Dips and spreads make for easy snacking, creating sandwiches, and for impromptu entertaining. Whether meat, seafood or vegetable-based, these pureed mixtures offer up delicious noshing anytime time of the day or night.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT
Food Processor
Here’s what you’ll need to make this dip:
- 10 ounces rehydrated and de-boned smoked fish
- Chopped hot pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley (see notes below)
- 1 clove garlic, peeled and grated
- Fresh lime/lemon juice to taste
- Fresh ground white or black pepper
- ¾ cup mayonnaise (see notes below)
- Thinly sliced scallions for garnish (optional)
Here’s how to make the dip:
- Add the fish, hot pepper, parsley, garlic, lime/lemon juice and white/black pepper to the bowl of a food processor. Cover, lock and process until the fish is finely shredded and the ingredients well mixed.
- Add mayonnaise and pulse to mix well. Transfer to a bowl, garnish with green onions/scallions and serve.
Serving suggestion:
This dip goes well with salted biscuits (crackers), vegetables and toast points.
NOTES
- There should be no need to add salt to the dip as there will be salt from the smoked fish, however, taste and adjust to suit.
- To rehydrate the fish, use your preferred method but a suggestion is to soak the fish for 6 hours in room temperature water, drain, rinse well and pat dry. You can blanch the fish in boiling water for 5 minutes if desired, and then pat dry.
- Use whatever kind of smoked fish you have available. I generally use smoked fish such as snapper, mackerel or shark from Guyana.
- Add enough mayonnaise to make the mixture easy to dip into. If you want to use it as a spread for sandwiches, then use less mayo but enough that it spreads and as a cohesive mixture.
- Celery in place of parsley is a very good alternative.
