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Smoked Trout Dip

Easy to make and oh-so impressive, this smoked trout dip will wow your friends and family.

You know how sometimes you’re at someone’s house, at a party or for a holiday, and they serve something super delicious and super special, and when you compliment them on it, they say, “Oh, it’s just something I threw together”?

Well, this smoked trout spread is that sort of thing. And if you make it, you, too, can be one of those people that effortlessly impresses their guests.

How To Make Smoked Trout Dip

This is a variation on my popular Smoked Salmon Dip recipe, but with a different smoked fish. So how do you make it? You buy a few ingredients—smoked trout, cream cheese, sour cream—and then press the button on your food processor. That’s pretty much it.

My recipe builds on that basic idea by adding lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, salt, and pepper, and then I stir in a little more trout and chopped fresh chives. If you want to make it especially quick and easy, you can simply combine it all in the food processor. But I like the dip with a little texture, so I stir the last ingredients in by hand.

If you don’t have a food processor, no problem. Just mix everything but the trout together really well in a bowl. Then add in half of the trout and mix it really really well so that it mashes up a bit. Finally, stir in the remaining trout, stirring just a bit so that the dip has some texture.

Substitutions And Additions

If you want, you can enhance this idea even further. You could add a hint of tabasco, horseradish, or Worcestershire sauce for extra flavor. You could use scallions or finely chopped onion instead of the chives. Or add some parsley or other fresh herbs. Capers are another great addition. 

You could substitute mayonnaise or yogurt for all or some of the sour cream. Or use Neufchâtel (reduced fat cream cheese) for the regular cream cheese.

But whatever you do, don’t overdo it. This should be trout and cream cheese and easy to make.

Where Do I Get Smoked Trout?

Look for smoked trout at better supermarkets, delis, and specialty food stores. Typically, it’s sold as fillets in vacuum-sealed packages. If you can’t find smoked trout, you can use hot-smoked salmon (the kind of salmon that is flakey) or smoked mackeral. It also works with canned smoked oysters, but use way way less because they have a strong flavor. If you can’t get any of those, good ole canned salmon works in a pinch, it just won’t have the smoky flavor unless you add a quarter of a drop of liquid smoke to the mix.

Whatever kind of fish you’re using, get it home, mix it up, and serve this Smoked Trout Dip recipe with toasts, crackers, or veggies—any of your favorite dippers. Then sit back and soak up the compliments.

More Dip Recipes

Love this smoked trout dip? I have more delicious dips that are perfect for parties but easy enough for snacking anytime.

Podcast Episode About Making Smoked Trout Dip

Listen to me explain briefly about how to make this dip, along with some other great tips, by clicking the play button below:

Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.

Print

Smoked Trout Dip Recipe

  • Author: Christine Pittman
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 0 minutes
  • Total Time: 15 minutes
  • Yield: 68 servings 1x
  • Category: Appetizer
  • Method: Mix
  • Cuisine: American

DESCRIPTION

Easy to make and oh-so impressive, this smoked trout dip will wow your friends and family.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tsp. lemon zest
  • 1 tsp. lemon juice
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 8 oz. smoked trout, divided
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Instructions

  1. To a food processor add the cream cheese, sour cream, minced garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, pepper and salt. Pulse until well combined.
  2. Remove the skin from the trout. Discard the skin. Flake the trout. Add about half of it to the cream cheese mixture in the food processor. Pulse a few times to mash it up and blend it in.
  3. Transfer the cream cheese mixture to a to a medium bowl and stir in the remaining flaked trout and the chives. 
  4. Taste it and add more salt, pepper, and lemon juice, if desired. Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days. 

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This post originally appeared in August 2018 and was revised and republished in January 2024.