Elegant and light, trout mousse with cucumber salad makes a refined starter or afternoon tea treat. Silky smoked trout, tangy cream cheese and horseradish meet crisp pickled cucumber, fresh dill and a bright lemon finish, giving each bite a cool, clean lift.
By Matt TebbuttFrom Saturday Kitchen
Trout mousse with cucumber salad likely suits a Nutri-Score B because it uses smoked trout, cream cheese, lemon, dill and cucumber in a small-portion starter. It brings useful protein and flavour, while cream cheese and smoked fish add some fat and salt.
Ingredients
- 200g/7oz hot smoked trout
- 125g/4½oz cream cheese
- 1 tsp horseradish cream
- 1 lemon, juice only
- pinch salt
- pinch ground white pepper
- Melba toast circles, to serve
- 2 tbsp dill sprigs, to serve
- edible flowers, to serve
- 40g/1½oz caster sugar
- 100ml/3½fl oz white wine vinegar
- 2 sprigs fresh dill
- ¼ cucumber, thinly sliced into rounds
- pinch salt
Customise
- Hot smoked trout can swap for hot smoked salmon for a similar silky fish mousse.
- Cream cheese can swap for crème fraîche if you want a lighter trout mousse.
- Horseradish cream can swap for Dijon mustard if you want a sharper finish.
- Dill can swap for chives if you want a different fresh herb note.
Method
- Blend the mousse. Put the trout, cream cheese, horseradish cream, lemon juice, salt and white pepper into a blender, then blend until smooth and silky. Stop as soon as it looks light, because overblending can make the trout mousse too loose.
- Chill and set aside. Spoon the trout mousse into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle, then place it in the fridge while you make the cucumber salad. This helps the texture firm up and makes piping much easier later.
- Make the pickle liquid. Put the sugar, vinegar, dill sprigs, salt and water into a saucepan, then warm gently over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Stir now and then so the cucumber salad base stays clear and balanced.
- Cool the salad. Leave the liquid to cool, remove the dill, then add the cucumber slices. Let everything sit in the fridge until plating time so the cucumber stays crisp and the flavour turns bright and clean.
- Assemble neatly. Arrange the Melba toast circles on a serving plate, then pipe the trout mousse on top in a neat circle. Finish with the pickled cucumber, dill sprigs and edible flowers for a polished trout mousse with cucumber salad presentation.
Serve now, 5 mins
Serve the trout mousse with cucumber salad straight away so the Melba toast stays crisp. A final sprig of dill adds a fresh finish and keeps the look elegant.
Make ahead, up to 1 day
You can make the trout mousse ahead and keep it chilled, and you can prepare the cucumber salad earlier too. Assemble just before serving for the best texture and the freshest trout mousse with cucumber salad result.
Wine pairing: Trout mousse with cucumber salad pairs well with crisp white wine, dry Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc or a mineral Muscadet. The best wine pairing for this trout mousse with cucumber salad is a wine with bright acidity, clean citrus notes and enough freshness to lift the smoked trout, cream cheese, dill and pickled cucumber.
Tips
- Use cold smoked trout straight from the fridge for the best mousse texture.
- Do not overblend the trout mousse, or it may turn too soft.
- Keep the cucumber salad chilled until serving for the cleanest crunch.
FAQs
- Can I make trout mousse ahead? Yes, make it earlier in the day and chill until serving.
- Can I use another fish? Yes, hot smoked salmon works well in place of trout.
- Can I skip the edible flowers? Yes, they are optional and the dish still looks elegant without them.