An elegant yet easy Smoked Fish Terrine flavored with fresh dill and lemon makes the perfect first course at a dinner party. Guests always love the fresh, smoky taste, and it takes just minutes to prepare.
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❓Why this is the best recipe
- It's elevated - The presentation of this smoked fish terrine is very fine dining in style, and looks beautiful on the plate. It's a very elegant yet simple seafood dish.
- It's easy - You will only need some simple ingredients and equipment, and it takes hardly any time to prepare this recipe.
- It can be made ahead - If you're hosting a dinner party and need an easy cold appetizer that you can make the day before, this is perfect.
📖 Ingredients List
The simplicity of this recipe is what makes it so great. You only need a handful of ingredients, but as always, quality is key.
- Hot smoked salmon - You can also use fillets of hot smoked trout or other hot smoked fish like smoked mackerel.
- Cold smoked salmon - Slices of cold smoked salmon form the casing for the terrine, keeping it together in a beautiful cylinder shape. Cold-smoked trout will also work as a substitute.
- Cream cheese - Use high-fat and good-quality cream cheese, which gives the smoked fish terrine a deliciously rich taste.
- Horseradish sauce - This is optional, but horseradish and smoked fish go so wonderfully together, and gives a lovely kick to the terrine taste.
- Lemon - We use both lemon juice and lemon zest in the terrine filling to lift all the flavors.
- Dill - this herb is a natural partner for fish and goes especially well with smoked fish. Always use fresh herbs when possible, although you can swap out for dried dill if you prefer.
- Salt and cracked black pepper - smoked fish is quite salty, so be mindful of adding too much additional salt. Taste as you go to make sure you have the right balance.
See the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for full quantities and step-by-step directions on how to make easy smoked fish terrine.
👩🏼🍳 How to make smoked fish terrine
Peel the skin from the smoked fish fillets and flake them into a bowl with a fork. Add the cream cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, and horseradish and stir into a smooth paste. Alternatively, use a food processor.
Place a double layer of cling film (plastic food wrap) onto a surface. Lay slices of smoked salmon on top and sprinkle over the fresh dill. Overlap the edges of the smoked salmon so that they will contain the filling.
Spoon the terrine filling on top of the smoked salmon slices in a long mound. Use the overhanging cling film to roll the terrine into a cylinder, keeping it tight.
Twist the ends to secure it, and refrigerate for an hour before slicing the terrine into rounds and then peeling off the plastic wrap.
🌟 Top Tip
If you have any excess smoked fish filing, you can use it to make an easy pate. Mix in some double cream (heavy cream) to adjust the consistency, if needed.
👩🏼🍳 Chef's Tips & Serving suggestions
I love serving this delicious terrine on a piece of hot toast with a simple cubed beetroot and cucumber salad in a vinaigrette dressing. It looks beautiful on the plate, and the flavors and textures work perfectly together.
If you are pushed for time, you can also serve this terrine in a small ramekin.
If you have any remaining smoked salmon, you can make these smoked salmon canapes and put them in the freezer until you need them. And if you like fish, try these crème fraîche and caviar vol au vents, and smoked salmon cream cheese dip as other great seafood recipes for a dinner party.
🍷 Wine pairing for smoked fish
The smoky, salty taste of smoked fish is perfectly paired with a Pouilly-Fumé from the Loire Valley. This revered Sauvignon Blanc is known for its smoky undernotes and crisp acidity, which will pair beautifully with the rich smoked fish terrine.
❄️ Storage & Freezing
Store smoked fish terrine in the fridge wrapped in plastic food wrap or in an airtight container. Consume any leftovers within 3-4 days.
Do not freeze smoked fish terrine; the cream cheese filling can go grainy once defrosted.
🥣 Equipment
You will need a mixing bowl and good-quality plastic food wrap (cling film) to make this easy fish terrine recipe.
❓Recipe FAQ
Pates normally have a much smoother texture than terrines and are most commonly made from liver. Terrine is usually made with chunkier pieces of meat or fish, and a Rilette is even coarser and even more rustic.
There are baked terrines and fresh terrines. Both are made of meat, fish, or vegetable fillings mixed together and set into a shape. Baked terrines use gelatin or egg as a binder and are cooked in a bain-marie or water bath. Fresh terrines have fillings that are already cooked and are just formed into a shape, in a loaf tin or similar.
🍽 Other seafood recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Have you tried this recipe?
If you make this recipe, I'd love to hear how it went! Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on the recipe card and consider leaving a comment as well. Your feedback helps other readers and is greatly appreciated.
📖 Recipe
Easy Dill And Smoked Fish Terrine
Equipment
- 1 Plastic food wrap
Ingredients
- 2 Hot smoked fish fillets salmon, trout, mackerel, etc
- 100 grams (½ cup) Cream cheese
- 1 tablespoon Horseradish sauce (optional)
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice and zest
- 2 tablespoon Dill
- 100 grams (3½ oz) Cold smoked salmon slices
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Remove the skin from the smoked fish fillets and flake them into a mixing bowl.
- Add the cream cheese, horseradish sauce, lemon juice, and zest and stir with two forks to flake the fish further and make a rough pate mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
- Lay two layers of plastic food wrap (cling film) on a clean work surface and place the smoked salmon in a square on top of it. Sprinkle chopped fresh dill over the surface.
- Spoon the smoked fish cream cheese mixture in a line on top of the smoked salmon. Use the food wrap to tightly roll the terrine into a cylinder and twist the ends to secure it. Refrigerate for one hour.
- Use a sharp knife to slice the smoked fish terrine into rounds and then peel off the plastic wrap. Serve chilled.
Notes
- I find that fillets of hot smoked salmon or trout work best in this recipe.
- Layer the slices of smoked salmon so that they slightly overlap to make sure the terrine keeps its shape.
- You can slice the terrine into rounds and plate them up before covering and refrigerating until ready to serve.
Carol says
This was so easy to make but everyone was very impressed. I cut out shapes in the toast to make it look even fancier!