Honey Mustard Salmon Rillettes
Salmon rillettes are the perfect party food for several reasons: They come together quickly and are easily made ahead, best served chilled and happy to be tinkered with. While classic French rillettes are prepared by cooking pork, duck or goose in its own fat for hours and hours until the meat is so soft that it’s spreadable, these rillettes wink at tradition. They’re adapted from the version in “Everyday Dorie: The Way I Cook” (Harvest, 2018) and include a mix of fresh and smoked salmon that are mashed with mayo and a bit of butter, then brightened with mustard and capers. The fact that they sound fancy only makes them more fun to serve super casually with bread and bagel or potato chips.
- Preparation:
- Cooking:
- Total:
- Serves: 6 persons
Ingredients
- 2scallions
- 1lemon
- ½cup white wine or white vermouth
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1(6- to 8-ounce) fresh or thawed frozen salmon fillet (see Tip)
- 2tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
- 1small shallot, minced (about 1 tablespoon), rinsed and patted dry
- ¼cup mayonnaise
- 2tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
- ½teaspoon honey
- 1tablespoon capers, rinsed, patted dry and finely chopped if large
- 4ounces smoked salmon, cut into thin strips or small squares (see Tip)
- 2tablespoons minced fresh dill, plus more for serving
- 1tablespoon minced fresh cilantro, plus more serving
- Sliced baguette, chips, cucumbers or pickled beets, or a combination, for serving
Instructions
Step 1
Trim the scallions, then mince the white and light green parts and set aside. Toss the dark green parts into a medium saucepan, add a thin slice of lemon, the wine, 1/2 cup water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil.Step 2
Drop in the salmon and add more water to just cover if needed. Adjust the heat so that the liquid just simmers and cook until a paring knife inserted in the salmon feels warm, about 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, cover and set aside for 10 minutes.Step 3
Transfer the salmon to a plate; discard everything else in the saucepan. If desired, remove and discard the salmon skin. Refrigerate for at least 20 minutes or for up to 1 day, covered when it has cooled.Step 4
Using a flexible spatula and working in a medium bowl, beat the butter until it’s spreadable. Zest the lemon over the butter, squeeze in the juice from half the lemon and add the shallot, the reserved minced scallions, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Mix thoroughly, then stir in the mayonnaise, mustard, honey, capers, a few drops of lemon juice and some pepper. Stir in the smoked salmon.Step 5
Remove the poached salmon from the fridge, cut into bite-size pieces and gently stir into the smoked salmon mixture — even if you’re extremely gentle, the salmon will flake and flatten; go with it. Fold in the dill and cilantro, then taste for salt, pepper and lemon juice.Step 6
You can serve the rillettes now, but the flavor and texture are better if you pack them into a sealed container and refrigerate for at least 6 hours. Serve with sliced baguette, chips, cucumbers or pickled beets or a combination and the minced herbs for sprinkling over each serving. The rillettes will keep tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.