20 things to do with smoked salmon

You'll need the freshest salmon fillet you can buy, then the method is to cure (so strictly speaking it's not smoked) over two days in a brine. Don't be scared of the fact you don't cook the fish over heat – the saltwater infuses the raw flesh and makes it edible.

Matt Tebbutt adds spices to his sherry and anise-tinged version, while our food editor Barney adds a splash of vibrant purple by marinating his salmon in beetroot. Gordon Ramsay, meanwhile, takes a Scandinavian approach and cures his salmon with dill to make gravadlax.

Matt Tebbutt's spiced home-cured salmon
Barney's dazzling beetroot-cured salmon
Gordon Ramsay's citrus-cured salmon gravadlax

Our favourite ways with smoked salmon

Smoked salmon starters

1. Potted smoked salmon

Potted fish is a vastly underrated starter, traditionally made with crab, shrimps or mackerel. But a mix of both smoked and fresh salmon works a treat. Mary Cadogan's version is a little like a paté in that the fish is flaked until fine and it's spreadable. Pour the melted butter and lemon over the salmon and leave to set until a bright yellow hard layer has formed over the top. Divine!

Potted fresh & smoked salmon
Potted salmon rillette

2. Smoked salmon soup

Try adding smoked salmon to soup and achieve a finish similar to traditional Scottish cullen skink. Add your fish to a leek and potato base right at the end of cooking, so it retains its texture but impart that salty, smoked flavour.

Creamy smoked salmon, leek & potato soup
Simple seafood chowder

3. Hot smoked salmon & beetroot platter

Serve this smoked salmon dish as a starter on a special occasion such as at Christmas. With beetroot, rocket and walnuts, it‘s full of colour and texture. It looks impressive, but it's deceptively easy to make, and you'll even learn how to make your own labneh in the process.

Hot-smoked salmon, double cress & potato salad platter
Roast pepper & salmon platter
Salmon picnic platter

4. Smoked salmon coddled eggs

Enjoy hot-smoked salmon flaked with coddled eggs, capers and gruyère cheese for a sophisticated Christmas starter. Served with sourdough soldiers for dipping, it’s also great for a leisurely breakfast or brunch over the festive holidays.

Smoked salmon with beetroot & vodka crème fraîche
Smoked salmon & avocado terrines
Baked ham hock pots

5. Smoked salmon with prawns, horseradish cream & lime vinaigrette

We've layered classic smoked salmon with prawns and punchy horseradish cream, drizzled in a zingy lime, honey and ginger dressing to make a sophisticated starter. Finish with a few handfuls of leafy salad and you have a light and elegant appetiser, leaving ample room for heavier dinner party fare.

Smoked salmon, cucumber, capers & soda bread
Gravadlax with celeriac & fennel salad

6. Smoked salmon fillets with dill-pickled vegetables, crème fraîche & salmon roe

Pickle vegetables and serve with smoked salmon for a fabulous festive starter. Finished with a generous tablespoon of crème fraîche on each fillet and a spoonful of salmon roe on top, this makes a truly elegant starter to serve on Christmas day. Keep the leftover veg in the fridge to have with cold cuts over Christmas.

Clementine & vodka-baked salmon with beetroot crème fraîche sauce
Baked salmon fillet with pickled cranberries, parsley & pistachios

Smoked salmon brunches

7. Smoked salmon with eggs

Savor the simple delight of smoked salmon slices, a delectable and versatile addition to your plate. If you've not tried salmon with eggs, we recommend you do so soon. Go for this delicious scramble for breakfast. It's guaranteed empty plates – who could resist mopping up buttery eggs with a Tabasco kick with a second helping of hot toast? Or, enjoy smoked salmon with coddled eggs, capers and gruyère cheese for an indulgent starter or brunch.

Smoked salmon scramble flatbreads

8. Eggs royale

Enjoy a leisurely morning with our easy recipe for classic eggs royale. This popular brunch dish features perfectly poached eggs, smoked salmon and silky hollandaise sauce. We've used miso paste for added savoury depth to the hollandaise, but you can leave it out should you wish.

Smoked salmon & lemon scrambled eggs
Poached eggs with smoked salmon and bubble & squeak

9. Potato scones with smoked salmon & soured cream

Make a batch of potato scones to serve with smoked salmon and a dollop of soured cream for a levelled-up brunch or a weekend treat. The recipe calls for budget-friendly and readily accessible ingredients, such as Maris Piper potatoes, flour and butter.

