The Smoked Salmon Spread is a popular Pacific Northwest appetizer. And it makes sense because wild-caught salmon is what our region is famous for. Everyone loves it, and it’s the first appetizer to go during our wine club tasting. It performs a Houdini act in the first ten minutes of the party. Why? Because it goes well with Champagne and white wines, and that’s what we start tastings with. Besides, the salmon spread is delicious!
Yet we like to experiment and improve recipes to our taste!
We tasted many store-bought spreads, but there was always something to improve upon. Finally, we decided to create our own Smoked Salmon Spread recipe and share it with those who love to cook from scratch and with the freshest ingredients.
This recipe is easy to make and keeps well in the refrigerator for three to four days. You can prepare it in advance and save time for more critical tasks on your party’s day.
To spice it up we used the Orange Tarragon spice blend, but if you don’t have it, you may substitute it with black pepper, dry orange, and parsley or dill.
The spread goes well with many types of crackers, French baguette, or fresh vegetables like cucumbers, sweet bell peppers, or tomatoes.
As for wine, it pairs perfectly well with Champagne, full-body white, and Rosé wines from Oregon and Washington.
Some medium-bodied wines can be overpowered by the flavors of this spread, but don’t let it intimidate you. Goat cheese flavors and acidity will connect other elements of the spread with white wine harmoniously. Also, if you add less salt to it, it might handle even light body white wine.
We made it for Champagne and sparkling wine! We tried it with many of them and concluded that minerality and acidity in those wines complement the flavors of Smoked Salmon Spread the best.
Check out our Champagne tasting line-ups and choose your own fantastic pairing for this spread. Other sparkling wines we tasted also might be fantastic with this spread:
Enjoy this easy recipe, and let us know what wine you paired it with!
Ingredients
- Goat Cheese - 10 oz
- Smoked Salmon - 8 oz
- Goat Milk Yogurt - 2 Tbsp
- Capers - 2 Tbsp
- Orange and Tarragon Spice mix - 1 Tbsp
- Dill, basil, parsley, or cilantro to decorate small bites.
Instructions
Mix goat cheese with yogurt. Divide smoked salmon into very small pieces. Mix with the cheese. Add capers and spices.
Serve on crackers of your choice, or cucumbers cut into round bite-size pieces 1/3 inch thick.
Notes
You may substitute goat milk yogurt with heavy cream. Make sure to ground Orange and Tarragon spice very well to avoid hard pieces in the spread.