Smoked Bluefish Pate
Smoky and Tangy Spread for Crackers or Crudité
- Servings: Makes about 2 cups.
This combination of smoked fish and cream cheese is more of a spread than a paté. Equal amounts of cream cheese and smoked bluefish are made more tangy with the addition of lemon juice and horseradish. For a little bit of a kick you can also add tiny capers and Tabasco sauce.
Smoked bluefish isn't always easy to find but you can substitute smoked trout, although make the effort to find bluefish because its smoky, oily taste combines best with the other ingredients.
This spread is nice on small squares of toasted bread or on thin slices of seedless English cucumber.
Ingredients
- 1/2 pound smoked bluefish, skin removed and discarded
- 1 8-oz. package of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish
- 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons tiny capers, drained
- Optional: 2 to 4 drops Tabasco or other hot sauce
Directions
- Break up the bluefish into pieces and place in a food processor equipped with a metal blade. Add the cream cheese and pulse 4 or 5 times until the fish and cream cheese are combined.
- Add the lemon juice and horseradish and combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more lemon juice or horseradish if necessary, and adding the Tabasco. Combine.
- Add the capers and pulse a few more times until the capers are mixed throughout.
Spread on crackers, pieces of toasted bread, or thin slices of seedless English cucumbers, or else use it as a dip with crudités.
The paté can be made a day in advance and chilled, covered, until ready to serve.
