Smoked salmon brunch toast

I LOVE hot smoked salmon. It's my most favourite way to eat salmon. And I love it even more when it's made into a dip and served with crusty sourdough... the BEST!

But I have to confess, sometimes the idea of getting out the food processor and then washing it afterwards, does not fill me with joy. So I came up with a 'lazy dip' - basically just throw all the dip ingredients (except for the salmon) in a bowl, slather it on toast and then top with huge pieces of salmon. This smoked salmon brunch toast is a win-win situation, no dirty fishy dishes and extra salmon.

I've been seeing Pohutukawa hot smoked salmon around a bit lately (Aoraki brand here in NZ) and have really wanted to try it - it's much deeper in colour on the outside than other hot smoked salmon, so I figured that might mean even more flavour. I was not disappointed, it is really delicious and will probably be my go-to when buying smoked salmon from now on. If you haven't tried it, track it down and give it a go.

Cream cheese could work well in this recipe too, but I like the lightness of crème fraîche and the slightly sour tang it has. Tatua Dairy make a beautiful crème fraîche, it's so thick and creamy.

Try this:

Ingredients

250gm crème fraîche

1tsp capers

1 tsp chopped dill and/or chives

1 tsp horseradish sauce

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

180gm hot smoked salmon

6 slices sourdough toast

Mix crème fraîche, capers, herbs, horseradish, lemon, salt and pepper in a bowl. Toast the sourdough. Remove skin from the salmon fillet. Spread a dollop of the horseradish mix on the toast, top with a generous piece of salmon, and finish with a grind of black pepper and a few more capers. Enjoy!