Smoked salmon tartare

I’m definitely going through a tartare phase. On Tuesday I had classic beef tartare. Not every restaurant does a good one, but this one was excellent, though rather minimalist. Nothing like my fully loaded version for a sandwich.

I’m trying to have different breakfasts from the ones I used to eat, which is sadly advisable after the May holiday weekend. Different in the sense of cutting back on bread, which I adore when it’s good. And when there’s no bread, you know how it is: you have to get creative. You can put practically anything on a sandwich, and it doesn’t take much time, whereas making a salad like this, for example, is time-consuming.

Today I went for salmon tartare. Smoked salmon. Somehow, although raw beef sounds like a delicacy to me, raw salmon doesn’t particularly. Especially as I have serious doubts about the freshness of the salmon sold in shops. So I made what is essentially the opposite of tartare, using flesh that isn’t raw.

It really doesn’t take much time, and it tastes pretty good too. I know one thing: if I weren’t concerned about keeping it “light” 😉 I’d add about half a teaspoon of olive oil as well. Without it, although the flavour is quite good, it seems a little too dry.

At a glance:

Preparation time: 7 minutes

Serves: one portion

Calories: it’s fish; the calories escaped during smoking

Ingredients for a delicate tartare:

• 100 grams of smoked salmon
• 20 capers (from a jar of brine)
• 1 medium shallot
• half a teaspoon of Sarepska mustard
• 1 teaspoon of lime juice
• 2 sprigs of fresh parsley
• 2 sprigs of fresh dill
• freshly ground black pepper
• half a teaspoon of olive oil (optional, if you don’t like it too dry)

Recipe for salmon tartare:

I chopped the shallot, capers and salmon very finely and put them in a small bowl. I added the lime juice and mustard, and a generous sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper. I mixed it thoroughly.

I washed the parsley and dill, dried them with kitchen paper and chopped them, fairly finely too. I added them to the smoked salmon tartare and mixed everything thoroughly again. I even pressed the ingredients down with a spoon to make a uniform “mixture”. (if you think it’s too dry, add half a teaspoon of olive oil and mix again). I shaped it into a rectangular block (almost managed it 😉 and transferred it to a plate.

Since I’m trying to cut back on bread, I ate it on its own. However, I’m sure the salmon tartare would taste perfect with a fresh baguette. The dish is ready. Enjoy!