A quick and easy smoked salmon appetizer of creamy salmon mousse atop crunchy potato chips. A satisfyingly savory pairing with sparkling white wine.
Elevated Junk Food
There is an array of junk foods noted to go well with certain wines. I fine potato chips to be a crowd pleaser and a lovely gluten-free base. Pair it with a lovely dip already applied, a little garnish, and voila! You have a lovely little canape.
Wine Pairing
Original Pairing: Montelliano Prosecco General Pairing: Dry champagne, prosecco, dry sparkling white wines, Reisling Menu Overview
Specialty Ingredients
Smoked salmon – there are many, many kinds of smoked salmon. I like the lighter flavors. Usually I get a cold smoke packaged version from the deli. You can also get smoked salmon in a can, this may be a lot stronger flavors so you may want to use less of it. A good rule is, if you wouldn’t eat it stand alone, don’t use it.
Potato Chips – Kettle chips tend to hold up well as a base for this dish. However, you have to sort through the bag to get the ones that are open and can sit on a tray. Plan to get a couple bags so you can sort out the best of the best. The others can be use for “on the side” bowl of chips or crush them for crumb coating (try it on baked fish).
Equipment
Food Processor
I use a basic food processor with a that standard mixing blade. This means I don’t have to finely chop everything by hand. But you could chop things finely and use a blender or stand mixer in a pinch.
Plastic storage bags or pastry bags: I use plastic bags (usually ziplock) to both store and then easily dispense semi-solid creamy foods. With limited bandwidth, that is my hack. But, a more eco-friendly solution is a re-usable pastry bags. They are sturdier and you will have much better control, especially if you use a tip.
Planning the dish
You will want to make the salmon mousse early so flavors can meld at least overnight. But you don’t want to assemble this smoked salmon appetizer until you are within a few minutes of serving. Soggy chips just aren’t fun. Get sturdy, thick potato chips.
Timing the Elements
1+ Days Prior: Make the Salmon Mousse a day or two ahead. The flavors need to marry, but you don’t want fish to sit too long.
Day of Serve: Prep you garnish the day of, but ahead of serving time so you can quickly apply them.
10 min to Serve: Don’t fully assemble until your are close to serving if you want the potato chips to stay crunchy.
Plating Tips
For a large party, these would work well on a tray where guests can pick them up as a finger food. With fresh sprigs of dill on top, they look nice without a lot of fuss.
As this was paired with another appetizer (Lemon Basic Granita), I placed about three on a plate next to the other appetizer. They do look better on a dark color background (black plate) versus clear – to help offset the beige-ness.
See Resources for plating supply ideas
Pairing Alterations
Depth of Salmon
Increase or decrease the amount of smoked salmon you are using. A dryer white wine may need a bit more smoked fish flavor. You can also try other smoked fish like trout.
Herb Mix
Some white wines go better with certain herbs. You can play up or down the amount and mix of fresh herbs used in the mousse. Some interesting herbs or consider is basil, tarragon, cilantro.
Companion Recipe – Smoked Salmon Mousse
Smoked Salmon Mousse
Equipment
- Food processor
Ingredients
- 4 oz smoked salmon more or less depending on taste
- 1-2 tbsp cream
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 lemon juiced
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh flat parsley, chopped
- 1 tbsp fresh chives, chopped
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp ground pepper
Instructions
- Place salmon in food processor with standard cutting blade and pulse until a fine paste.
- Add herbs and blend until mixed in. Use a spatula to scrape down sides so well mixed.
- Add cream cheese, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Add 1 tbsp cream. Blend until light and fluffy. Add more cream 1 tbsp at a time to thin as desired.
- Taste test and adjust for more herbs, salt and or pepper to taste at this time.
- If the mixture seems too thick, you can add a bit more cream to thin out (no more than a tablespoon at a time). You want it to be thick enough to hold shape as a topper. Or can thin it more if using as a dip.
- Refrigerate for several hours to allow for flavors to combine. I put mine in a gallon size food storage bag, so I can later use like a pastry bag.
Notes
- You can adjust the amount of smoked salmon to create a lighter or deeper flavor (especially depending on the smoke salmon you purchase, some are rather strong.)
- I’m not a fan of reduce fat cream cheese – but if you must…
- Vegetarian alternative: omit the salmon and reduce the cream by 1 tbsp to create a cream cheese mousse. Or a super easy cheat – you can buy whipped cream cheese and just add herbs.
