Serve these great-looking little fresh jars of smoked salmon and aromatic cucumber mousse at your next BBQ or dinner party. Inspired by French cuisine, these verrines (which means small glasses in French) are both a handy and elegant way of serving our top-quality Jacksons smoked salmon (or smoked trout works beautifully too), although you could also use jam jars for a more rustic feel.
Ingredients for 4-6 verrines:
- 100-150g smoked salmon portion (or you could use our ready made smoked salmon pate)
- 1 cucumber
- 8 tbsp crème fraîche (or fresh yoghurt works well too)
- 4 tbsp fresh chives, finely chopped + more for garnish
- 1/2 a lemon, juiced (about 4 teaspoons)
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
- 6 caperberries, for garnish
- Fresh herbs (such as basil or more chives) for garnish
Method:
1. In a large bowl (or blender to achieve a lighter mousse consistency), whip together the crème fraîche, chives and lemon juice, then season with a touch of salt and black pepper (remember to go easy as the smoked salmon will already have salt) and set aside
2. Cut 3/4 of the cucumber to grate it finely, then squeeze excess moisture with your hands before folding into the creamy mousse. Cut the remaining quarter in small chunks to use later as garnish
3. In a small bowl (or the cleaned blender), shred the salmon and chop finely until the desired consistency. We blended it until a paté-style consistency (adding a touch of the cream mixture to smooth it out) but you could keep it chunkier
4. Layer your creamy cucumber mousse in your verrines (or jars), then top with some cucumber chunks on one side and a spoon of smoked salmon (we used an ice cream scoop)
5. Garnish with the caperberries and fresh herbs, then place in the fridge until it's time to serve them so they keep their freshness and shape
6. Enjoy!
