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Save the more delicate Scottish smoked salmon for traditional apps.Ī smoky, peaty Scotch whisky such as Port Charlotte from Bruichladdich is the secret ingredient in … The Smoked Salmon Spread, a.k.a. It asserts its flavor, and is made better when mixed with the cream cheese, butter, whisky, herbs and seasonings. That salmon is bolder in flavor and less nuanced than Scottish smoked salmon, and the standard 4-ounce package is all you need for 2 cups of the spread-or enough for 2 parties. But the good news is the saltier, rougher domestic smoked salmon easily found in the grocery store is tailor-made for it. The Spread is very good with any smoked salmon, of course. My choice is the large package that is all center-cut long slices which is like getting the “chateaubriand” of the salmon. The e-commerce site sells caviar and gourmet foods and their smoked salmon is my favorite. If you are a fan of Scottish salmon, try Kolikof.
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When I am feeling fancy, I make this dip and serve it alongside traditional canapes made from top-shelf smoked salmon. The fact that it’s easy to make, universally loved and low-maintenance makes it the ideal choice for a DIY Thanksgiving and holiday ‘Nibbles and Bar’ station. I love that you can make it in advance and set it out with crackers or bagel chips and people can help themselves like any other spread or dip. It quickly became my go-to party food and I made it again this week. My friends started calling it “The Spread.” You could taste the scotch if you knew it was there, but it mostly complimented the smoked salmon, seasonings and cream cheese. I had a bottle of Islay whisky on my counter and so I added a healthy glug of it to the mix, and set the food processor on to whirr it all up. It was good, but it was missing something. I took a standard four-ounce package of smoked salmon, added cream cheese, a bit of unsalted butter, fresh chives and dill, fresh lemon juice, horseradish, shallots and Tabasco sauce. One of my favorite heavily peated whiskies is Bruichladdich’s Port Charlotte and it is lovely served with Scottish salmon or any smoked salmon, for that matter.Ī few years ago I decided to see what would happen if I mashed my favorite bagel toppings together to make my own smoked salmon spread. If you drink scotch whisky, chances are you are familiar with one of them-Bowmore, Laphroaig, Ardbeg, Lagavulin, Bruichladdich, Caol Ola, Bunnahabhain, Ardnahoe and Kilchoman-and they are all worth exploring. The island is known for heavy peaty whisky, but the truth is that the whisky of Islay is varied and not all of them are heavily peated. Islay is a small charming island off the southern coast of Scotland with a population less than 3500 people and nine whisky distilleries.