Smoked Michigan, Part Two
Here's another smoked item that we enjoyed on our trip to "Up North" Michigan. One day, we drove into Charlevoix to buy some of Murdick's famous fudge and for a little upscale shopping, and chanced into a delightful little pub-style restaurant, Whitney's Oyster Bar on Bridge Street. Everything the four of us ate there was delicious but the standout was this smoked lake whitefish pate'.Served with capers and lemon, the delicate whitefish was lightly smoked and not quite pureed, mixed with minced red pepper and presented with saltine crackers. The serving was more than enough for lunch although it was billed as an appetizer and we shared it around the table to universal murmurs of approval.
It gave me all kinds of ideas for fish pate' - like smoked halibut pate' or smoked salmon pate' - fish we can find here on the Left Coast. I might even try smoking petrale sole and making pate'. Have any of you done this? Any words of warning or encouragement are welcome!
Labels: fish, lake whitefish, pate'
posted by Zoomie at
6:36 AM
5 Comments:
Oh, come on, not even one comment, suggestion, warning, idea?
So, are you still checking this old(er) post? I love smoked fish, remember lovingly the whole little white ones we ate when my then-husband and I had the use of someone's big old summer place on Lake Michigan. And of course New York City is smoked fish heaven.....I like to make pate with smoked trout. Never smoke it myself, but that doesn't stop me!
Kudzu, yes, I am virtually obsessed with checking for new comments! What do you add to your smoked trout pate? The whitefish seemed to have only fish and red peppers.
Z: I just sort of wing it (fin it?) by using smoked trout fillets (skinned) to which I add a bit of creme fraiche, lemon juice, pepper to taste, sometimes I add a bit or horseradish or pepper flakes. Optional, and things I have thrown in: a bit of fresh dill OR capers. This is processed briefly -- not all smooth -- then packed into a crock to keep in the fridge till serving time. I always prefer crostini though it's also good with British cream crackers or Scottish oak cakes (the thinnest ones). Nice to serve thin-thin cucumber slices with it and lemon wedges, too.
Kudzu, wow, those are _great_ ideas and I will definitely try them, especially the creme fraiche idea. The saltines were rather ordinary but the salt on them worked with the smoked whitefish so I would be looking for either salt in the pate' or a salted cracker of some kind, not too much. Love the cucumber idea, too! Thank you!
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