Smoked Salmon Mousse

Bites of Belgian endive topped with smoky, briny salmon mousse make an easy but elegant party appetizer. Buying already-smoked fish from the deli counter and combining it with tartar sauce coaxes big flavors from a very short list of ingredients, resulting in an impressive dish. You can also make this smoked salmon mousse recipe using leftover cooked salmon. Or start with our recipe for easy smoked salmon, which relies on the use of liquid smoke rather than a smoker, so you don’t have to forgo that smoky flavor!

Ingredients for Smoked Salmon Mousse

• Hot smoked salmon: The base for this salmon recipe is hot smoked salmon, which has a flaky, meaty texture and a pronounced smoky flavor. You’ll most often find it sold in vacuum-sealed packages at the fish or deli counter in your supermarket.
• Tartar sauce: Using a premade tartar sauce is an easy way to add the creaminess of mayonnaise, the salty crunch of chopped pickle and the tang of vinegar or lemon juice to smoked salmon mousse, all from a single ingredient. You can use jarred options or fresh ones sold refrigerated at the seafood counter.
• Capers: Capers add pops of briny flavor to the mousse.
• Dill: Fresh dill has an incomparably fresh and grassy flavor that tastes like nothing else. Though dried dill, sometimes called dill weed in the spice aisle, is a great option if you can’t find fresh, it doesn’t have nearly the same intensity. Adding a few dill fronds to each piece of endive is a pretty garnish.
• Lemon-pepper seasoning: A combination of black pepper with dried lemon zest and salt, lemon-pepper seasoning is a convenient way to add both salt and pepper and a burst of citrus flavor that pairs well with the fish. Here are some ideas for other ways to use lemon-pepper seasoning.
• Belgian endive: Spoon-shaped leaves of Belgian endive act as little boats filled with smoked salmon mousse. Endive leaves are firm, with a bitter flavor and a juicy and substantial crunch. They do tend to be a specialty item that can be tough to find in some grocery stores. Segments of radicchio leaves are the best substitute.

Directions 

Step 1: Make the mousse mixture

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In a small bowl, combine the salmon, tartar sauce, capers, dill and lemon-pepper seasoning.

Step 2: Fill the endive leaves

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Spoon about 2 teaspoons of salmon salad onto each endive leaf. If desired, garnish with additional dill. Refrigerate until just before serving.

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Smoked Salmon Mousse Variations

• Try it with trout: You can use this same recipe replacing the salmon with any other kind of hot smoked fish including trout, mackerel, tuna, herring, sardine fillets or even chopped smoked oysters. The flavors of lemon, dill and capers are universally tasty with seafood.
• Turn to tinned fish: The canning process cooks canned fish, and you could easily turn to a tin for the salmon in this recipe. Choose cans of boneless, skinless smoked salmon for the least amount of prep work.
• Swap out the endive: Rather than serving smoked salmon mousse as individual bites on endive leaves, serve it as a dip surrounded by raw sticks or coins of carrot, cucumber and radish, as well as bread, crackers or flatbreads. Add some olives and cherry tomatoes to the spread as well; they’re both great pairings with the smoky and briny flavors of the smoked salmon mousse.

How to Store Smoked Salmon Mousse

Store leftover smoked salmon mousse in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days.

Can you make smoked salmon mousse ahead of time? 

Absolutely, and making it a day or two before you plan to serve it allows the flavors to meld and integrate. Store smoked salmon mousse in an airtight container in the refrigerator, then spread it on Belgian endive leaves and garnish it with fresh dill just before serving.

Smoked Salmon Mousse Tips

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What’s the difference between hot smoked salmon and cold smoked salmon?

The main difference between the two types of smoked salmon is the temperature at which they’re smoked. Cold smoked salmon is smoked at about 80°F, which imparts a smoky flavor but a texture that’s silky and soft, closer to raw fish but safe to eat as is. It’s cold smoked or cured (and not smoked) salmon that you’ll encounter with capers on a bagel or on salmon eggs benedict.

Hot smoked salmon, also called kippered salmon, is smoked at a much higher temperature, closer to 145°, which functionally cooks the fish completely. Hot smoked salmon has a firm, dry and flaky texture similar to cooked salmon. Hot smoked salmon is very stable, with a strong smoky flavor that, when used as an ingredient, imparts that smoky essence more clearly than cold smoked salmon.

Can you substitute cold smoked salmon or gravlax in smoked salmon mousse?

I wouldn’t recommend swapping cold smoked or cured salmon, such as gravlax, for the hot smoked salmon in this recipe because they won’t have the right texture.

Can you eat salmon skin? Is it good for you?

Your hot smoked salmon will likely have skin on one side of the fillet. You can absolutely chop it and include it in the mousse, if you like, or you can discard it. One reason to consider including it is that it’s quite healthy!

Salmon skin is especially high in omega-3 fatty acids, even more than the fillets. Because salmon live in cold ocean water, their skin needs a high concentration of fat to keep them warm. These good fats can lower the risk of heart disease and other chronic conditions. Plus, the fat in the skin readily absorbs the smoky flavor, so it adds a lot of flavor to recipes when it’s included. Learn more in our full guide to salmon skin.