Salmon Asparagus Terrine
Terrines are lovely, elegant dishes that never fails to impress.
I’ve paired beautiful fresh asparagus with salmon to create a perfect terrine for the spring and early summer. Asparagus and salmon are two of those ingredients that pair so well together. This terrine uses both smoked and canned salmon.
It looks complicated but is actually very easy to make. The best part, it can be made ahead of time making it an ideal dish for a special occasion, or to take to a potluck.
Canned salmon and cream cheese are combined to make the delicious, velvety filling. The filling has a tangy, sharp spiciness from Dijon mustard, bright freshness from lemon juice and zest. Fresh tarragon or dill provides a lovey herbal note to the mix.
A few hours to set up in the refrigerator and the terrine is good to go!
To serve
As an appetizer
Place on a cool platter or wooden board for serving with a few 1-inch-thick (2.5‑cm) slices, pre-cut. Garnish with some lemon slices and dill and surround with toast crisps or crackers and provide a small knife for spreading.
A light lunch
Serve a slice of this terrine over lightly dressed greens with some crusty bread for a simple, elegant first course or lunch plate.
Enjoy any leftovers simply spread on a toasted bagel for a quick breakfast or lunch. Delicious!
Ingredients
- 10-12 asparagus spears rinsed, and woody stems snapped off
- 500 grams cream cheese softened
- 150 grams canned salmon preferably boneless skinless
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill plus more for garnish
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- pepper
- 150 g smoked salmon thinly sliced
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and prepare a bowl with ice water.Blanch the asparagus spears until tender and bright green, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon transfer the cooked asparagus to the ice water to shock, and preserve their colour. Drain and set aside.
- Lightly oil a 10- x 6-inch loaf pan then line with enough plastic wrap to leave overhang on all sides.
- Arrange ⅔ of the smoked salmon slices in a single layer in the bottom of the pan, filling all gaps and pressing lightly.
- In food processor, combine cream cheese, canned salmon, remaining ⅓ of the smoked salmon, dill, Dijon mustard, lemon zest and juice; pulse until smooth. Season with pepper to taste.
- Spoon one-third of the cream cheese mixture into pan, smoothing the top.
- Place half the asparagus spears lengthwise.
- Repeat the layers ending the cream cheese mixture on top. Fold excess plastic wrap over terrine to seal tightly. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to overnight.
- To serve, lift the set terrine from the loaf pan using the plastic wrap. Remove the wrap and cut into slices ( a serrated knife is your friend!) Kept chilled, terrine keeps well for several days.Serves 8 to 12