This smoked fish dip recipe makes for a most hospitable way to start a dinner party. Serve it on crackers, toasted slices of baguette or bagel, bagel chips, crackers, matzoh, potato chips, or carrot and celery sticks. Or use it to make the best fish salad sandwich ever.
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You can find smoked fish locally or make it yourself with the directions below. There are still a smattering of smokehouses around the country like the Calumet Fisheries south of Chicago. Calumet is not fancy, and their smokehouse is among the most primitive I¬â¢ve seen, but they have been doing it right since 1948, right enough to win a James Beard American Classic Award. Their pepper and garlic smoked salmon is highly recommended if you’re in town.
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In Northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (called the U.P.), there are at least a dozen small family-run smokehouses that make whitefish pâté from local whitefish and trout caught by U.P. locals (called Yoopers). In south Florida, where I grew up, it is called smoked fish salad or smoked fish spread and is often made with mullet, amberjack, kingfish, mackerel, and even mahimahi. In the Pacific Northwest, it is called salmon dip, because you can dip crackers and chips in it. I call for salmon here but I have made this smoked fish dip recipe with several other fish. Think of it as a blueprint. There’s lots of room to play.
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Smoked Fish Dip
Rate this RecipeMakes
About 1 1/2 cupsSpecial Tools
Ingredients
Method
- Prep. Remove the pin bones from the fish. Salt the fish lightly on the flesh side. Cut a piece of printer paper just larger than the fillet and place it on the cooking grate. Place the fish on the paper skin side down.
- Fire up. Set up your smoker for 225ºF. On a grill, use a 2-zone setup with wood chunks or chips for smoke, and place the fish and paper on the indirect side of the grill away from the heat source. Smoke the fish until it hits an internal temperature of 140°F, about 1 hour.
- Cool. Remove the fish and paper together from the smoker or grill, then let the fish cool on the paper until it's about room temperature.
- Skin, crumble, and chill. Slip the edge of a spatula or knife between the flesh and skin and peel the paper off. The skin should come with it. Crumble the flesh with your fingers, searching meticulously for rogue bones. Cover the crumbled flesh and set it in the fridge.
- Make the dressing. While the fish is smoking, pull the cream cheese out of the fridge, cut it into 6 chunks, and place it in a bowl at room temperature so it can soften up for 15 minutes or so. Add the mayo, sour cream, horseradish, and maple syrup. Scrub the lime thoroughly, and finely grate the zest into the bowl. Cut the lime in half, and squeeze 1 tablespoon juice into the bowl. With a fork, mix everything together, busting up the cream cheese chunks. Mince the shallot and add 2 tablespoons to the bowl. Add the capers (if the capers are large, you can chop them). Add the crumbled fish, and mix everything together.
- Taste and chill. Adjust the ingredients, adding more salt, lime juice, and/or maple syrup to your taste. Scrape the spread into a serving bowl. You can use it right away, but it is better if you cover and chill it for a few hours so the flavors can marry. When chilled, it will be firmer.
- Serve. Just before serving, sprinkle on some paprika and chopped scallion or chives for show.
