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Paws Up Smoked Salmon Spread|Weston Table

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Paws Up Smoked Salmon Spread

 

Tucked into 37,000 acres of Rocky Mountain Montana backcountry, the Paws Up Resort may just convince city slickers to trade their computer bags and Sperry's in for fly fishing poles and cowboy boots--permanently. For the full experience, move into a luxury tent pitched along the snow and spring fed Blackfoot River in Lewis & Clark territory along the Continental Divide and begin to understand why locals refer to this land as the "Last Best Place".

Gourmet meals are prepared by a camp chef and served under a log cabin-style open-air pavilion. A beloved Paw's Up fireside starter, this salmon spread satisfies hungry before-dinner ATV riders, white water rafters, cattle drivers, fly fishermen, and readers perched all day on a hammock strung between lodgepole pine trees equally. The secret to this best you have ever had salmon spread is using hot smoked salmon. Hot smoking the fish cooks it so that the end result is a piece of fish that looks like it just came off the grill. It has a flakier texture and deeper smoky flavor than its cold-smoked cousin. Easy to whip together in under ten minutes, this is a pretty in pink plate as worthy of serving alongside champagne at a Newport mansion as it is under the canopy of a Big Sky starry night with copper mugs filled with huckleberry Moscow Mules.

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cuisine American
difficulty Simple
season Year Round
serves 6 to 8

Ingredients

  • 1 pound sustainably produced, 100% Non-GMO hot smoked salmon
  • 4 ounces whipped cream cheese
  • 4 ounces crème fraîche
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice, freshly squeezed
  • 2 roasted garlic cloves, mashed into a paste
  • 1/4 cup thinly sliced scallions
  • 1 tablespoon dill, minced
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 ficelle or baguette, sliced
  • Olive oil

Directions

  1. Use 2 forks to gently pull apart and flake the salmon.
  2.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, whip the cream cheese, crème fraiche, roasted garlic paste, Dijon mustard, and lemon juice until light and fluffy.
  3.  Fold the flaked salmon, green onions, and dill into the cream mixture until thoroughly combined.
  4.  Season with salt and pepper and put in the refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours to allow the flavors to blend.
  5.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  6.  Spread the bread on a half sheet baking tray and brush each bread round with olive oil. Place in the oven for 7 to 10 minutes, or until the bread is dry and toasted golden on top.
  7.  Transfer the spread to a SERVING DISH and serve the spread alongside the toasted bread rounds.

Kitchen Notes

The Honey Fish Co. produces the world's finest lightly hot smoked salmon. Hot smoking salmon requires that the fish is placed in a wet brine and then smoked at about 120 degrees F. In addition to producing a finished smoked salmon perfect for creamy dips, hot smoking increases the shelf life of the fish to a full week. For smoked salmon lovers everywhere, justify the cost of a high quality hot smoked salmon and its shipping cost by buying and freezing several one pound packages. We love the perfect bite-sized shape and texture of a slice seed ficelle bread--its chewy texture pairs well with the creamy, flakey texture of the fish spread.
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