Potted Hot and Cold Smoked Salmon

Potted smoked salmon

Smoked salmon is not the first thing you think of when potting in butter, however if you make this you will have the perfect ingredient for a tasty simple starter or a quick nibble to have with a glass of bubbly. By capturing the flavour of both the salmon and the fresh herbs you will have a fabulous start to any meal or wonderful indulgent nibble to tuck into however you chose. I like it with warm toasted sour dough and a final squeeze of lemon.

Ingredients

100g smoked salmon

100g fresh salmon

Salt and pepper

1 lemon

1/2 red chilli chopped finely

2 tbsp of flat leaf parsley

1 tsp of fennel seeds

Here's how

Season the salmon fillet with a little salt and pepper

Place the fish on top of a sheet of foil 20cm square, fold up the line to encase the fish

Bake the salmon for 10 minutes at 180c until just cooked

Meanwhile melt the butter in a large pan on a low heat you only want t melt it not cook it!

Turn off the heat when the butter is melted before adding the chopped smoked salmon, parsley, fennel seeds and chilli.

zest and lemon the lemon and add to the pan, followed by the cooked salmon

carefully stir the mixture gently so as not to break up the fish, just to make sure it is all coated in the butter

spoon the salmon mixture into a clean jam jar and press it down gently to ensure the butter rises above the fish to cause a seal of butter when placed in the fridge

place the potted salmon into the fridge.

Remember to take the salmon out of the fridge for one hour before serving to allow the temperature to come up and create maximum flavour.

I like to serve this potted salmon on warm toasted sour dough from my local baker