I finally tried (a slightly tweaked version of) @Rooster’s recommended tuna mousse and it was a Big Hit! Served with grissini, which were perfect given the texture.
Going into the permanent recipe bank.
Michael Chiarello has the same recipe on Food Network as well but with slightly different proportions of the ingredients.
Reminded me of this salmon mousse from Martha Stewart which I tried a few years ago - sounded weird because of the gelatin, but was also a Big Hit that needs to be revisited.
I love a simple salsa for tortilla chips. Chopped tomatoes, garlic, lime, cilantro is all it takes. The trick is to use freshly, made tortilla chips, hot-o’t-da-fryer.
Or I make a warm cheese dip.
|½ pound|Fresh Cheddar Cheese (shredded, smoked, sharp or American cheddar)|
|1 tablespoon|Butter|
|¾ cup|Green Onions (finely chopped)|
|2 large cloves|Garlic (minced)|
|3 ½ ounces|Tomatoes (diced, Roma, grape or cherry tomatoes)|
|½ teaspoon each|Ground Cumin And Onion Powder|
|½ teaspoon|Cayenne Pepper (add more to taste if desired)|
|1 tablespoon|Cornstarch
|13 ounces|Evaporated Milk (full fat)|
|4 ounces|Fire Roasted Green Chiles (or jalapenos)|
|¼ cup|Fresh Cilantro (finely chopped)|
I copied this one because it’s what I do. I use Hatch chiles for this one as my fire roasted green chiles. I’ll also roast a tomatillo or two and add that jelly to it, and reduce the tomato a bit.
I’ve tried others that don’t have flour/corn starch, but I like the bechamel love for consistency.
I believe it’s WI farmer’s cheese that they use in Chicago for upside down pizza. I think it’s The Grinder that uses farmer’s cheese exclusively. Famer’s cheese is amazing in a bechamel. Slight little funk to it I love.
Smoked trout dip sounds yum. At one time the various smoked fish-based dips and pâtés that contain dairy didn’t seem to me like they would work. Then I tried bluefish pâté and I really enjoy it. My mind opened.
For me it is usually guac or a fresh salsa but sometimes make tuna/jalapeno. Just Google “carlos and charlie’s tuna dip recipe” for how to make it. This was almost always ordered at their place on Sunset in Hollywood back when I lived in SoCal.
The cheese dip sounds good. If you’re using cheddar I imagine the cornstarch is necessary - most good cheddar I’ve used breaks with heat, so a binder is helpful.
ETA: Sorry this was meant to be in response to @DaBadger
Ruffles potato chips then I make a copycat Lawson’s chip dip recipe.
Blue corn tortillas, I use Inspired Tastes fire roasted salsa recipe.
For everything else I use a cream cheese base and build from there.
I have added cooked shrimp to my dips yet never considered any other fish or seafood.
And would like to try @Phoenikia smoked trout and smoked oyster dips as they sound devine.
P.S.
For Blue Corn Chips, I also make a layered dip with refried beans, guacamole, salsa, whatever vegetables need to be used up and top it of with grated Friulano cheese.
P.P.S.
For vegetables:
1 cup sour cream
1 cup Hellmann’s mayo
1 tsp dried dill weed and
1 tsp powdered cardamom
mix together
refrigerate overnight.
Dip/spread recipes using smoked or tinned fish exist. For instance, “gentleman’s relish”, salt cod and potato mash. Smoked fatty fish and dairy. Also tuna.
My “gentleman’s relish” is coarse and I use olive oil ( similarly, in Provence there’s also “Anchoïade”. And in northern Italy “bagna cauda”). Commonly served with scrambled eggs, a dish called “Scotch woodcock”.
My go-to smoked salmon dip (which I make often) is from Ina Garten. The only changes I make are to skip the horseradish, and to add tabasco and Worcestershire to taste.
The other dip recipe which I make routinely make is my mother’s chive dip:
2 parts cream cheese
1 part full-fat sour cream
A lot of chives. Really, don’t be stingy with the chives here.
Both dips are better if left overnight before serving.
Basic chile con queso…melt a block of Velveeta with a can of Rotel tomatoes. Add atop the queso a big blob of guacamole, a big blob of pico de gallo, and a big blob of cooked chorizo. Get drunk on tequila and devour it with corn chips. Pile into a car with a sober driver and head for Jack in the Box. Take two days to recover.
This trick is so dead simple and useful, I immediately found it appealing. I just now mixed up a bit using about 2/3 of a container of Boursin which needed using asap. I added a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream, mashing it all with a spoon. Then I stirred in a teaspoon of fresh, copped chives. Viola! Dip!
We have a lot of raw veggies for dipping right now, so lunch is ready.
I will try it with other soft cheeses in the future. Thanks for sharing this!
