5 Minute Dairy-Free Smoked Salmon Pate

Finally, an irresistibly creamy and zesty smoked salmon pate that’s packed full of delicious salmon flavour, quick to make and yet totally dairy-free. Hurrah!

QUICK, SMOKEY AND CREAMY

I am a big fan of creating quick versions of classic, creamy recipes of all types that are dairy-free due to my son’s dairy allergy. I also absolutely adore salmon, which is why I particularly love dairy free salmon recipes such as my 10 minute dairy-free smoked salmon and spinach pasta. I don’t see why somebody with a dairy allergy should miss out on such creamy creations and thankfully, shops these days tend to stock a wide selection of yummy dairy free alternatives to cook with.

However, it can be a minefield knowing just which products are any good and would work as decent dairy substitutes in your recipes. Trial and error is key, and I’ve done a fair bit of that over the years to really optimise my dairy free recipes for deliciousness.

This 5 minute dairy free smoked salmon pate recipe hits all the right notes for a delicious quick snack or lunch that pairs perfectly with some lovely warm, crusty bread.

As with all of my quick recipes, getting the right ingredients are key to ensuring speedy and delicious end result. Let’s have a peek at each of the ingredients in turn to help to understand how they come together to create such a fabulously quick smoked salmon pâté in only 5 short minutes;

SMOKED SALMON;

Clearly the cornerstone to any decent smoked salmon pâté, this classic and elegant smoked fish provides the main flavour in this super quick recipe. I’m a huge fan of smoked salmon as it is so delicious and requires no cooking whatsoever, which makes it the perfect ingredient for so many types of quick recipe. 

Salmon itself is fabulously healthy, containing many important nutrients such as omega 3 fatty acids, vitamin B12 and vitamin D. Salmon is also a lean and delicious source of protein. Also, in these days of needing to focus on being environmentally friendly when it comes to our diets, salmon is happily one of the more sustainable types of fish that you can buy, so idea for everyday use without guilt.

As a bonus, I find most children really love the earthy, sweet taste of smoked salmon, so this fish is a fabulous way of getting a super healthy source of protein into them.

OAT-BASED CREMY SPREAD;

There are so many dairy free spreads on the market these days that can be overwhelming to know which ones to select when choosing ingredients for a recipe.

After some trial and error, I’ve discovered that oat-based creamy spread – which is basically dairy free ‘cream cheese’ – is the winning ingredient to inject the smooth creaminess into this 5 minute smoked salmon pate. There are various brands available but the one I’ve used is Oatley and this thankfully is widely available in stores. Of course, if this particular brand is not available to you, just try an alternative instead which should work just fine.

PLANT BASED SPREAD;

I’ve added a little bit of plant-based spread to this salmon pate (the older readers amongst us will know this as margarine!) This simply helps to increase the fat content and make for a creamier overall taste. Of course, you can use butter if you’d prefer and don’t have a strict reason to make your final pate dairy free which would work just as well as the non-dairy kind.

HONEY;

Ah! A taste of honey is never a bad thing in my books! Honey is important in this pate recipe to help cut through the saltiness of the salmon and balance out the overall flavour.

Also, dairy free oat-based spreads tends to be very savoury, more so than dairy types (with dairy having some natural sweetness) so popping in a dash of honey really helps the final flavour to sing! Of course, getting the quantity right is key here as you don’t want to end up with a salmon pate that’s sickly sweet, which is why you only need a touch here.

 HORSERADISH SAUCE;

A bit of horseradish sauce adds a peppery flavour that works brilliantly in this quick smoked salmon pâté. Too much though, and the flavour would be overpowering which is why just 1 tsp is plenty.

If you are strictly dairy-free, it’s important to check the ingredients list of your horseradish sauce. This is because some have some dairy snuck into them. Thankfully, there are many available that are truly dairy-free so make sure to source one of these if needed.

LEMON JUICE;

Zesty lemon juice plus smoked salmon is such a classic flavour combination that it’s no surprise to see I’ve included some lemon juice in this recipe. Just a dash will do – half a lemon to be precise – and your pate will really zing because of it!

DILL;

Dill is a herb that is also used in many smoked salmon recipes because it pairs so perfectly with this fish. It has a delicate floral undertone to it that really elevates the pâté and also speckles it with attractive green flecks.

You can use dried dill varieties of course but I find the flavour and texture of the fresh kind superior to any dried types so try and source fresh dill wherever possible.

STEP BY STEP GUIDE TO MAKING THE PERFECT 5 MINUTE DAIRY-FREE SMOKED SALMON PATE;

Serves 2 as a snack

Now let’s look at the step-by-step guide to making your fantastically quick, dairy-free 5 minute smoked salmon pate. (This step by step guide is very short as this recipe is so quick and easy)!

STEP 1;

Take a food processor or blender and pop in 120g (4 oz) smoked salmon, 2 rounded tablespoons of oat based creamy spread (I use Oatly brand), 1 rounded tablespoon of plant-based spread (I use Vitalite), 2 teaspoons of honey, the juice of half a lemon, 1 teaspoon of horseradish sauce and a small bunch of fresh dill – about 5g (0.2oz).

STEP 2;

Now whizz everything together for about 5-10 seconds. It’s important not to over blend it as you’re aiming to keep the texture a little course rather than super smooth, which is why only a few seconds of blending time is perfectly sufficient.

STEP 3;

That’s it! You’re done. Spoon the pate out into a small bowl, grab some warm hunks of crusty bread and dig in!