Cream Cheese & Salmon Spread with Wild Garlic
Birthdays and Party Food!
Cream Cheese & Salmon Spread with Wild Garlic
As you will all remember from my Meal Planning on Monday post, from Monday curiously enough, this week is my birthday week……with my birthday being this weekend; and there are plans afoot (I think!) for a meal out at lunch time and a birthday tea at home in the afternoon……..my mum is a FABULOUS cook and baker, and I am really looking forward to seeing what she makes and bakes…….watch this space, as I will probably share some photos and recipes from the day with cake featuring very highly no doubt. But, back to a recipe that I always turn to for birthday teas as well as buffets, Cream Cheese & Salmon Spread with Wild Garlic – this is a brilliant little recipe to have tucked up your sleeve and is made all the easier by the fact that is made with TINNED SALMON. Tinned fish such as salmon, sardines, tuna and mackerel don’t always have good press, but they make a great store cupboard standby, are a boon in the kitchen and are very nutritious as well as being full of healthy omega oils…….in fact, one of my favourite tea time meals is the very simple and very tasty sardines on toast, I LOVE them, especially sardines in tomato sauce.
Cream Cheese & Salmon Spread with Wild Garlic
The benefit of tinned fish goes beyond the convenience factor – yes, I DO prefer fresh fish, as you may all know, but, lots of tinned fish is packed in their own oils, of which one is salmon, so you will be getting the benefits of some extra omega-3 fatty acids when including this in your daily diet. Tinned salmon also includes the bones (which are safe to eat since they soften during the canning process) and these bones can provide you with some added nutritional benefits as well. For example, a 75g serving of salmon has over half the calcium that is found in a normal glass of (cow’s) milk. I DO remember when I was little, picking out the bones from tinned salmon, and I also remember that my grandmother LOVED them! In fact, a tin of salmon was ESSENTIAL on my grandmother’s Sunday tea time-table…..along with lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes, bread and butter, pickled onions, cakes (or course!) and salad cream…..and sometimes some freshly boiled eggs too.
Cream Cheese & Salmon Spread with Wild Garlic.
But back to parties, I DO love a good party! This is a GREAT recipe idea to make for a tea time party; it’s also been notched up a few pegs on the gourmet front by adding wild garlic and Boursin cheese, if you so desire………pourquoi pas? It’s also a GREAT sandwich filling, again, maybe for the party table and I also LOVE it spread on to hot buttered toast. It would be amazing if served on some slices of toasted Farmhouse Oat Bread………..with some lovely salted butter too. Do add the lemon juice to this recipe, it cuts through the richness of the cream cheese and salmon and I also serve this with lemon wedges on the side too, for an extra citrus kick. You may notice from my photos, that I used chives instead of wild garlic last time I made this – when I took the photos, but when I made the recipe this week I was lucky enough to have some fabulous wild garlic to hand, foraged from a local wood near me…..but, chives do make a nice alternative. So, that’s it for today, I will be back with my usual Fish on Friday post tomorrow and expect LOTS of cake this weekend! Karen.
As this has the juice of ONE LEMON in it and I serve this with extra lemons,
I am entering this into Laura and Nazima’s One Ingredient Challenge for May, which is LEMONS!
Cream Cheese & Salmon Spread with Wild Garlic
Print recipe
| Serves | 6 servings |
| Prep time | 2 hours, 5 minutes |
| Allergy | Fish |
| Meal type | Appetizer, Lunch, Salad, Side Dish, Snack, Starter |
| Misc | Child Friendly, Pre-preparable, Serve Cold |
| Occasion | Birthday Party, Casual Party, Christmas, Formal Party |
| Region | British |
| By author | Karen S Burns-Booth |
Ingredients
- 225g cream cheese
- large tin of red salmon ((186g to 200g - the tins vary in size))
- large bunch of wild garlic (finely chopped, or chives when wild garlic is not in season)
- 1 shallot (peeled and finely diced)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- salt and pepper, to taste
- parsley (as garnish)
Note
Most people have a tin of salmon in their cupboards, and this makes a quick and easy spread for a party or a nice change as a sandwich filling. If you fancy more herbs or a bit if garlic, use a garlic and herb cream cheese or even Boursin instead of plain cream cheese.
