Your party guests will love this smoked trout mousse

In Numedal, where our farm is located, we have access to some of the best trout in Norway. When we make a big catch, we like to fry a couple right away, smoke a few fillets, and then freeze the rest for another day. Whenever I have leftover cold-smoked trout, I make this delightful mousse. It’s so easy and yet it has enough sophistication to seem like it would require more work than it does. I typically serve this as an appetiser with flatbread, potato pancakes, crispy bread, or slices of boiled potato. It’s also nice to take along on a short hike and serve with some crackers for a light lunch.

Smoked Trout Mousse

Røykt Ørretmousse

Serves 4

Ingredients
225g cold-smoked trout
120ml heavy cream
113g cream cheese
zest and juice of ½ lemon
salt and pepper
1½ tsp chopped fresh chives, plus more for garnish

Method
In a food processor, combine the trout, heavy cream, cream cheese, and lemon juice. Pulse until creamy yet still slightly coarse. Transfer to a bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper. Gently incorporate the chives.

You can serve the mousse immediately, but the flavours are best if allowed to rest overnight in the refrigerator. Garnish the mousse with the lemon zest and more chives and serve as a dip or on top of flatbread, potato pancakes, sliced and boiled potatoes, crispy bread, or crackers.

Extracted from North Wild Kitchen: Cooking from the Heart of Norway by Nevada Berg (Prestel, approx €28). Photography © Nevada Berg.