Salmon terrine – a masterchef pressure test
If you’re looking for a delicious and impressive starter of your Christmas dinner (or any dinner for that matter) you might want to consider making this delicious salmon terrine. The recipe is originally from a season of Masterchef Australia.
Salmon terrine
We have funny friends, did you know that? Friends who come up with these crazy ideas…. And it seems that our new kitchen is sort of bringing it out in all of them. It could have something to do with the fact that everyone all of a sudden wants us to cook dinner, and hey, it’s even more fun if there is a challenge attached to it. So P. and M., friends we have known for a little over 20 years had decided that Tom and I should do a pressure test. A masterchef Australia pressure test!
What can you find in this post?
- Salmon terrine
- Studying the recipe
- One step at a time
- Preparing the mould
- Making the anchovies butter
- Making the layers
- Make sure to use good quality salmon
- Wrapping and freezing
- How far in advance can you make the salmon terrine?
- What can I serve with the salmon terrine?
- How many people does this recipe serve?
- What could I serve after the salmon terrine?
Studying the recipe
Now if you’re a fan of masterchef Australia you might even remember this recipe from season 2. So yes, it is a long time ago. They had I believe a very short time to create this salmon terrine recipe during one of the pressure test. But having said that, if you have all the time in the world, this is actually pretty straight forward.
In the original recipe they used a hazelnut salad and an avocado cream to serve with the salmon terrine. Certainly delicious but with a ridiculous amount of complicated ingredients, so I left that out for this recipe. In the end you want the salmon and probably not the rest.
One step at a time
While you might think the recipe looks complicated it is actually pretty easy to make. Just give yourself enough time for the cooling in the fridge and freezer and you’ll be allright.
Preparing the mould
The original recipe called for a terrine mould. I didn’t have any so I used a regular cake tin for making this. That worked fine. The only thing you do need is a piece of foam that will fit snuggly inside the cake tin to weigh the whole thing down. You need that to make sure the layers are firm and compact.
In just cut out a piece of foam and wrapped that in aluminium foil. I used canned food to place on top of the mould. Now you have to start by lining the tin with plastic wrap. Make sure to have it overhanging the sides so you can wrap it around the salmon terrine once in the fridge.
Making the anchovies butter
First step is to make the anchovies butter. That is actually not complicated. Do make sure you use white anchovies and that they are not too salty. Remove them from the liquid, drain and pat them dry before placing them into the food processor. The smaller tins of anchovies won’t work. They’re too salty and the anchovies itself are brown. That will not be a good look for the end result.
You first whisk the butter until it is light and creamy. Then you add the anchovies and lemon zest. You can add more lemon if needed. Just taste it to see if it has the right flavor to your liking.
Making the layers
Now comes the most difficult part of the recipe. The creation of the layers. It’s actually not hard but getting the layers evenly spread can be tricky. If you take a look at my photos you can see that I started of with a first layer that was somewhat too thick. You want the layers to be thin so the combination of salmon and butter is not too heavy. So thin is the key word here.
I used a spatula to spread out the anchovies butter and made sure to line up the salmon slices so they overlapped slightly but not too much.
Make sure to use good quality salmon
As for the salmon itself. You want thin and long slices so they can be placed in the mould. Probably best to go to your fish monger and make sure you ask for the right length of slices. It is placed sideways across the mould. Not lengthwise but it will need to overlap quite a bit. Plus you need enough to cover the top, once you’re done.
Wrapping and freezing
Once you have made all the different layers, it’s time to cool the salmon terrine. Place it first in the freezer for about half an hour. Remove and transfer to the fridge. In the fridge you use the foam wrapped with foil and you weigh it down with one or more cans. I used two. Leave in the fridge for at least half an hour, but this can also work fine if you prepare the salmon terrine in the morning for dinner that evening.
How far in advance can you make the salmon terrine?
I would not make it more then one day in advance to keep the salmon looking and tasting fresh.
What can I serve with the salmon terrine?
I use a simple side salad to serve with the salmon terrine plus some crusty bread that was toasted. That worked perfectly fine.
How many people does this recipe serve?
You want to use thin slices to serve as it is pretty heavy. It will serve at least 10 people but maybe even a bit more. It all depends on how thick or how thin you slice it. It’s also low carb so a good start of an otherwise carb heavy Christmas dinner.
What could I serve after the salmon terrine?
So many things! This will work really well with a leg of lamb for instance as a main, a roast ham and roasted potatoes.
Salmon terrine with anchovies butter
Equipment
- cake tin 25 cm
Ingredients
- 700 g smoked salmon sliced
- 400 g unsalted butter at roomtemperature
- 1 lemon zest, finely grated
- 200 g white anchovies drained and pat dried with paper towel
- 2 slices pane di casa bread or other delicious bread
- Preheat oven to 180˚C. Trim brown fat from each slice of smoked salmon. Square off long edge of each piece.
- Process butter in food processor until pale and thick, add lemon zest, anchovies, season to taste and process to combine.
- Grease the inside of a 1 litre capacity terrine mould with oil, line with plastic wrap, with at least 6cm overhang on all sides. Cut a piece of foam to fit inside the terrine mould. Cover it with aluminum foil and set aside.
- Cover the base of the terrine with one layer of smoked salmon. Using a crank spatula and a straight edged wooden spoon spread a thin even layer of butter. Continue the layers, alternating salmon and butter mixture until you have reached just over half way of the mould. Cover the terrine with plastic wrap and gently press down, place the foil-covered foam into the terrine and weight down with a few food cans. Freeze for 30 minutes, transfer to the fridge for a further 30 minutes.
- Heat grill pan over high heat, drizzle bread with olive oil and cook on each side until golden.
- To serve, invert terrine mould onto a chopping board and slice. Serve with the toasted bread
Notes
Nutrition Information per portion
Disclaimer
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
