Fresh salmon poached in wine and smoked salmon are combined with butter and creme fraiche, shallots, lemon and herbs crafting a subtly elegant and flavorful appetizer traditionally known as salmon rillettes.
Here, "good" butter and creme fraiche take the place of the rendered fat -- creating a divine slather atop a cracker or spooned onto cucumber round. Salmon rillettes are perfect served in the fold of a leaf of endive, spread on rye toast points and topped with caviar, or as a filling on a crustless tea sandwich with paper-thin cucumbers slices and Dijon mustard.
What is meant by "good" butter here is butter with a higher fat content. Staying true to rillettes origin, European-style butter is ideal. Irish Kerrygold is the brand most readily available in US grocery.
A little history about this divine salmon spread referred to as "sarillettes": Salmon rillettes evolved out of traditional French rillettes, which are most often made with pork. "Rillette" referrs to the method of preserving meat that has been cooked in fat, shredded and then stored back in the rendered fat -- similar to duck confit.
Salmon rillettes should be served at room temperature.
Ingredients
- salmon fillet
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- shallot
- dry white wine
- water
- bay leaf
- smoked salmon
- unsalted butter
- crème fraiche
- lemon juice + lemon zest
- whole grain mustard
- fresh dill weed
See recipe card for quantities.
Jump to RecipeInstructions
Season salmon with salt and pepper. Bring wine, water, shallot, salt and bay leaf to a boil in a small skillet over high heat.
Add salmon pieces, skin side down. Reduce heat to simmer.
Cover and gently poach until salmon is opaque on the outside, about 5 minutes.
Transfer salmon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Strain the poaching liquid, reserving the shallot. Discard the bay leaf. Cover the salmon and refrigerate for an hour or overnight.
In a medium bowl, using a whisk or fork, mix together the butter and crème fraiche
Add the lemon juice, zest, mustard, dill and chives.
Stir until combined.
Flake poached salmon into the bowl and add diced smoked salmon. Gently fold together.
Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill for 1 to 2 hours. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.
Hint: While poaching the salmon in wine with the shallots and bay leaf gives it great flavor, I make this when I have leftover salmon and simply skip the first few steps.. (And don't tell anyone, I've also used canned salmon.)
Substitutions & Variations
- Salmon - Making salmon for dinner? Add in an extra piece and simply use it in place of the poached salmon. You can even use canned salmon in place of the fresh salmon in salmon rillettes.
- Fresh Dill - Dried dill can be used at a 3:1 ratio of fresh to dried. Use ½ teaspoon of dried instead of 1-½ teaspoons of fresh
- Creme Fraiche - While creme fraiche has a higher fat content and a slightly less tangy flavor, sour cream or Greek yogurt can be used in its place
- Shallots - Substitute diced yellow onion
Equipment
- small skillet or saucepan with a lid
Storage
Salmon rillettes will last for up to five days in the refrigerator with stored in an airtight container. To ensure a safe shelf live, cover the surface with plastic wrap -- or use the traditional method of covering the surface with melted butter.
🍽️Recipe
Salmon Rillettes | Salmon Spread
Equipment
- small skillet with lid
Ingredients
- 8 ounce salmon fillet, remove any pin bones, cut into 1” to 2” pieces
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons minced shallot
- 1 cup dry white wine
- ½ cup water
- bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 ounces smoked salmon, diced into ¼-inch pieces
- ¼ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3 tablespoons crème fraiche (substitute Greek yogurt or sour cream)
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice + ½ teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
- 1-½ teaspoons chopped fresh dill ½ teaspoon dried dill
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Season salmon with salt and pepper.
- Bring wine, water, shallot, salt and bay leaf to a boil in a small skillet over high heat. Add salmon pieces, skin side down. Reduce heat to simmer. Cover and gently poach until salmon is opaque on the outside, about 5 minutes.
- Transfer salmon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Strain the poaching liquid, reserving the shallot. Discard the bay leaf. Cover the salmon and refrigerate for an hour or overnight.
- In a medium bowl, mix together using a whisk or fork, the butter, crème fraiche, lemon juice, zest, mustard, dill and chives. Flake poached salmon into the bowl and add diced smoked salmon. Gently fold together.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste. Chill for 1 to 2 hours. Allow to come to room temperature before serving.
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