Salmon rillettes with pickled celery
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Salmon rillettes with pickled celery
A mixture of smoked and honey-roasted salmon gives the rillettes a lovely flavour and texture. Serve on charred bread with some tangy pickled celery for an easy and elegant starter
Prep time: 20 minsTotal time: 
Spencer Lengsfield
Spencer Lengsfield
Ingredients
For the rillettes
- 30g unsalted butter
- 1 echalion shallot, finely diced
- 3 x 80g packs honey-roast salmon flakes
- 100g smoked salmon, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp half-fat crème fraîche
- 2 tbsp light mayonnaise
- ½ x 20g pack chives, snipped
- zest and juice of ½ lemon
For the pickled celery
- 100ml red wine vinegar
- 2 tsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 stick celery, sliced diagonally
- ½ echalion shallot, sliced
To serve
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- ½ stonebaked white baton, sliced
Step by step
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Make the pickled celery: in a bowl, mix the vinegar with 100ml boiling water, the sugar and salt. Once everything is dissolved, allow to cool slightly then add the celery and shallots. Once it’s cooled to room temperature, cover and chill in the fridge – it will be ready in around 1 hour, or you can leave it in the fridge overnight for a more intense pickle.
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For the rillettes, melt the butter in a small pan. Once foaming, add the shallot and cook for 2 minutes or until soft and aromatic. Set aside to cool slightly. Break up the honey-roast salmon flakes and add to a bowl. Add the chopped smoked salmon, crème fraîche, mayonnaise, most of the chives, lemon zest and juice and the cooled shallot mixture; season. Add 1 tablespoon of the celery pickling liquid. Mix together until everything is well incorporated, then transfer to a small bowl or jar and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
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When ready to serve, add the oil to a griddle pan or cast-iron pan over a high heat. Add the bread slices and cook until lightly charred and toasted on both sides. Top each slice with some of the rillettes and the pickled celery and shallots, then scatter with the reserved chives to finish.
