smoked salmon with horseradish caper sauce

Fish & Seafood

Smoked Salmon with Horseradish Caper Sauce

Hot-smoked salmon is what you want for this recipe. While the others -- lox and cured smoked salmon -- would be perfectly acceptable, they don't have the same texture. If you have all the ingredients on hand, you can slap this together in 5 minutes but you will hear about how good it is for years. Make sure to make the plate look pretty because the sauce and salmon can be a little homely, but that doesn't make them any less lovable.

Ingredients

8 to 12 ounces hot-smoked salmon
2 tablespoons red onion, peeled and finely minced
2 tablespoons capers, drained and chopped
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish (optional, if you don't like horseradish you are in luck because this is still good without it), squeezed dry in a towel
1/4 cup duke's mayonnaise, or your favorite brand, just not miracle whip
2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons water
kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper
parsley sprigs and chives for garnish
assorted crackers or hearty toasted bread

Directions

Place the salmon on a platter on which it sits comfortably. Not too big and not too small but, as as baby bear would say, just right. Leave some room for the sauce runoff, just don't let the platter be so big the salmon looks like a life raft in the Pacific Ocean.
Combine the rest of the ingredients, sans garnishes, and whisk until combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning.
If you are transporting the appetizer, don't sauce or garnish it till you get to your destination.
Let the salmon come to room temperature. Sauce it, garnish it, and serve.