The salmon mousse recipe
for your table
Purée the salmon with the cream cheese, lemon zest and pepper until smooth. You can use a stick blender or food processor, but stop as soon as it’s smooth; continuing makes the mixture warm and tough. Don’t add salt, as the smoked salmon already brings enough.
Whip the cream in a separate bowl until semi-stiff, just until it holds faint trails and still slides off the whisk. Whipping it stiffer may seem better, but has the opposite effect: stiff cream can no longer be folded into a firm mixture without curdling.
Fold the cream into the salmon mixture in two batches, using a wide spatula and lifting from the bottom upward. The first half loosens the mixture; the second adds the air. Stop as soon as the mixture is smooth, because every extra stroke knocks air out.
Fill the glasses with a layer of grated cucumber or finely chopped avocado and refrigerate them for at least two hours. Add the dill just before serving, as it discolours when it sits on the mousse for hours.
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The story
Salmon mousse comes from the days when a starter was served from a mould at the table: a ring, a terrine, a dish of slices. Removing it from the mould requires gelatin, and gelatin quickly calls for even more gelatin, because no one wants the whole thing to collapse as soon as the mould is removed. As a result, it was often firm and slightly springy. If you serve the mousse in a glass, none of that is necessary, because the glass holds its shape and the mousse can remain soft. That is the whole difference between a mousse you cut and a mousse you spoon.
The right glass
Salmon mousse in a glass is a different dish from salmon mousse on a plate. A tall, narrow ten-centilitre glass shows the layers from the outside, and according to the description, that slim tube shape was made for this purpose too. A layer of grated cucumber goes at the bottom, the mousse above it and a sprig of dill on top, and you can see all three through the glass. If you want a more generous portion, choose the low eight-centilitre amuse bowl, where the mousse spreads out more widely and is easier to reach with a small spoon. A narrow stemmed verrine glass is not part of our range; the tall glass below comes closest. Find more small glassware in the amuse glasses collection.
Arcoroc Islande Shot Glass 10 cl Tubo (6 pieces)
La Rochère Folies Amuse Bowl 8 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 35,90.
The right tools
For salmon mousse, besides the glass, you need a whisk or hand mixer, which you probably already have, a zester for the lemon zest and a bar spoon to reach the bottom of a narrow glass. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glassware set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 42,85.
What will you serve with it?
With smoked salmon, pour something fresh with plenty of acidity, because salt and smoke call for it. A dry white wine from Burgundy is the safe choice, while champagne and crémant work even better, and if you want something stronger, pour ice-cold vodka into a small glass. On every drink page, you'll find the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it pairs with, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Smoked salmon provides color and smoky flavor; with cooked or poached salmon, the mousse is lighter in color and much milder in flavor, and you do need salt and extra lemon. A mixture of both works well: half smoked for the flavor, half cooked for the texture. Replace the dill with chives, or stir in some horseradish if you want it sharper. Need more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Chill the glasses for at least two hours and take them out of the refrigerator ten minutes before serving, because you won't taste much when it's ice-cold. Place a small spoon next to each glass and serve thin toast or rye bread alongside. Add the dill at the last moment, otherwise it will discolor.
Good to know
Why do you whip the cream separately?
Because the air in that cream is the entire mousse. Cream that you add to the machine along with the salmon and cream cheese has no chance to retain air; you end up with a smooth, compact paste that tastes fine but isn't a mousse. Whipping it separately until half-stiff and then folding it in in two batches keeps that air in. Half-stiff is enough, because stiff cream can no longer be folded in without curdling.
Smoked or cooked salmon?
Smoked salmon provides the orange-pink color and a distinct smoky flavor, and it already brings salt of its own. Cooked or poached salmon gives a lighter, almost beige mousse with a milder flavor, but it does need salt and extra lemon. A combination of the two is a safe middle ground: the color and flavor of the smoked salmon, with the volume of the cooked salmon.
Why don't you add salt?
Smoked salmon is salted before it is smoked, and cream cheese already contains salt too. If you add more salt, you will only notice once the mousse is cold and the flavor has settled, and by then there is nothing you can do about it. Taste it after chilling and add more if necessary, never before.
Do you need gelatin?
Only if you want to unmold the mousse or cut it into slices. Half a soaked gelatin leaf, dissolved in a spoonful of warm cream and stirred into the salmon mixture before folding in the rest, is enough. You do not need it in a glass: the glass holds its shape and the mousse can remain soft.
How long should it be in the refrigerator?
At least two hours, and overnight is fine too. During that time, the cream cheese sets and the flavors meld; right after making it, you mainly taste cream and very little salmon. Covered, it keeps for two days in the refrigerator. Do not freeze it, because the cream separates when thawed.
What goes in the bottom of the glass?
A layer of something fresh to offset the cream: grated cucumber that you have briefly drained, finely chopped avocado with lemon, or a spoonful of yogurt with chives. It is meant as a counterpoint, not a filling, so a layer half a centimeter thick is enough.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make salmon mousse light and airy?
Whip the cream separately until half stiff, then fold it in in two parts. Combining everything in the food processor produces a dense paste instead of a mousse. Stop folding as soon as the mixture is smooth, because every extra stroke removes air.
Do you need gelatin for salmon mousse?
Only if you want to unmold it or cut it into slices; then half a gelatin leaf is enough. If you serve the mousse in a glass, the glass holds its shape and you can leave out the gelatin.
How long can you store salmon mousse?
Covered in the refrigerator for two days. It should be refrigerated for at least two hours before serving anyway, because only then will it have set and the flavors will have melded. We do not recommend freezing it: the cream separates when thawed.
Which salmon do you use for salmon mousse?
Smoked salmon adds color, a smoky flavor, and enough salt; boiled or poached salmon has a lighter color and a milder flavor and requires extra salt and lemon. For a small glass as an appetizer, smoked salmon works best.
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