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As we all know some of the best smoked salmon comes from Norway. The cold Atlantic waters are perfect for the tastiest salmon and pair that with a Scandinavian favourite herb, dill, you have a winning combination. Dill is a light, fragrant and distinctive smelling herb that always finds it way into dishes with fish. It has a delicious freshness and summery taste that isn't too overpowering.
There are plenty of recipes out there that marry together smoked salmon and dill, but I wanted to share one with you that you may not have heard of before. It's my own recipe for a savoury roulade. This light dish is ideal for lunch or a starter, or simply as a snack.
Smoked Salmon and Dill Roulade
For the roulade:
25g / 1 oz butter
25g / 1 oz plain, all purpose flour
300ml / 1/2 pint milk
2 egg yolks
3 egg whites
50g / 2 oz grated strong cheese such as cheddar or gruyere
Salt and pepper
For the filling:
300ml / 1/2 pint double or heavy cream
2 teaspoons horseradish sauce
125g / 4 oz smoked salmon, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill or 1/2 tablespoon dried dill
Method
Preheat the oven to 180C /360F
Line a baking sheet with baking paper or parchment.
To make the roulade melt the butter in a medium sized pan. Add the flour and cook for a moment until it resembles wet sand. Gradually add the milk, whisking or stirring continuously and bring to a slow boil. Boil for a minute or two. Remove from the heat and stir in the grated cheese and egg yolks. Season with salt and pepper. Whisk the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Take a spoonful of the whisked egg white and stir into the milk and egg mix to loosen it slightly. In two batches carefully fold in the egg whites using a figure of eight motion and taking care not to beat the air out of the whites too much. Pour onto the baking sheet and smooth it to the edges. Bake in the oven for about 10 minutes until it is a light golden brown all over. While your roulade is cooking place a sheet of baking paper the same size as your baking sheet straight onto the work surface ready to tip your roulade onto. Once the roulade is cooked and whilst it is still hot, gently turn it out (upside down) onto the baking paper. Peel off the backing paper and trim all four sides by about 1cm just to tidy up. Roll the roulade into a sausage starting at the long edge and place it to one side to cool until it's at room temperature.
To make the filling, whip the cream until it forms soft peaks. Fold in the dill, smoked salmon, horseradish and season with salt and pepper.
Once the roulade is cold, unroll it and spread the filling all over getting it right to the edges. Roll once again from the long side, lift onto a serving dish and refrigerate for several hours or overnight (it's easier to slice if you can leave it overnight). Slice into 2.5cm/1 inch slices.
Great served with a salad for a light lunch or as a starter.
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