
What are rillettes?
Traditionally, rillettes hail from France and are pronounced “ree-yet”. They are a staple in French cuisine and are often accompanied by bread.
Usually, rillettes is made from poultry (duck, goose), meat (pork, sheep) and fish. The meat is chopped up finely and combined with salt, pepper and complementary spices. The meat is cooked slowly in its own fat (confit).
This salmon rillettes recipe follows a slightly similar process, however, they are not cooked in their own fat. In this recipe, the salmon is poached and cured/smoked.
When we are travelling around France in a motorhome, a jar of rillettes (or three) is always our constant companion in our fridge.
Staying at France Passion sites with local farmers means we get spoilt for choice with their locally produced rillettes. I honestly have to just put the lid on and walk away sometimes for fear of eating the entire jar.

How do you eat salmon rillettes?
Salmon rillettes are usually eaten on bread or toast. In France, they might add a cornichon to the top. This dish is perfect for a charcuterie board, as an aperitif, or just a snack. Some will use it as a salmon dip. Alternatively, it can become a more complete meal for dinner or as part of a picnic lunch.
We keep a jar of it in the fridge for eating whenever we feel like it.

Ingredients
- 1 x 200g skinless salmon fillet
- 100g smoked salmon
- 1/2 French shallot or 1 large spring onion
- Zest of one lemon
- Juice of half a lemon
- White pepper
- 2 tsp chopped capers
- 80g creme fraiche
- 2 tbsp chopped chives
- 1/2 bunch dill or dill paste
Additional ingredients
- Baguette
- Butter
- Garlic

Method
Poach the salmon fillet until just cooked. We like to keep ours so it it medium and the flesh is opaque and still looks orange.
Allow to cool.
Dice the smoked salmon. Flake the cooked salmon and put both into a bowl.

We cured and smoked our own salmon but using salmon from the supermarket is perfectly fine.

Add the creme fraiche, chives, capers and dill and fold through. If you are using dill paste, just add it in small amounts as it can be overpowering.
Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and fold through again.
Season with pepper. We don’t add any extra salt as the capers are usually salty enough.

The beauty of this recipe is that whilst there are ingredient measurements, they should be used as a starting point or guide. Capers and dill in particular can be adapted according to your own tastes and can be reduced or increased depending on the impact you want to have on your tastebuds.
This recipe is perfect picnic food. It might sound fancy, but it’s simple and quick to make and is easily transportable. It’s a no-fuss picnic recipe and can be made a day in advance.
Make the salmon rillette just a lit more special by grilling up some baguette to spread it on. Once again, this can be made in advance.
We make our own baguettes, but you can buy baguettes or any other bread you like from a shop. Ciabatta or Pane di Casa would also work well.

Make up a quick mix of melted butter and garlic. Toast the baguette/bread or even better, if you have a cast iron grill pan, use it to get some beautiful char lines on it.
Spread the salmon rillettes on the toasted baguette for a wonderful snack or picnic treat.

Like to cook more French recipes?
CLICK ON THE LINKS BELOW
Classic French Boeuf Bourguignon
Making Quiche Lorraine in a motorhome
Making French Croissants at home
French Bouillabaisse from scratch


Salmon Rillettes
Cook this delicious French recipe at home to impress your friends. It sounds fancy but this recipe is very simple and quick to make. Make it for a picnic or a cheese platter.
Ingredients
- 1 x 200g skinless salmon fillet
- 100g smoked salmon
- 1/2 French shallot or 1 large spring onion
- Zest of one lemon
- Juice of half a lemon
- White pepper
- 2 tsp chopped capers
- 80g creme fraiche
- 2 tbsp chopped chives
- 1/2 bunch dill or dill paste
- Baguette
- Butter
- Garlic
Instructions
- Poach the salmon fillet until just cooked. We like to keep ours so it it medium and the flesh is opaque and still looks orange.
- Allow to cool.
- Dice the smoked salmon. Flake the cooked salmon and put both into a bowl.
- Add the creme fraiche, chives, capers and dill and fold through. If you are using dill paste, just add it in small amounts as it can be overpowering.
- Add the lemon zest and lemon juice and fold through again.
- Season with pepper. We don't add any extra salt as the capers are usually salty enough
- Make up a quick mix of melted butter and garlic. Toast the baguette/bread or even better, if you have a cast-iron grill pan, use it to get some beautiful char lines on it.
- Spread the salmon rillettes on the toasted baguette for a wonderful snack or picnic treat.
Notes
We cured and smoked our own salmon but using salmon from the supermarket is perfectly fine.
Be gentle when folding through the ingredients as you want to retain as much of the salmon flakes as possible.
The recipe can be made a day in advance and will store in the fridge for a week.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1.5 cups Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 2035Total Fat: 84gSaturated Fat: 37gTrans Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 38gCholesterol: 281mgSodium: 4581mgCarbohydrates: 222gFiber: 13gSugar: 51gProtein: 103g
This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.


About the author
Kerri McConnel
Kerri left her corporate career to pursue a different lifestyle, establishing the successful travel website, Beer and Croissants.
Kerri and her husband Stirling now regularly travel the world, where eating great food, sampling local beverages and cooking international foods are integral to their adventures.
You also won’t find them too far away from an epic road trip either, with motorhomes their speciality.
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