This smoked trout dip is an incredibly flavorful and versatile appetizer that will leave your taste buds begging for more. Combining the delicate flavor of smoked trout with a creamy and tangy base and amazing flavors from the fresh herbs, this dip is a true delight. Give it a try today!
Why You'll Love This Recipe
Easy to Make: This fish dip comes together in only 10 minutes. It's super simple to make, but it has the best flavor!
Fresh Flavors: The combination of fresh herbs, smoked fish, and acidity from the lemon and dip base gives this trout spread the most delicious fresh flavors. For more smoked fish/fresh herb combos, try this smoked fish crostini or smoked fish cakes!
Versatile: This trout dip recipe can be served as a shared appetizer, spread on a toasted bagel for breakfast, or as a snack.
Ingredients
- Smoked Trout: You can purchase smoked trout or use your own fish to make smoked trout. Rainbow trout, lake trout, brook trout, and steelhead trout are all great for smoking. Smoked salmon can also be used.
- Sour Cream: Crème fraîche or Greek yogurt can be used in place of the sour cream.
- Cream Cheese: The cream cheese gives this dip a thicker spread-like quality. But, you can replace it with sour cream for a thinner dip.
- Chives: Green onions or finely diced red onion can be used instead of chives.
- Fresh Dill: Dill is a very unique flavor so there aren't great substitutes available. But if you're not a fan of the flavor of dill, you can replace it with other fresh herbs you enjoy.
How To Make Smoked Trout Dip
This is one of my favorite easy recipes for appetizers. You'll be impressed with the amazing flavors in this recipe with very little effort required. Follow the simple steps below!
Step 1: You can either make your own smoked trout or buy it at the store. Smoked salmon will also work.
Step 2: Remove dill from the stems.
Step 3: Finely chop the fresh dill and chives.
Step 4: Gather dip ingredients: cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, dill, chives, smoked trout, and salt and pepper.
Step 5: Add cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, dill, and chives to a medium bowl. Stir to combine.
Step 6: Add smoked trout to the mixing bowl. You can flake the trout before adding it to the dip or add in large chunks and break them up into smaller pieces as you stir.
Step 7: Taste and add salt and pepper, if desired. The saltiness of the dip will depend largely on the saltiness of the fish so seasoning at the end works best.
Step 8: Place in an airtight container or serving bowl and refrigerate until ready to use.
Pro Tip: Let the cream cheese warm up to room temperature before making the dip. Room-temperature cream cheese is much easier to mix than cold cream cheese!
A Note on Smoked Trout
Smoked trout is a super simple way to turn your summer catch into delicious meals to enjoy all year long. You can smoke a big batch and freeze it for several months or you can also eat it right away. Smoked trout is excellent on its own but it can be eaten in a variety of ways.
You can use it as part of a charcuterie board or snack plate alongside spicy pickled asparagus. But, it also works great as an ingredient for dips, BLT sandwiches, pizzas, and more! Check out this smoked trout recipe for complete instructions for smoking trout. Or for something different, give smoked rockfish a try!
What to Serve with Smoked Trout Dip:
This delicious appetizer can be served in a variety of ways. You can serve it on a snack plate with sourdough baguettes, your favorite crackers, or bagel chips and fresh veggies like cucumber slices and celery sticks. You can also serve it with toasted bagels (or mini bagels for fun!) as part of a brunch spread. Or just keep it on hand for a filling and delicious snack!
Recipe FAQ's:
Smoked trout is excellent on its own but it can be eaten in a variety of ways. You can use it as part of a charcuterie board or snack plate, or as an ingredient for dips, BLT sandwiches, pizzas, and more!
Smoked trout tends to take on a different flavor profile than fresh trout. It has a very delicate smoky flavor and is not fishy at all, as long as the trout were cleaned and handled properly before smoking.
Smoked trout is deliciously tender and flaky right out of the smoker. But it is most frequently eaten cold as an appetizer or as an ingredient for dips, sandwiches, etc.
Did you try this recipe?
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Thank you!
Annie
📖 Recipe
Easy Smoked Trout Dip with Lemon and Dill
Ingredients
- 8 oz smoked trout
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoon fresh dill, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon fresh chives, finely chopped
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- To a medium bowl, add cream cheese, sour cream, lemon juice, lemon zest, dill, and chives. Stir to combine.
- Add in smoked trout. You can flake the trout before adding it to the dip or add in large pieces and break them up as you stir.
- Taste and add salt and pepper, if desired. The saltiness of the dip will depend largely on the saltiness of the fish so seasoning at the end works best.
- Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Serve with sliced baguettes, crackers, fresh veggies, or as a spread for bagels. Enjoy!
Notes
- You can purchase smoked trout or use your own fish to make smoked trout. Rainbow trout, lake trout, brook trout, and steelhead trout are all great for smoking. Smoked salmon can also be used.
- Crème fraîche or Greek yogurt can be used in place of sour cream.
- The cream cheese gives this dip a thicker spread-like quality. But, you can replace it with sour cream for a thinner dip.
- Green onions or finely diced red onion can be used instead of chives.
- Dill is a very unique flavor so there aren't great substitutes available. But if you're not a fan of the flavor of dill, you can replace it with other fresh herbs you enjoy.
Anonymous says
Can smoked trout in oil be used?
Annie Weisz says
Definitely!