Smoked Salmon Mousse with Whipped Avocado

This smoked salmon mousse with whipped avocado is perfect as a starter or appetiser or, even better, served in shot glasses as an amuse bouche at a gathering.

A creamy smoked salmon is topped with crunchy cucumber and topped with smoothly whipped avocado and lime juice. It's a gorgeously refreshing combination that's perfect for a dinner party or casual alfresco dining too.

Best of all, it's light, fluffy and sets beautifully, without the need for gelatin either.

Bon appétit! 

About this recipe

I absolutely love the combination of avocado with prawns or smoked salmon, so they always seem to feature in sandwiches, starters, salads or any other excuse I can find.

This recipe is quite easy to do and ideal for making in advance, making it perfect for parties and get togethers too.

I have served the smoked salmon mousse in French verrine glasses. A verrine is basically a glass container that is designed to hold food, rather than a drink. Layered starters and desserts in verrines are very popular for celebrations especially as they look so pretty as you can see all the colours and layers.

Of course, if you don't have verrines then any small glass works well or try ramekins too.

🥘 Ingredients

The ingredients are very simple.

• Cream cheese - full fat or lower fat works but avoid the really low calorie versions or you will lose the creamy taste.
• Crème fraîche - normally a mousse would use whipped cream, but full fat crème fraîche has the same effect, but has a delicious tang to it. If you can't get hold of it use whipping or heavy cream instead.
• Avocadoes - fresh or frozen chunks, ripe or unripe, for once it doesn't matter. I often find that avocadoes are hard as nails when you want to eat them then suddenly they have gone brown!
• Zest and juice of a lime - for enhancing the avocadoes and keeping the colour
• Lemon juice - for the salmon. It's fine to use bottled but fresh is better.
• Fresh dill or fennel - fresh is so good but this is one case where dried herbs are acceptable. Just use 1 teaspoon instead of a tablespoon of fresh ones or you will overpower the flavours.
• Egg white - this makes the mousse really fluffy and helps to set the mousse without gelatin.

🔪Instructions

To make the mousse This works best if you use a medium bowl.

Of course, you could do this by hand by cutting the salmon into very small pieces first then beating the ingredients together well to combine.

Strip the leaves from the dill, rough chop and add to the bowl along with lemon juice and cream cheese. Pulse together until the mixture is combined. You should still be able to see small pieces of salmon.

In a separate bowl add the crème fraîche and whisk. At first, the mixture will become runny then it will thicken up after a few minutes and reach the soft peak stage.

You can use an electric whisk for this but it will whip up quickly. Be careful that the mixture is not overwhipped and becomes too thick, or it will be difficult to combine with the salmon mixture.

Carefully fold in half the crème fraîche into the salmon mixture. Cover and refrigerate the remaining crème fraîche to use in the whipped avocado topping later.

In another bowl, whisk an egg white until it just hold its shape, then carefully fold into the salmon.

If you are using something wide like a ramekin to serve, then you can spoon in the salmon mousse. As verrines, shot glasses and drinking glasses tend to be tall and narrow it is easier to pipe the mixture in, using a wide nozzle.

To save time and mess, I put a sandwich bag in a jug and spoon the mixture in. Push the mousse into one of the bottom corners, like a piping bag and snip off the corner.

Chill the mousse for 2 hours.

Next deseed the cucumber and chop finely. Lay the cucumber pieces evenly over a couple of pieces of kitchen paper. This helps to mop up the excess moisture.

Add a layer of chopped cucumber to each mousse, reserving a few pieces for garnish.

Peel the avocadoes and add to a medium food processor bowl or liquidiser.

Zest the lime and keep for the garnish. Add the juice to the avocado and process until you get a smooth mixture.

Take the reserved crème fraîche and fold into the mixture.

Pipe or spoon the whipped avocado mousse onto the chopped cucumber layer.

Now you can decorate with the reserved cucumber and a sprinkling of lime zest.

Ideally chill for 20 minutes before eating to allow the avocado layer to set.

FAQs

💭 Tips for whisking egg whites

• Make sure that the bowl you use for whisking egg whites is freshly washed and dried and preferable glass or metal. A miniscule amount of grease in the bowl can mean that your egg whites won't whip correctly.
• I normally store my eggs at room temperature, but if you put your eggs in the fridge for an hour or so before you are ready to whisk, then they will be easier to separate.
• Separate each egg and add the whites to the whipping bowl one at a time. This makes it easier in case you come across a bad egg without wasting the rest. More importantly you can check the egg white. If you have the slightest bit of yolk in the white it can stop the egg whites from whipping.
• When the egg whites have reached the right consistency, handle them as little as possible with metal spoons or a spatula, so that you don't allow the air to escape.

So, now you are ready to delve a spoon into creamy avocado, crunchy cucumber and fluffy smoked salmon mousse.

Try them. They are absolutely delicious!

More salmon recipes

• Salmon Gravlax with Gin and Juniper
• Salmon and Avocado Parcels
• Smoked Salmon Canapes
• Salmon Timbales
• Salmon Mac and Cheese

📋 Recipe