This easy smoked salmon pate recipe with poached salmon, cream cheese, and Greek yogurt can be whipped up in minutes and is a delicious spread which can be enjoyed for special breakfasts, brunch or lunch. It can also be made into a salmon dip.
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Why we love this pate recipe
- Easy – once the salmon is cooked, it’s a case of chopping and mixing.
- 6 Ingredients
- Light pate – this pate is made without cream or butter.
- Kid friendly – my son loves it! Some days this is the only way he will eat salmon…
- Can be made ahead – perfect for entertaining and Christmas. (It’s our traditional Christmas morning breakfast.)
- Simple recipe for leftover salmon
Ingredients
- Fresh salmon – poached or steamed.
- Smoked salmon
- Cream cheese – full fat or reduced fat cream cheese.
- Plain Greek yogurt – full fat or fat free.
- Fresh Dill – I love the aniseed flavour of fresh dill, but you can easily swap it for fresh chives or parsley.
- Freshly cracked black pepper – the addition of spicy black pepper makes this pate, so use cracked pepper rather than ground pepper.
How to make this pate
- Cook the fresh salmon and leave to cool (or use hot smoked salmon).
- Mix the cream cheese with yogurt and chopped dill and season with black pepper.
- Add chopped smoked salmon and flake in the cold salmon.
- Stir and serve.
FAQ
Yes you can! You could use a mixture of hot smoked salmon and poached salmon, or just use hot smoked salmon in the pate.
No. Any plain unsweetened yogurt would work. It may make the pate slightly runnier.
Yes you can! If using leftover salmon then I would recommend to use the pate the day you make it.
If the salmon was cooked the day you made it, the pate will keep, covered, for up to 2 days. Stir before serving.
I wouldn’t recommend freezing this pate.
My tips for making this recipe
- For a budget friendly smoked salmon pate, use a packet of smoked salmon trimmings.
- Make the pate with just smoked salmon – use 200g of smoked salmon in this case.
- Use parsley or chives instead of dill. It is also great without any herbs, but I do love the aniseed flavour it brings to the dish.
How to serve salmon pate:
- Spread on hot toast or part bake bread rolls.
- A simple starter/appetiser served with melba toast and slices of cucumber.
- As a dip, served with crudite.
- On jacket potatoes.
- Stirred through pasta (thin with a little of the pasta cooking water).
To steam salmon for the pate:
(This is my preferred method of cooking salmon): Place the fillet of salmon on a piece of foil, add a splash of water, and sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper. Wrap the foil into a parcel, sealing tightly, place in a steamer and cook for around 10 minutes, depending on thickness of salmon, until just cooked.
More pate and dip recipes
Perfect for entertaining, these dips and spreads are also a delicious snack or lunch idea.
This post was originally published November 2019. It has since been updated with new images and more information. The recipe remains the same.
Smoked Salmon Pate
Author: Robyn
Ingredients
- 150g (5oz) poached/steamed salmon fillets, cooled and flaked* ($4.80 / £1.58)
- 120g (4oz) smoked salmon, finely chopped ($7.50 / £5.40)
- 150g (5oz) cream cheese ($1.74 / £0.75)
- 1-2 tablespoons Plain Greek yogurt ($0.18 / £0.06p)
- Handful fresh dill, finely chopped ($1.50 / £0.25p)
- Freshly cracked black pepper ($0.01 / £0.01)
Instructions
- In a medium mixing bowl mix the cream cheese, yogurt, and dill together.
- Gently stir in the finely chopped smoked and flaked poached salmon. If you like a chunky pate don't stir too much to keep some larger flakes of salmon. t
- Season to taste with black pepper.
- Spoon into serving bowl and chill for a couple of hours before serving.
- (You can eat the pate straight away but chilling it makes a firmer pate.)
Notes
- If you aren’t using smoked salmon for any other recipe, the smaller packs of smoked salmon are 100g in Australia so use 1 pack of that to save buying more than you will need.
- Buy using frozen salmon($3.78 / £1.23) instead of fresh and smoked salmon trimmings ($3.75 / £2.38) instead of smoked salmon, you can make this smoked salmon pate for an estimated cost of $10.96 = $2.74 per serve / £4.68 = £1.17 per serve.
Nutrition
HAVE YOU MADE THIS RECIPE?
I’d love to see your creation!
Or just leave a comment below!
Jen Talley says
Absolutely delicious! Every loved it!
Robyn says
That’s so good to hear Jen!
Wojtasinski Walter John says
Delicious recipe. I didn’t add black pepper yet. I made about 600g. 50/50. My salmon was scraps so they are a bit more salty and smokey.
I want to add garlic cuz I put garlic in everything. Dill I know would be good too. But I’m single so it maybe too much dill for me. I’ve thought about lemon juice as well. What do you think?
Robyn says
Hi! Happy to hear you like the recipe 🙂 Lemon juice would be a great addition – I would add the juice from a quarter of a lemon and then taste and keep adding a little more until it suits your taste. I would personally go easy on the garlic as you don’t want to overpower the pate, so I suggest starting with half a small clove of crushed garlic and go from there. Hope this helps!
Marina says
Love smoked salmon pate to serve during a family gathering. Thank u for this great recipe
Robyn says
It is a wonderful dip for family gatherings Marina 🙂
Chef Dennis says
This Smoked Salmon Pate is making my tummy growl!
Robyn says
Haha glad to hear it Dennis!
Tayo says
I have never had this before but now I’m intrigued. It looks so amazing and I can’t wait to try it!
Robyn says
Thank you Tayo, hope you enjoy it 🙂
Emily Flint says
We always have smoked salmon at our house from all of our fishing expeditions so I can’t wait to try this pate!
Robyn says
Oh I bet that is delicious smoked salmon!
Sabrina says
Such a good summer party dip!
Robyn says
Totally!
Sue says
YUM – I’m always on the look out for salmon recipes – thank you!
Robyn says
Glad I could provide some salmon inspo for you Sue!
Alex says
I just love seafood dips and pates, and smoked salmon would be my absolute favourite. So delicious!
Robyn says
Smoked salmon is my favourite too!