream and lemon juice. I buy them in small jars from supermarkets. It gives a slight kick to the salmon pate but you can omit it if you don't have it.

• Chives - I finely chop them before adding them to the Salmon Pate. You can use fresh dill, parsley, or chervil if you prefer.

• Sea salt - You only need a small amount of salt as the smoked salmon has already some salt. Add it last minute after tasting the pate.

How to Make Smoked Salmon Pate?

This Smoked Salmon Pate recipe is extremely easy to make and to achieve the best results, you need to follow a few simple steps:

Poach the fresh salmon in simmering water on low heat for 15 minutes, and let it cool down.

Alternatively, you can use the same amount of smoked salmon or ready-cooked salmon.

When it is cooled down, place it in a bowl of a food processor along with the cream cheese, cold smoked salmon, yogurt, horseradish sauce, freshly ground black pepper, and lemon juice.

For a really smooth pate, blitz it until the mixture is creamy.

If you want your pate more rustic with some delicious chunks, give it a quick blitz using the pulse function.

Add finely chopped chives, mix well until all is incorporated, and transfer it into a serving bowl. 

Garnish it with some more chopped herbs before serving.

Top Tips From the Chef

• Add the salt at the very last minute after tasting the pate, as smoked salmon and cream cheese are already salty. You might not even need any salt!

• Use ready-cooked salmon to save some time. Also, buy a pack of smoked salmon trimmings as they are much cheaper than the sliced ones.

• Add extra flavorings such as capers, lemon zest, finely chopped shallots, or garlic to make the Smoked Salmon Pate even more interesting.

Serving Suggestions

Smoked Salmon Pate is best when served at room temperature.

It is the perfect party food and you can serve it as an appetizer with some baguette slices and cucumber & carrot ribbons.

You can also serve it as a canapé over some biscuits or croutons along with Shortcrust Pastry Mini Sausage Rolls, Italian Rice Balls (Arancini), and Crispy Duck Spring Rolls.

Smoked Salmon Pate is also great for serving as a dip with some crudités, as a snack, or as a light lunch with some warm Bazlama (Turkish Flatbread) or Black Pepper Sourdough Focaccia, and a bowl of Rocket and Parmesan Salad.

How to Store Smoked Salmon Pâté?

The leftovers would keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container when refrigerated.

If you want to keep them longer, you can freeze them in an airtight container and keep them for up to 3 months.

Thaw it overnight in the fridge before consuming it.

Recipe FAQs

Related Recipes

For more delicious party appetizer recipes why not try:

Did you make this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out! Leave a comment below and tag @cookingorgeous on Instagram and hashtag it #cookingorgeous.

I hope you enjoy the process of making this delicious party food "Smoked Salmon Pate" as much as you enjoy eating it! 🙂 

Bon appétit! / Afiyet olsun!

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