Smoked salmon scramble croissants
Black treacle & oat soda bread with pickled cucumbers, smoked salmon & homemade butter

10. Smoked salmon with scones and potato cakes

Smoked salmon makes a delicious topping for scones, especially when paired with soft cheese like in our seeded bagel-inspired recipe. You can enjoy them with warm fried potato scones for a hearty brunch or try our recipe for mini potato cakes topped with smoked salmon and caper berries for a festive canapé.

Seedy scones with smoked salmon
Potato cakes with smoked salmon & cream cheese

11. Hot smoked trout scramble with rocket salad

Kick-start your day with scrambled eggs and hot smoked salmon or trout, on top of toasted dark rye bread and a tangy caper and rocket salad. Ready on the table in under 20 minutes, this truly is a breakfast of champions.

Baked salmon & eggs
Eggs benedict with smoked salmon & chives

Smoked salmon snacks and canapés

12. Smoked salmon scotch eggs

Smoked salmon and eggs is a cracking breakfast combination – here we've taken it to the next level with homemade scotch eggs, flavoured with herbs, capers, lemon and cayenne. If you're big into your scotch eggs then this is definitely one to bookmark.

Air-fryer scotch eggs
Arancini scotch eggs

13. Smoked salmon blinis

Make a canapé classic of salmon and herb blinis, which you can rustle up in less than 20 minutes using four ingredients. These smoked salmon morsels are ideal for a dinner party, or serve with a glass of bubbles on Christmas day.

Garden leaves with smoked salmon & cheat's blinis
Cocktail blinis

14. Smoked salmon pâté

Blitzing smoked salmon into a creamy pâté allows for use of thrifty fish trimmings. As unglamorous as they sound, they are a lot cheaper than traditional slices and nobody will tell the difference once cut up really small. We love serving smoked salmon paté with golden, butter-laden tear-and-share brioche buns as part of a grazing platter.

Smoked salmon pâté with tear & share brioche buns
Smoked salmon, dill & lemon pâté
Poached & smoked salmon pâté with bagel toasts

15. Smoked salmon sushi and smaller bites

There are infinite opportunities to use smoked salmon in the wonderful world of canapés. The classic option is to serve a slice of the fish on a pancake or blini, but try it out in homemade sushi with cold smoked salmon, in tortilla rolls with cream cheese, or on toasted crostini too.

Smoked salmon & avocado sushi
Smoked salmon rotollos
Classic smoked salmon crostini
Cold smoked salmon recipes
Smoked salmon tartines

Smoked salmon mains

16. Smoked salmon risotto

Treat yourself to a deliciously decadent midweek meal with our smoked salmon risotto. This simple dish oozes sophistication. The zesty lemon cuts through the creamy mascarpone base to create a perfectly balanced dish. We guarantee it'll become a weekly favourite.

For another easy rice dish, try our smoked salmon kedgeree, which makes a delicious brunch.

17. Smoked salmon pasta

If you've not quite managed to make your way through a whole pack, use up those last few slices in a pasta dish. There are tons of ways to serve it, but typically it works well with lemon, crème frâiche and with light herbs like basil or dill. You could also try it in place of bacon in a carbonara.

Smoked salmon spaghetti with chilli & lemon
Pesto salmon pasta bake
Smoked salmon carbonara
Avocado & smoked salmon spelt spaghetti
Asparagus, broad bean & smoked salmon pasta

18. Smoked salmon gratin

As much as this beautiful fish deserves to take centre stage, it also works well dotted into spectacular side dishes. A smoked salmon potato bake is perfect for dinner parties or something a little different for Sunday dinner.

Gratin of fresh & smoked salmon, beetroot, potatoes & dill
Smoked salmon & spinach gratin
Laxpudding

19. Smoked salmon tart

Bake an indulgent tart combining smoked salmon with dill and cream, and experiment with a few capers and some sliced red onion. Serve with crispy salad and flavoured crème fraÎche and try adding wholegrain mustard, horseradish or lemon juice and black pepper.

Salmon, dill & potato tart
Smoked salmon, dill & onion tart
Smoked salmon, leek & dill tart

20. Smoked salmon & celeriac dauphinoise

Based on a traditional Swedish dish, this rich potato bake works well with smoked salmon or gravadlax. This hot and creamy dauphinoise has proved to be a big hit with goodfood.com users, who have given it a five star rating on average.

Smoked haddock dauphinoise
Celeriac dauphinoise
Creamy vegan dauphinoise

We've got lots more smoked salmon recipes, or share your own. Leave a comment below...