Did you know that Scottish Salmon has more protein than eggs and less fat than steak?

An average 140 gram portion of farmed salmon is packed with a whopping 34 grams of protein and thanks also to its long-chain Omega-3s fatty acids, it is one of the foods recommended by the Food Standards Agency.

A vital ingredient of a healthy diet, Scottish farmed salmon is a food which is rich in essential nutrients, including the very important omega-3 fatty acids, which help control inflammatory disease, reduce the risks of heart problems in many people, and which are the essential building blocks for nerve and brain tissue.

It also provides high quality protein and a wide variety of vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, D and B12, phosphorus, selenium and iodine.

For this recipe I used Hot Smoked Salmon from Ullapool Smokehouse provided by the Scottish Salmon Producers Organisation. It arrived via courier, cold packed and went straight into my fridge until I was ready to use it.

I’ve made this cold starter many times before and it’s a household favourite. Super easy to make, can stay in the fridge overnight to set and can stay in the fridge for a further day.

Ingredients

• 200g of flaked Scottish hot smoked salmon

• 50g Garlic and Chive Cream Cheese

• Dill

• 1/2 Cucumber

• Vinegar

• Sugar

• Oatcakes

• Salad leaves

• Lemon

Method

• Pickle the cucumber. Take 1/2 a cucumber and start to peel off strips of cucumber into long ribbons.

• Place in a bowl and add a few splashes of vinegar to cover the cucumber ribbons and a little sugar. Leave until you are ready to serve.

• Line a small shallow dish with clingfilm.

• Take 50g of the salmon along with the cream cheese, salt and pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice, add to a blender and mix until fairly smooth. If you want to add a little heat flavour, add a teaspoon of horseradish at this stage.

• Take the remainder of the salmon and flake.

• You are going to start building layers.

• 1st layer - salmon flakes to line the bottom of the dish.

• 2nd layer - cream cheese and salmon mix.

• 3rd layer - salmon flakes.

• 4th layer - sprigs of dill and salt and pepper.

• 5th layer - cream cheese and salmon mix.

• Close up the clingfilm tightly and place a plate ontop to weight it down and compress it.

• Refrigerate. Leave it in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight.

• Once ready to plate, remove from the dish, remove the clingfilm and place on a plate.

• Serve with Scottish oatcakes, a side salad, the pickled cucumber and a wedge of lemon

  Enjoy!