Honey Mustard Salmon Rillettes
This, my last post before taking a little holiday “break” (filling my days with more cheeseboards than recipe testing), is a recipe that I made many months ago but at the time thought would be perfect for holiday entertaining. Honey Mustard Salmon Rillettes was the third recipe that I made within the first 24 hours of receiving Everyday Dorie as a gift from my sister, Julie. The recipe intro explained that this version of the classic spread made with both smoked and fresh salmon bound with butter, was zestier than the traditional. Having never made rillettes before, traditional or otherwise, and having all of the ingredients at my disposal, I decided zesty it would be.
For anyone hesitant due to the “fancy French” name, I will tell you that this is really just a delicious salmon spread. I envision it as the star of an elegant cocktail party but it would be equally at home as part of a brunch spread or casual lunch table. Gary enjoyed it by the spoonful so I am reminded to keep a jar in the fridge on a regular basis.
By the way, you foodies out there (especially those who are local to the DC or NYC areas) might recognize this accomplished chef’s name, from her Everyday Dorie column in the Washington Post Food section or from the On Dessert column in the New York Times Magazine. I think it was the latter that led me to believe that Dorie was more of a pastry chef (her other cookbooks include Dorie’s Cookies, Baking Chez Moi, Baking: From My Home to Yours, and Around My French Table) but the breadth of elegant savory recipes in the beautifully photographed Everyday Dorie have set me straight. Dorie Greenspan is an all-arounder.
Goodbye for now. I hope that everyone enjoys the next couple of weeks enjoying family, friends and burning the candle at both ends. After all, isn’t January is for sleep and hibernation? Happy Holidays to all! Enjoy!
Honey Mustard Salmon Rillettes
Ingredients
- 2 scallions
- 1 lemon
- 1/2 c white wine or white vermouth
- 1/2 c water
- fine sea salt
- 6-8 oz fresh or frozen salmon fillet skin and any pin bones, removed
- 2 Tbls unsalted butter softened
- 1 small shallot minced (about 1 Tbls) rinsed and patted dry
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 lb smoked salmon cut into thin strips or small squares
- 1/4 c mayonnaise
- 2 Tbls grainy Dijon mustard preferably French
- 1/2 tsp honey
- 1 Tbls capers rinsed, patted dry and finely chopped if large
- 2 Tbls minced fresh dill
- 1 Tbls minced fresh cilantro
- crackers, toast or dark bread for serving
- minced (or thinly sliced) fresh herbs for serving (optional)
Instructions
- Trim the scallions, mince the white and light green parts and set aside. Toss the dark green parts into a medium saucepan, add a thin slice of lemon, the wine, water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Drop in the salmon and lower the heat so that the liquid just simmers for a minute (3 minutes if the salmon is frozen), then remove the pan from the heat, cover and set aside for 10 minutes.
- Drain the salmon (discard the cooking liquid) and transfer to a plate; refrigerate for 20 minutes. (You can refrigerate the salmon for up to 1 day; cover it once it has cooled).
- Using a flexible spatula and working in a medium bowl, beat the butter until it's spreadable. Grate the zest of the lemon over the butter, squeeze the juice from half the lemon into the bowl and add the reserved minced scallions, the shallot, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Blend thoroughly, then stir in the smoked salmon.
- In another bowl, stir together the mayonnaise, mustard, honey and capers. Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice into the bowl and stir in some pepper. Scrape this out over the smoked salmon mixture and blend well.
- Remove the poached salmon from the fridge, cut it into bite-sized pieces and gently stir them into the smoked salmon mixture–even if you're extremely gently, the salmon will flake and flatten; go with it. Fold in the dill and cilantro, then taste for salt, pepper and lemon juice.
- You can serve the rillettes now, but the flavor and texture are better if you pack them nto a sealed container and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Serve with bread or crackers and, if you like, put out with minced herbs that can be sprinkled over each serving.