Mousse of smoked trout

Last Sunday we invited a few friends over for what we thought would be the last picnic of the season. But as the weather god would have it, the clouds looked a bit too temperamental for us heading off to the park packed with goodies and lay out the blankets only to be drizzled upon half an hour later. So we decided to stay in - and I tell you the food tasted just as good indoors, even without the wind turning your fingers into ice sticks.
As usual I had prepared quite a feast and way too much for the six people we were - I mean, we do have a good appetite but with the amount of food at hand we could have fed a whole soccer team!
There's a few recipes that I feel are worth sharing with you and I'll make a start with this easy to prepare yet utterly delicous mousse of smoked trout.
Pascale had made my mouth water with her "Rillettes de maquereau fumé" so I played with this idea a bit - using smoked trout instead of the mackerel - I know it is more difficult to get (Waitrose have them though, and so does my local fishmonger) but worth your while, I believe. I also left out the butter and found the cream cheese and fromage frais to make for a very creamy mousse indeed, so no need for the extra calories! Go on, try it, it's delicious on toast even if you only prepare a fraction of my recipe below, for a nice amuse-bouche or why not put it in the fridge over night and cut some quenelles out of it to go into a nice spinach and watercress soup... oh well, I guess that's tonight's dinner sorted!

Mousse of smoked trout

375 g smoked trout fillets
125 g crème fraîche
200 g cream cheese (I used Philadelphia)
30 ml lemon juice (ca. ½ lemon)
10 g chopped dill (plus more to garnish)
salt, white pepper

Put all the ingredients with exception of the dill into a food processor and work to achieve a smooth paste. Stir in the dill and season to taste. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.
Keeps in the fridge for about a week.

Comments

[Pascale]

Hi Jo,
Superb idea for the trout I know what I'm going to cook tomorrow night as I've got some smoked trout in my fridge. In France, I've the feeling that it's easier to find smoked trout that smoked mackerel.
Have a nice week-end.

[tettora]

Hello,
I just made this recipe for my parents dinner party and have to say I had the hardest time not diving into the bowl and eating the whole thing myself! It's delicious! (Thank goodness for Waitrose and their stock of smoked fishes)