Salmon dip or spread

Smoked salmon pieces or offcuts are not as perfect as the layered or sliced smoked salmon you buy in packets, but they are good to use in dishes such as fish pies, quiches, soups, savouries or to make a dip or spread.

100gms of smoked salmon pieces, offcuts or diced smoked salmon slices.
100gms of cream cheese
100gms of sour cream
2 scrapes of lemon zest
Juice of half a lemon
Salt and cracked pepper

1. Put all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse to blend . You're trying to get a mixture that has smoothed the creams together but still has some salmon segments intact.

2. If it is too stiff add a little more lemon juice.

3. As a dip serve with vegetable sticks, rice crackers or grainy toast triangles.

4. You can also make some very refined club sandwiches with this mix. Spread the blended salmon on to two layers of sandwich sliced bread. Cover each with thinly sliced cucumber and a little chopped mint. Place these on top of each other and cover with another slice of bread. With a bread knife cut off the crusts from your stack then cut into triangles. After years of making clubs I have found an electric knife to be the most efficient and tidiest tool for this task.