I've been given a side of smoked salmon, what can I do with it?

[Jogonjill]

It's in one big fish shaped piece, not in neat slices! 1.25kg. Please tell me what to do. Can I portion it and re-freeze it (was frozen when I got it, now defrosted)? Does it need cooking? How to cook and what to serve with it? Please help a kitchen incompetent!

I don't think you should re-freeze it unless you cook it first. You could use it in scrambled eggs for a snacky supper, you could make smoked salmon quiche and then freeze that, or use it in a fish pie (ditto). A Smoked salmon pate will keep for a week in the fridge.

Invite some friends over and scoff it, on very thinly sliced brown bread (butter the loaf and slice the buttered end off) with lemon and black pepper. You want to slice it as thinly as possible, against the grain on a very shallow diagonal, to make nice big slices. Drink champagne.

EAT IT

EAT IT NOW

ffs what is with the thread necrophilia?

Weird, weird behaviour.

Give it to meeeee! Make some bagels (they are really fabulous, better than shop-bought) and have it with cream cheese, lemon juice and pepper. Mmmmmm.

Scoff some now, a La, as you like it. Make the most of the rest using it in Smoked salmon & Aspargus (or tender broccoli florets) Quiche/flan/tartlets and freeze. An amazing starter with quality ingredients that you can preserve! It will have been cooked and completely safe.

I am so jealous! I would definitely eat some now on bagels with cream cheese and drink some English sparkling wine.
Pate with the rest. Gary Rhodes does a great one in his short cuts book.

Sushi (spot the sushi fan).... Smoked salmon, because it is cured with salt, has quite a long shelf-life. So you don't need to rush to eat it all in one go.

Slice it thinly, mix some soft spreadable cheese with the strongest horseradish you can find. Spread the cheese mixture on the slices of salmon and roll up.

It's the only way that I can get the cat to stop trying to pinch it off my plate And I adore horseradish.

If still some left, send it to me

Ooh thanks guys, good suggestions here. I'm eating lots on brown bread, v yummy, but there's so much and dp is not so keen so it's all mine! The quiches and pate ideas are great, I shall get on to that tomorrow. May allow friends to share some too, if they're lucky!

My MIL lives near a fishery in Irelans and keep giving us these. It is far too much for the two of us!

We tend to eat some in the usual way - raw, thinly sliced, put in sandwiches or scrambled egg. We eat the bulk of it cooked - portion into normal salmon steak size and cook as you would unsmoked salmon. Our favourite way it to top it with some herby butter, wrap in puff pastry and serve with some sort of saucy potato (usually white wine pots cos I am lactose intolerant but dauphinoise would also work) so it isn't too dry and some veggies. It's flipping lovely.

Mmm, that sounds good too Eurochick. Feels very decadent to have just too much smoked salmon! Have just had some on toast with marmite, cream cheese, lemon and pepper as a yummy late night snack, but your recipe is a touch more sophisticated.

Good to know it'll last for a while too Cogito, I was getting a bit paranoid that I'd have to get through it in a week.

If it has never been frozen, just portion and freeze what you do not want to use, I do all the time and it is fine.