You may have heard of this old expression: “Men honor him and fish fear him.” Back in the old days, the Hunka-hunka was quite the fisherman. Not only was he good at it, it was something he really enjoyed. The Zen of being on the water, whether a fast moving stream or the salt water surrounding our island, were the perfect spot for him to recharge and be one with the universe. Unfortunately diminishing fish stock and increased government regulations have gradually shrunk his fishing time. So once upon a time we had salmon to feast on all year, now I’m often reduced to buying smoked salmon for our salmon spread.
This is a recipe G and I came up with years ago. The most important ingredient was homemade smoked salmon. G’s Little Chief Smoker smoked its little heart out for years. It was replaced a few times and then he stepped up a notch. He doesn’t smoke a lot of salmon currently; now he mostly smokes pork shoulder or beef brisket, but he still has very fond fishy memories.
Luckily, we found excellent salmon fillets locally made by Trident. Costco carries them as well, so you should have no trouble finding an option that will work for you.
We make large quantities so you may want to adjust the amounts you use.
For each 20 ounce salmon fillet
Cream approximately 24 ounces of cream cheese, thinned with milk, Go a little thinner than you think it should be since it will firm up in the refrigerator.
Add: Garlic powder, Paprika, Liquid Smoke and Dill to taste. Feel free to change the spices up, these just happen to be the ones we enjoy.
Shred the salmon into the creamed mixture, watching for bones as you go.
Give it a good mix and then let the flavors marry in the refrigerator for several hours.
Don’t forget the Ritz Crackers.
and remember: You don’t always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go and see what happens. Big kiss, Lynn
From the Recipe Box 