Salmon pâté

The recipe of pâté with salmon is simple, but at the same time refined. Pate can be prepared both with fresh salmon, as in the following recipe, and with smoked salmon. Naturally, in the second case the taste will be stronger and more decisive. If you use a fresh fish, cooked at the moment, you will have a more delicate taste. The ingredients vary according to the recipes. In some, you can also find the cow's milk ricotta, which will give the mixture a better consistency. The addition of ricotta or other soft cheeses will also give the pâté a precise shape. Just put it to cool in the fridge inside a cake mold.

Ingredients:

• 500 g of fresh salmon
• 300 g of mascarpone
• White part of a leek
• Parsley (as necessary)
• Extra virgin olive oil (as necessary)
• Salt and Pepper (as necessary)
• Chives (as necessary)
• 1 carrot
• 1 stalk of celery
• 1/2 onion
• Water (as necessary)

Preparation

Put the water, the carrot, the celery and half an onion in a saucepan and bring to boil. Let cook the cooking surface for about 10 minutes. Add salt and dip the salmon slice into the stock. Allow to simmer slowly, until the fish is cooked. In all it will take about 20 minutes. With a perforated scoop, gently raise the salmon and remove it from the cooking liquid. Let it drain well inside a colander. When the salmon is lukewarm, carefully remove the skin with a special knife and remove all the bones with a tweezers.
Cut the fish pulp into pieces and place it in a mixer, together with the white part of the sliced leek. Finely blend the whole, until you obtain a cream. Taste and adjust salt and pepper according to your taste. Pour the salmon mixture into a bowl and add the oil. Continue to mix vigorously. The emulsion of oil will allow having a homogeneous and glossy pâté. Add the mascarpone at this point. With the help of a manual whisk, mix the salmon with the cheese, stirring gently from bottom to top.
Mascarpone is a cheese made by whipping cream. In order to keep its creaminess and softness intact, it is always advisable to combine it in a very delicate way. So avoid adding it to the preparations by blending with the electric mixer. To add a touch of colour to the pâté, finely chop the parsley and flavour the smoked salmon. Place the salmon pate in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours. It must be hardened and compacted. When serving, place the pâté in a clean bowl. Garnish the dish with chopped chives.
The pâté is ready for the aperitif to stuff your Barchette. If you want to serve it in a more scenographic way, transfer the pâté to a pastry bag with a wide and star-shaped nozzle. Stuff therefore the Barchette creating regular tufts, similar to whipped cream. For a more decisive taste, add some pieces of smoked salmon as a garnish. Alternatively, place the smoked salmon slices in the mixer before blending the fish.

Never forget:
- You can obtain the same preparation with different fish, such as tuna or mackerel.
- You can substitute mascarpone with another cream cheese, such as Robiola or Philadelphia.