November 20, 2025

Hot Smoked Salmon Pâté & Pickled Cucumber

This recipe is a fresh, lighter take on a classic salmon pâté. The salmon stays chunky, so you get gorgeous smoky flakes in every bite. It is teamed with bright, crunchy pickled cucumber. Serve it on warm slices of brown bread, ideally the Treacle Brown Bread

Print Pin Rate

🔥

Calories

🍞

Carbs

💪

Protein

🥑

Fat

Ingredients

For the pâté

2 fillets hot smoked salmon
1 tbsp mayonnaise
1 tbsp Glenilen yoghurt
½ tbsp Horseradish sauce
¼ tbsp Lemon juice
A pinch of black pepper

For the pickled cucumber

1 cucumber
75 ml white wine vinegar
75 ml caster sugar
1 tbsp sea salt

To serve

Pink peppercorns
Fresh dill
Brown bread made using the Treacle Brown Bread

Instructions

Hot Smoked Salmon Pâté

Place the hot smoked salmon in a mixing bowl and gently break it into flakes with a fork. Keep the texture chunky rather than smooth.
Add the mayonnaise, the Glenilen yoghurt, the horseradish sauce, the lemon juice and the black pepper. Fold everything together gently until just combined. Do not overmix.
Taste and adjust the seasoning. Add more lemon juice for brightness or a little extra horseradish if you want more heat.

Pickled cucumber

Finely slice the cucumber into thin rounds.
In a large jar or airtight container combine the white wine vinegar, the caster sugar and the sea salt. Stir until the sugar and salt dissolve.
Add the sliced cucumber. Seal the jar and shake well so everything is coated.
Place in the fridge for a few hours until the cucumber is lightly pickled and still crisp.Pickled cucumber will last for up to 10 days in the fridge Apple cider vinegar can be used. Just note it will turn a darker colour.

Notes

Spoon the pâté generously onto toasted or fresh brown bread. Let it sit in soft natural mounds.
Add a few curls or slices of the pickled cucumber on top.
Crack a few pink peppercorns over the plate and scatter with fresh dill.
Serve immediately. Simple, rustic and packed with flavour.

This is exactly the kind of thing you make when friends drop in. It is fresh, punchy, and beautifully simple. The smoky salmon, the cool cucumber and the fragrant dill come together in a way that tastes like you have put in loads of effort, but really it all comes together in minutes.

If you enjoy recipes like this, you will love the Aisling Larkin Christmas Ebook filled with seasonal favourites and clever kitchen tips.