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This quick & easy Smoked Salmon Tartare is the perfect prep ahead appetizer. Delicious and sophisticated, it's seasoned with spicy French Dijon mustard and a hint of rum, and topped with crispy fried capers.
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If you asked me to name my top three dinner party dishes, this exact smoked salmon tartare would definitely be among them. I have no idea how many times I've made it, but I know for a fact that it's been a hit every single time.
Its lightness makes it perfect before a heavier main course, and while seriously flavor-packed it's super easy to make. Prep is done in 20 minutes, and then you just need a few minutes right before serving.
What you need to make it
Ingredient notes
- Raw salmon: it is recommended freeze fresh salmon before eating raw, but eating raw fish always poses a risk. Please find more information in the FAQ section below.
- Smoked to fresh salmon ratio: I like 50/50 cold smoked and fresh, but you can go for any ratio you like and even 100% of either. If using 100% smoked salmon or gravlax, skip the fried capers or it might be too salty.
- Lemon - use an organic lemon and/or clean the outside very well for the lemon you are chopping
- Capers can be skipped, but add a nice crunch & salty touch
- You probably won't need to add salt, but if you need it just go ahead
Ingredient substitutions
- Parsley & dill are a great combo, but you can swap one for the other as well, or even skip both. You can also substitute them for chives.
- Cold smoked salmon can be swapped for hot smoked salmon or gravlax
- White pepper can be swapped for black pepper, but start with half the amount and taste test to ensure it isn't too spicy
- Rum can be swapped for Cognac or Cachaca, or skipped
- Lemons can be swapped for limes - both lime juice and chopped lime - with some change to the taste
- Add lemon zest for even more lemon flavor
- Arugula adds a nice pepperiness, but can be swapped for any leafy greens
- Red onion can be swapped for shallots
How to make it
There are three main steps to making this smoked salmon tartare:
- Making the salmon tartare (10-15 minutes)
- Frying the capers (5-10 minutes)
- Plating it all (5 minutes, and this is all you need to do just before serving)
How to prep the salmon tartare
- Mix both types of salmon in a bowl
- Add rum, lemon juice and ⅓ of the Dijon mustard and mix well
- Add white pepper
- Add dill & parsley
- Mix well
- Divide into portion-sized cups or bowls, and pack the tartare so there are no pockets of air. Then place covered in the fridge for 30 minutes, or longer, until you're ready to plate and serve.
How to fry capers
- Start by drying the capers by draining them and placing them on a kitchen towel for a few minutes
- Pour ⅛ of an inch (a few millimeters) of olive oil into a frying pan and place over medium-high heat. Test if the oil is hot enough by dropping in 1-2 capers - if the oil starts bubbling straight away, add in the rest of the capers. If not, wait 30 seconds and try again.
- Add in all the capers and fry for 5 minutes, shaking them around often. Test if the capers are done by placing 1-2 on a kitchen towel - if they crisp up immediately they are done, if not give them 30 seconds more.
- When the capers are done place them on a kitchen towel for a few minutes to get rid of the excess oil. You can leave them there until serving or place in the fridge if you are prepping mor than an hour ahead of time.
How to plate the Salmon Tartare
- Place a handful of arugula on an individual serving plate
- Place the container with the salmon tartare upside down on top of the arugula and tap the bottom of it
- Gently lift the container to release the tartare. If it doesn't release, shake it gently up and down until it does.
- Place chopped lemon, chopped red onion and about 1 teaspoon of Dijon mustard on the side of the plate and top with fried capers. Garnish with some dill, and serve immediately!
Tips & tricks
- Use the right cups or bowls - the opening needs to be the widest part for the tartare to slide out easily
- You don't have to make it in individual cups you can also make it all in one big bowl and plate from this
- Chop the onion and lemon as small as you possibly can to make them mix in well with the tartare
- Soak the chopped onion in cold water to soften the flavor a bit
- Let your guests add their own seasonings by serving the red onion, chopped lemon and part of the Dijon mustard on the side (like this recipe suggests) - or mix it all in beforehand
- Make it your own and find your favorite flavor combo - more or less smoked salmon, more or less Dijon mustard, something else instead of rum?
- You can also serve this tartare with tortilla chips or baguette
- Prep ahead - you can make it up to 2 days before serving
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days
Recipe FAQ
What is in a salmon tartare?
Salmon tartare is made from raw and/or smoked salmon, and can be seasoned in many different ways. This salmon tartare has Dijon mustard, rum, parsley, dill, white pepper, lemon, red onion and fried capers.
Is salmon tartare safe to eat?
Fresh salmon (especially wild caught) can contain parasites that are unsafe for humans. However, these die if you freeze the salmon for long enough. So either freeze it for at least 7 days at home (please check the temperature of your freezer if doing so, as it needs to be at least -20°F or -7°C) or just get frozen salmon from the store.
Keep in mind that eating raw food always comes with a risk.
What is tartare grade salmon and sushi grade salmon?
Tartare grade salmon and sushi grade salmon are not official definitions - they are just words used for marketing.
Tartare grade salmon and sushi grade salmon are marketed as salmon that is safe to eat raw. But, as these are not a controlled definitions you should do your own research to make sure this is actually the case for the specific salmon you buy.
If in doubt, always freeze salmon before consuming raw.
More quick & easy appetizers
Love quick & easy appetizers, like this salmon tartare? Then I think you will love these options!
- Shrimp Scampi without Wine
- Fried Feta Cheese
- Air Fryer Texas Toast
- Smoked Salmon Pâté
- Bacon Wrapped Dates
Did you love this recipe? Rate it five stars!
