Smoked Trout Dip
This smokey trout dip makes for a delicious snack or appetizer alongside potato chips or homemade crostini. Add a dollop on top of warm potato latkes or maybe as a light lunch slathered across buttery toasted rye bread – à la Danish smørbrød.
Sometimes it’s the simplest recipes that are the most satisfying. Take this smoked trout dip, for example. It all starts with beautifully smoked fish. I’m partial to fresh smoked trout, rather than canned but honestly, either will work. You can also substitute other types of fish like salmon, whitefish, even mackerel. Just make sure you flake it nicely.
The flaked fish gets folded together with cream cheese (whipped is best here) minced shallot, fresh chives, paprika and a squeeze of lemon juice to cut through the richness and add a bit of brightness. Serve it with something simple – good bread, crackers, crostini, sliced cucumber or endive spears.
For special occasions top your trout dip with trout roe (like caviar) or even better, smoked trout roe if you can find it.
Recipe Ingredients:
To make smoked trout dip you will need: smoked trout filets (or another type of smoked fish), whipped cream cheese, chives, shallot, lemon, smoked paprika and trout roe (optional).
*See recipe card for additional notes and ingredient substitutions.*
A note about trout roe: Trout roe is simply the eggs of a trout. Sometimes you’ll see it called “trout caviar,” though technically, caviar only comes from sturgeon. Trout roe is made up of tiny, bright orange pearls that have a lovely “pop” when you bite into them and give off a delicate and slightly sweet flavor, with a hint of brininess.
Recipe Steps:
Step 1. Flake the Fish
Peel away and discard the skin then use clean hands to flake apart the trout into a mixing bowl. Keep an eye out for pin bones, discard any that you see. You can leave the fish in larger chunks or shred it finely – up to you.
Step 2. Mix
Add the rest of the ingredients to the bowl; cream cheese, lemon juice, paprika, shallot, chives – mix to combine. I typically find that this dip doesn’t need any additional salt as the fish is quite salty. That said, give it a taste before serving and adjust the seasonings as needed.
Step 3. Serve
To serve, transfer the dip to a serving bowl. Top with a sprinkle of paprika and chives. If you’re using trout roe, scatter the roe around the surface of the dip. Serve with chips, crackers or crudités.
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Smoked Trout Dip
Ingredients
- 8 ounces smoked trout
- 8 ounces whipped cream cheese - room temperature
- 2 tablespoons minced shallot
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- 1/4 teaspoons smoked paprika - plus more for serving
- 2 tablespoons minced chives - plus more for serving
- trout roe - optional
- potato chips, bread, crackers, crostini or crudités - for serving
Instructions
- Flake the Fish: The best tool for this job is clean hands. Peel away and discard the skin from each filet. Place the filets in a mixing bowl and flake the fish apart into small pieces. As you go, keep an eye out for any stray bits of skin or pin bones. Just gently pull them out and discard. Keep in mind, flaking fish is a very forgiving process. There's no need to be precise. You can leave the fish in larger chunks or break it up into fine shreds – up to you.
- Mix: Add the cream cheese along with the rest of the ingredients (shallot, lemon juice, zest, chives and paprika) to the mixing bowl with the flaked fish. Fold to combine. I typically find that this dip doesn’t need any additional salt as the fish is quite salty already. That said, give it a taste before serving and adjust the seasonings as needed. The dip is ready to be served immediately or stored in the fridge for later use. If possible, make this dip a few hours (or even a day) a head to give the flavors time to meld.
- Serve: To serve, transfer the dip to a small serving bowl. Top with a sprinkle of paprika, chives and roe (if using). Serve with chips, crackers or crudités.
Notes
- Smoked Trout: I’m partial to fresh smoked trout, rather than canned but honestly, either will work. You can also substitute other types of fish like salmon, whitefish, even mackerel.
- Whipped Cream Cheese: whipped cream cheese is preferable for this recipe because it’s light, airy and easy to mix. You can substitute regular “un-whipped” cream cheese. Start with six ounces and add more as needed.
- Smoked Paprika: substitute: sweet paprika or a pinch of chili powder
- Chives: substitute: green onion
