champorado blogger: Smoked Salmon Spread

(best served over toasted bread)

Smoked salmon, an imported product has been available locally for years! Yet few seem to appreciate it. Not all major groceries have it, or at least keep large stocks of it. One would think that these groceries keep it for the expat community. Perhaps it is because Pinoys know that temperate-water fishes have that oily fishy flavor – the type that not only gives you bad breath that people around you can smell, but the breath you belch all day, intoxicating just about anyone who comes within three meters of you. Smoked, salmon is several times more oily and fishy than its natural raw state.

Yet, through all these years, smoked salmon has become more and more available, albeit in still limited quantities in a lot of groceries. Some of the local European style sausage manufacturers like “Swiss Deli” have their own smoked salmon. For years, Santi’s Deli has had its smoked tanigue.

Having seen Ina Garten in Barefoot Contessa do a spread with smoked salmon, I thought of trying out her recipe. But I had to think long and hard how to squeeze the fishy-ness out of this oily fish!

I laid out the smoked salmon slices on two sheets of kitchen towel, and covered it with another sheet. I let all the oil drain out for about 10 to 15 minutes. I know the Europeans will cry sacrilege with this, but really, most of the smoked salmon we get are too oily and fishy for our taste. You can skip this procedure depending on how much you appreciate fish oil.

I like using the Swiss Deli brand of smoked because it is not too salty and tastes and feels fresh after all that oil has been drained out. Other brands tend to have some liquid in it, making it even fishier! The Santi’s Smoked Tanigue works well with this recipe, too as it is not oily nor juicy.

On a mixing bowl, cream a whole bar (8 oz) of cream cheese with a tub (~1 cup of sour cream). Add in a finely grated small red onion. (chopped if you like them chunky). Season with salt and pepper, about two tablespoons of lemon juice, half a teaspoon Worcestershire sauce and a few drops of hot sauce (Tabasco). Taste the mixture. It should be slightly sour to offset the saltiness and the fish flavor. For a more lemony taste, you can add the zest of half to one lemon - depends on how “fragrant” you want this to be.

For some texture, I usually add in two chopped hard-boiled eggs. The yolks I mash with the dressing. The whites I chop and add later with the salmon.

Next, add in around three tablespoons of chopped fresh dill. They come in small packs in the grocery and I usually add all the chopped dill leaves this pack will yield – usually between 2 – 4 tablespoons. Don’t include the stems as they are woody! Dill adds a certain fresh flavor to this spread. Its fragrance reminds me of McDonald’s Fillet-o’-Fish!

Cut up the fish into small cubes, but do not chop! Handle them gently! Chopping or “mashing” them will release juices and make it taste “off.” Add the fish to the dressing and fold gently.

Serve over toasted bread!