...and let me know what you loved about it in the comments.
Recipe
Salmon Tartare with Rum & Fried Capers
Print RateServings: 4
Calories: 251kcal
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Chilling time 30 minutes
Total time: 1 hour
Ingredients
- ½ lb salmon thawed from frozen, chopped
- ½ lb cold smoked salmon chopped
- 6 teaspoon dijon mustard divided
- 4 teaspoon rum
- 4 teaspoon lemon juice about half a lemon
- 4 tablespoon dill finely chopped
- 4 tablespoon parsley finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon white pepper or black pepper
- 1 red onion finely chopped
- ½ organic lemon washed and finely chopped
- 4 handfuls arugula or other leafy greens
- 4 sprigs of dill optional
Fried capers (makes 2 Tbsp)
- 4 tablespoon small capers
- 2 tablespoon olive oil amount depending on size of pan
Instructions
Salmon Tartare - Prep (10-15 minutes)
- Place both types of chopped salmon in a bowl together with ⅓ of the Dijon mustard, all the rum, lemon juice, dill, parsley and white pepper. Mix well, taste test and adjust seasoning according to taste.½ lb salmon, ½ lb cold smoked salmon, 6 teaspoon dijon mustard, 4 teaspoon rum, 4 teaspoon lemon juice, 4 tablespoon dill, 4 tablespoon parsley, ½ teaspoon white pepper
- Pack the tartare into portion-sized cups or bowls and place covered in the refrigerator for 30 minutes, or longer, until you're ready to plate.
Fried capers (5-10 minutes)
- Drain the capers and place on a kitchen towel to dry for a few minutes.4 tablespoon small capers
- Pour ⅛ of an inch (a few millimeters) of olive oil in a frying pan and place over medium-high heat.2 tablespoon olive oil
- Test the heat of the oil by dropping in a few capers. If it instantly starts to bubble, add in the rest of the capers. Otherwise, wait for another minute and try again.
- Fry the capers for 5 minutes and then remove a few and place them on a kitchen towel. If they quickly become crisp, they're done. In that case, remove the pan from the heat and place all capers on the kitchen towel. Otherwise, let fry another minute and test again.
- Let the kitchen towel absorb the oil for a few minutes, or leave them there until it's time to plate.
Plating (5 min)
- Bring out the salmon tartare from the fridge. On individual serving plates, spread out the arugula or other leafy greens.4 handfuls arugula
- Loosen the salmon tartare from the container by placing it upside down on top of the greens, and tapping on the bottom. It should then slide out when you lift the container. If this doesn't work, shake it gently up and down until the tartar slides out.
- Place chopped lemon and chopped red onion to each plate as well as about 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard. Top with ½ tablespoon of fried capers and a sprig of dill. Serve!1 red onion, ½ organic lemon, 4 sprigs of dill
Equipment needed for this recipe
- Measuring cups (metric or US)*
Video
Notes
Keep in mind that this is a raw dish and eating raw food is always risky.
Ingredient notes
- Raw salmon: it is recommended freeze fresh salmon before eating raw, but eating raw fish always poses a risk
- Smoked to fresh salmon ratio: I like 50/50 cold smoked and fresh, but you can go for any ratio you like and even 100% of either. If using 100% smoked salmon or gravlax, skip the fried capers or it might be too salty.
- Lemon - use an organic lemon and/or clean the outside very well for the lemon you are chopping
- Capers can be skipped, but add a nice crunch & salty touch
- You probably won't need to add salt, but if you need it just go ahead
Ingredient substitutions
- Parsley & dill are a great combo, but you can swap one for the other as well, or even skip both. You can also substitute them for chives.
- Cold smoked salmon can be swapped for hot smoked salmon or gravlax
- White pepper can be swapped for black pepper, but start with half the amount and taste test to ensure it isn't too spicy
- Rum can be swapped for Cognac or Cachaca, or skipped
- Lemons can be swapped for limes - both lime juice and chopped lime - with some change to the taste
- Add lemon zest for even more lemon flavor
- Arugula adds a nice pepperiness, but can be swapped for any leafy greens
- Red onion can be swapped for shallots
Tips & tricks
- Use the right cups or bowls - the opening needs to be the widest part for the tartare to slide out easily
- You don't have to make it in individual cups you can also make it all in one big bowl and plate from this
- Chop the onion and lemon as small as you possibly can to make them mix in well with the tartare
- Soak the chopped onion in cold water to soften the flavor a bit
- Let your guests add their own seasonings by serving the red onion, chopped lemon and part of the Dijon mustard on the side (like this recipe suggests) - or mix it all in beforehand
- Make it your own and find your favorite flavor combo - more or less smoked salmon, more or less Dijon mustard, something else instead of rum?
- You can also serve this tartare with tortilla chips or baguette
- Prep ahead - you can make it up to 2 days before serving
- Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 days
Is salmon tartare safe to eat?
Fresh salmon (especially wild caught) can contain parasites that are unsafe for humans. However, these die if you freeze the salmon for long enough. So either freeze it for at least 7 days at home (please check the temperature of your freezer if doing so, as it needs to be at least -20°F or -7°C) or just get frozen salmon from the store. Keep in mind that consuming raw fish is always a risk.Nutrition
Calories: 251kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 786mg | Potassium: 541mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 975IU | Vitamin C: 21mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.
Did you make this? Tag me today!Tag @alwaysusebutter and use the hashtag #alwaysusebutter!
Marianne Mitchell
Just showed your recipe to George. He was so impressed with everything. This dish I must try! Kram, Marianne
Emmeline
That's so neat! You really should try the tartare, it's sooo good but so simple to make! Kram