Directions
| Step 1 | In a bowl, combine all the ingredients, adding the seasoning last, and checking seasoning to taste. |
| Step 2 | Cover the spread and chill for 1 to 2 hours. |
| Step 3 | Spoon the salmon spread into a pretty serving bowl or bowls, and sprinkle parsley over the top as a garnish. You can also garnish this with chopped chives or wild garlic. |
Cream Cheese & Salmon Spread with Wild Garlic.
I have some LOVELY prizes up for grabs on my blog right now!
DO enter them for a chance to win some GREAT prizes!
Follow the links to the Giveaways below:
Win a family ticket to the Jubilee Family Festival in Hyde Park presented by Sainsburys
Very Berry Month of May ~ Support British Summer Fruits with Delicious Puddings and a Giveaway
Laura@howtocookgoodfood says
Oh wow, I am a massive fan of tinned fish in general as it is packed full of nutrients. I like to encourage my kids to eat it too and they also love it especially in dip form. Thanks for entering this in to #oneingredient this month!!
Karen says
Tinned fish is a secret ingredient in the store cupboard and I love it too Laura…..that’s great that your children like it as a dip! Karen
Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours says
I loved tinned fish – it is a staple here. Mash it up with mayo, cream cheese or yoghurt and it is instant pate.
Oddly I crave it when feeling down, then instantly feel better – do Omega 3s work that fast?
Karen says
Who knows if it works that fast Helen! But if it makes you feel good, then yes, it’s working! I am like you, I LOVE tinned fish and sardines on toast makes me feel better when I am down too. Karen
Kellie@foodtoglow says
Only you could tinned salmon look glamourous! I am a relatively recent convert to tinned fish, but I do a tinned mackerel pâté with a provencal style. But pretty, it ain’t! But great for my patients (so I tell them). Have a fun weekend. Wish I could have a slice of your Mum’s cake. She sounds fab 😀
Karen says
THANKS Kellie! Mum’s cakes and bakes are legendary in our family! I will share a virtual slice with you on Saturday! Karen
Kellie@foodtoglow says
Sorry, that last comment was a bit odd. Tapping on phone while on bus! Hope you understood it.
Karen says
LOL! It sounded fine Kellie, but thanks for commenting! (And whilst on the bus!)
Marina@Picnic at Marina says
Salmon spread is such a great party food! Have a great birthday party!
Karen says
Thanks so much Marina! It’s nearly there now, just one more sleep! LOL! 🙂
Sunithi says
Love this ! Will try it out for my next party or get- together ! Pinning it too 🙂
Karen says
THANKS so much, I hope you enjoy it! 🙂 Karen
Neesie says
Oh how I’ve missed visiting Karen…I’ve been so busy that I’ve only had chance to take a fleeting glance your way but I hope that giving up sleeping will help free up some time.
I’m looking forward to working backwards to catch up.
It doesn’t help that you have such an abundance of beautiful recipes, ideas, tips and just brilliant writing for me to get through…ho hum…such is life.
Thank goodness its a cold wet day and I can indulge ;D
Have a wonderful weekend xoxo
Karen says
THANKS so much Neesie! I am just as bad, I am WAAAY behind on my comments and need to visit more of my favourite blogs! You have a wonderful weekend too and I look forward to seeing what you have been up to as well as welcoming you back here! 🙂
Alida says
This is a great dish and what a lovely presentation, looks like a picture of a foodie magazine! You have a nice blog X
Karen says
Thanks VERY much for your lovely comments Alida! It is a GREAT recipe for looks, ease and taste!
working london mummy says
great idea for a party dish. Am sure will be on peoples to do list for the jubilee parties ahead. Thanks for entering the challenge!
Karen says
I am sure I will have more recipes up my sleeve for Lemons too!
cakesphotoslife (Angie) says
Beautiful, will certainly try this when parents are visiting next x
Karen says
Thanks Angie, it is a lovely recipe that is easy to make! 🙂
Fishfingers for tea says
lovely! We don’t eat as much fresh fish as we should but always, always have tinned fish in the cupboard. This sounds lovely and something for my husband and I to have when we have a ‘picnic’ tea on the sofa.
Karen says
Thanks! It is SUCH an easy recipe and yet so very elegant looking too! 🙂