One of my favorite ways to learn in the kitchen is figuring out what to do with leftovers. My husband is the best I’ve ever seen at turning random bits of food and half-empty containers of whatever into haute-cuisine but he cheated- he went to culinary school. For those of us who didn’t spend our college years playing with hot fire and sharp knives, opening a fridge to find last night’s dinner staring back can be a little traumatic. I swear, my leftovers taunt me, they sit there silently judging, “I will go bad. People are going hungry and you will throw me away.” Their judgment follows me throughout my day like an angry Westeros crowd, “Shame, shame, shame.”
Well, here it is friends, The Mountain at the end of that long walk (GOT fans, you get me), that is, only if you had fish for dinner. I actually feel quite lucky with this one because it turns out one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast is the perfect “what do do with last-night’s salmon?” solution and super duper easy. This recipe is for salmon spread but you can make this with almost any fish.
A few notes about this recipe: Try it with any fish you like. If you don’t have a ton of fish and want more spread you can add more cream cheese and creme fraiche but your fish flavor will get lighter as you do. As you add more of anything else to increase volume, add more lemon juice and s & p as well so it’s not bland. I eat this on bread, crackers or just with a spoon any time of day. It’s also a great appetizer/table snack if you have guests. All measurements are approximate since I never measure, I go by texture, taste and instinct.
Salmon Spread
{adjust amounts for how much fish you have, just don’t go above a 1:2 ratio (ex. 3oz fish with 6oz cream cheese+creme fraiche total) or it gets bland}
4oz Salmon (or any fish cooked, de-skinned, de-boned)
3oz Cream cheese (will mix better at room temp but not necessary if you can’t)
3oz Creme Fraiche (you can sub with sour cream but use one ounce less than cream cheese)
Juice of 1 whole lemon (more if you need)
1-2 tbsp Olive oil
2 tbsp Diced chives (you can sub spring onion or shallots just dice very small)
Salt & Pepper to taste
- In bowl mix cream cheese, creme fraiche, and olive oil. Use hand-held mixer on low or stir with fork until fairly smooth and ingredients are very well mixed.
- Add lemon juice & chives and mix until well incorporated.
- Add fish and mix in well with fork until evenly distributed.
- Taste (this is really important since your fish is, hopefully, already seasoned from cooking and you don’t want to over season the spread). Add salt & pepper as needed and more lemon juice if desired (I like mine with a little citrus kick).
- Place in airtight container (I use mason jars). It can be eaten right away but I like it best chilled in the refrigerator for at least an hour so it gets nice and thick again for spreading.
Keeps in the fridge for about 3 days. Enjoy!♥
