Smoked Salmon Pate

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.

Jump to:

• Why we love this pate recipe
• Ingredients
• How to make this pate
• FAQ
• My tips for making this recipe
• How to serve salmon pate:
• To steam salmon for the pate:
• More pate and dip recipes
• Smoked Salmon Pate

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

1. Cook the fresh salmon and leave to cool (or use hot smoked salmon).
2. Mix the cream cheese with yogurt and chopped dill and season with black pepper.
3. Add chopped smoked salmon and flake in the cold salmon.
4. Stir and serve.

FAQ

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.