SMOKED FISH RILLETTES WITH ROASTED CHERRY TOMATOES & CUCUMBER & PICKLE SALSA
MAKES ABOUT 1½ CUPS / PREPARATION 15 MINUTES / COOKING 35-40 MINUTES
Rillettes of smoked fish or salmon are always great for a quick nibble. Usually my standby is fish with crème fraîche and some horseradish, but sometimes I like to keep it dairy free. Using roasted cherry tomatoes with some garlic, some of which is blitzed then added to the fish, makes for a sweeter and softer version. This recipe makes more roasted cherry tomatoes than you’ll need, but I think they are perfect for using later in the week to toss through some pasta with fresh basil.
FOR THE FISH RILLETTES
2 punnets cherry tomatoes
6 cloves garlic, unpeeled
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 250-300g smoked fish such as mackerel, kahawai or warehou 1 tablespoon grated horseradish
½-1 teaspoon hot sauce
1-2 tablespoons pickle juice
2 tablespoons chopped herbs such as chives, dill or parsley
Heat the oven to 180°C.
Put the cherry tomatoes and garlic cloves in a small roasting dish so they fit snugly in a single layer. Drizzle with the olive oil and season with sea salt. Roast for 35-40 minutes until the tomatoes have softened and are just beginning to burst. Set aside to cool slightly.
Peel the garlic and put into a blender (or use a stick blender) with quarter of the tomatoes and blitz to a rough paste with some of the gorgeous tomato and olive oil liquid (roughly ¼ cup). Shred the fish into small pieces and combine with the blitzed tomatoes, the horseradish, hot sauce, pickle juice and herbs. Adjust seasonings to taste.
FOR THE CUCUMBER & PICKLE SALSA
2 baby cucumbers, finely diced
¼ cup sliced pickles (I used Mcclure’s sweet and spicy), finely diced
½ green chilli, finely chopped
Combine all the ingredients and season with salt and pepper.
TO SERVE crisp breads, crackers or leaves such as endive or baby gem lettuce
Smear some rillette on the crisp bread, add a teaspoon of the salsa and top with a cherry tomato.