Dazzle Brunch Guests With Prue Leith’s Smoked Salmon Pâté Recipe

You know Prue Leith as a judge on The Great British Bake Off — but don’t forget that she’s also a chef in her own right (Michelin-starred, no less).

The South African restauranteur and author recently penned the cookbook Life’s Too Short to Stuff a Mushroom, a tome full of savory and sweet recipes and helpful cooking tips. When reading, we gravitated towards Leith’s salmon pâté recipe — and if you’re a lox lover, we think you’ll agree that the brunch-friendly dip looks like the perfect balance of salty and smoky flavors.

“You can make this pâté with either type of smoked salmon,” Leith explains. “Normal smoked salmon sold in thin slices is smoked at a low temperature, which does not cook the fish, only flavors it, leaving the flesh glassy and orange. Hot-smoked salmon is smoked at a higher temperature, which cooks the flesh, leaving the flesh pink and opaque and flavored by the smoke. This latter kind comes in thick fillets, not fine slices.”

And before you grab that salt shaker, note that you won’t have the sprinkle the seasoning into this fish dish: “As smoked fish is already salty, I’ve not included any salt in this recipe, nor in the variation for smoked mackerel pâté.”

That said, if you’re not a fish fan, you don’t have to miss out. The salmon can be easily swapped with other proteins: “The best candidates for this treatment are smoked salmon or mackerel, tinned sardines, fried chicken livers, and cooked chicken or duck. All the variations…follow the same basic method.”

But no matter what variation you choose, you’ll want to ensure that you’ve got crusty bread on hand.

Prue Leith’s Smoked Salmon Pâté

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 7oz (200g) hot-smoked or normal smoked salmon
• 2/3 cup (150g or 5 1/2 oz) full-fat cream cheese
• 2 tbsp sour cream
• 1 tbsp chives, chopped
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

Instructions

1. In a processor, blend the smoked salmon to a paste, then add all the other ingredients and mix well.
2. Spoon the pâté into ramekins. Bacteria need air to grow, so press the pâté down firmly with a spatula or the back of a spoon to exclude any air pockets. Cover the pâté tightly with cling film, making sure there are no pockets of air between the pâté and covering.
3. Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve with toast, crackers or crusty bread.

Tip: If you need to keep your pâté for longer than a few days, seal the potted-up pâté with butter rather than cling film. Pour a layer of melted, but cooled, butter over the top. When chilled, this makes a durable seal and your pâté will last, refrigerated, for a fortnight. For longer, keep it in the freezer.

Variations: Use the method for the smoked salmon pâté for these variations. All serve four.

Plain or Peppered Mackerel Pâté

• 7oz (200g) peppered mackerel fillets, skinned, boned, and flaked
• A scant 1/2 cup (100g or 3 1/2 oz) full-fat cream cheese
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tbsp horseradish sauce
• A small handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tsp capers, chopped

If you’re using plain smoked mackerel instead of the peppered variety, add a teaspoon of coarsely ground black pepper to the pâté.

Tuna Pâté

• 7oz (200g) canned tuna, drained
• 1/4 cup (50g or 1 3/4 oz) full-fat cream cheese
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1 3/4 oz (50g) gherkins, finely chopped
• 1 shallot, finely diced
• A small handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 1 tbsp dill, chopped
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

Sardine and Spinach Pâté

• 4 1/4 oz (120g) can of sardines in oil (including the oil)
• 3 1/2 oz (100g) spinach leaves, cooked and well drained
• 3 1/2 oz (100g) butter
• A pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard

Chicken Pâté

• 7oz (200g) cooked chicken, skinned and chopped
• 3 1/2 oz (100g) butter
• 1 tbsp chopped tarragon
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

Chicken or Duck Liver Pâté

• 7oz (200g) poultry livers, cleaned and fried in butter until cooked
• Cooking juices from the frying pan
• 5 1/2 oz (150g) butter
• 2 tsp brandy
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

Duck Pâté

• 7oz (200g) cooked duck breast, skinned and chopped
• 3 1/2 oz (100g) butter
• Grated zest of 1/2 orange
• 2 tsp brandy
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

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Excerpted/Adapted from Life’s Too Short to Stuff a Mushroom, by Prue Leith. Published by Carnival, an imprint of The Quarto Group, 2024. All Rights Reserved.