Smoked fish might not be at the top of your grocery list, but here’s why it should be.

When it comes to meal planning for comforting fall dishes, smoked fish from Ducktrap is this season’s holy grail. Native to icy North Atlantic waters, Ducktrap’s portfolio of smoked seafood -including salmon, trout and mackerel – is rich in Omega 3 fatty acids and a fantastic source of protein. With over 40 years of experience, Ducktrap has mastered the art of smoking seafood in Maine, resulting in a unique depth of flavour that strikes a delicate balance between the woods and the sea. Here are 5 recipes that prove smoked seafood works brilliantly in an array of quick, hearty and wholesome dishes.

Smoked Salmon & Asparagus Frittata

  • Ingredients:
  • 2 small yellow potatoes
  • 10 eggs
  • ½ teaspoon hot sauce
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
  • Salt and ground black pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¼ cup diced red onions
  • 1 cup asparagus, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
  • ½ cup Ducktrap Smoked Salmon, broken into small pieces
  • ⅓ cup shredded Gruyere cheese
  • Directions:
  • Place potatoes into a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain and let cool.
  • Whisk 10 eggs in a bowl. Add hot sauce, chopped tarragon, chopped chives, lemon zest, salt, and pepper to eggs and whisk.
  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Dice potatoes once cooled.
  • Heat an ovenproof pan on medium-high heat and add olive oil. Add onions, potatoes, and asparagus to pan and saute for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium. Add egg mixture to pan. Stir in smoked salmon and Gruyere cheese.
  • Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until eggs puff up. Cool for a few minutes and serve.

Smoked Mackerel Tacos

  • Ingredients:
  • Ducktrap Smoked Mackerel Fillet
  • 12 (6 1/2-inch) flour tortillas
  • Garnishes: thinly sliced red cabbage, thinly sliced red onion, fresh cilantro leaves, lime wedge
  • Sour cream
  • Directions:
  • Cut up mackerel fillet into smaller bite size pieces
  • Prepare garnishes- cut up an avocado and thinly slice a red cabbage
  • Assemble tortilla with mackerel, avocado, red cabbage and sour cream
  • Serve with fresh lime wedge

Mini Smoked Salmon & Dill Quiches

  • Ingredients:
  • 2 1/2 cups alI-purpose flour
  •  3/4 teaspoons salt
  •  1/2 cup each cold butter and cold lard , cubed
  •  1/4 cup water
  •  3 tablespoons sour cream
  •  170 g Ducktrap Smoked Salmon , chopped
  •  1/2 pkg (250 g pkg) cream cheese , diced
  •  4 eggs
  •  1 cup milk
  •  3 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
  •  2 green onions , minced
  •  1/4 teaspoon pepper
  • Directions:
  • In bowl, whisk flour with 1/2 tsp of the salt. Using pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in butter and lard until mixture resembles fine crumbs with a few larger pieces. Whisk ice water with sour cream; drizzle over flour mixture, stirring briskly with fork until ragged dough forms. Divide dough in half; press into discs. Wrap each in plastic wrap; refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes. (Make-ahead: Refrigerate for up to 3 days.) 

On lightly floured work surface, roll out dough to generous 1/8-inch thickness. Using 4-inch round pastry cutter, cut out 24 rounds. Press 1 round into each well of two 12-count muffin pans, without trimming. Prick all over with fork. Place on rimmed baking sheet; refrigerate for 30 minutes. Line shells with foil; fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake on bottom rack of 400°F oven until rims are light golden, about 10 minutes. Remove pie weights and foil. Let cool completely in pans.

Sprinkle salmon and cream cheese into shells. Whisk together eggs, milk, dill, green onions, pepper and remaining salt; pour into shells. Bake in 375°F oven until knife inserted in centres comes out clean, 20 minutes. Let cool in pans for 5 minutes. (Make-ahead: Let cool. Layer between waxed paper in airtight container and refrigerate for up to 24 hours or freeze for up to 2 weeks. Thaw if frozen; reheat in 350°F oven for 10 minutes.)

Smoked Fish Chowder

  • Ingredients:
  • 4 strips bacon chopped
  • 3 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 medium yellow onion chopped
  • 2 stalks celery
  • 2 carrots peeled and diced
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 pound gold potatoes diced
  • 1 teaspoon dried dill
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • ½ teaspoon dried basil
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon fennel seeds crushed with a rolling pin
  • 3 Tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 Tablespoons capers drained
  • 5 cups chicken broth
  • 4 ounces cream cheese cubed
  • 4 ounces Ducktrap Smoked Salmon broken into small pieces
  • 4 ounces Ducktrap Smoked Trout broken into small pieces
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon hot sauce
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Ingredients:
  • In a large pot, brown the bacon over medium heat until almost crispy, then drain the bacon grease.  Add the butter to the cooked bacon.  When the butter is melted, add the onion, celery, carrot, and bell pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
  • Add the diced potatoes, dill, thyme, basil, paprika, crushed fennel seeds, tomato paste, and capers and stir to combine.  Pour in the chicken broth and increase the heat to medium-high.  When the chowder comes to a boil, cover and reduce heat to medium-low, then let simmer for 10-15 minutes or just until the potatoes are softened and tender but not falling apart.  
  • Add the cubed cream cheese and stir until it melts into the soup.  Add the salmon, trout, cream, lemon juice, and hot sauce and allow the chowder to heat just until everything is gently heated through, but don’t let the soup come to a boil after adding the cream.  Once hot all the way through, taste and adjust the seasoning by adding the salt and pepper, as needed, and adding more hot sauce, if you like.  You may not need any salt, depending on the saltiness of your capers and smoked salmon.
  • Serve, garnished with a sprig of fresh dill for presentation and a loaf of crusty bread!

Wild Cold Smoked Salmon Flat Bread

  • Ingredients
  • For the Dough:
  • 2- 2 1/3 Cups all-purpose flour divided
  • 2 1/4 Tsp yeast
  • 1 1/2 Tsp sugar
  • 3/4 Tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil + additional
  • 3/4 Cup warm water
  • For the Toppings:
  • 8 oz Ducktrap Wild Cold Smoked Sockeye Salmon
  • Cream cheese
  • Pepper
  • Greens to decorate, baby arugula or fresh dill can be used
  • Directions:
  • Combine 1 cup of flour, instant yeast, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add olive oil and warm water
  • and use a wooden spoon to stir well very well. Gradually add another 1 cup of flour. Stirring until
  • the dough is forming into a cohesive, elastic ball and is beginning to pull away from the sides of the bowl.
  • Drizzle a separate, large, clean bowl generously with olive oil. Lightly dust your hands with flour to form
  • pizza dough into a round ball and transfer to your olive oil-brushed bowl.
  • Roll the pizza dough along the inside of the bowl until it is coated in olive oil, then cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and place it in a warm place. Allow dough to rise for 30 minutes.
  • Preheat oven to 425°F.
  • Once the dough has risen, transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until smooth. Work the dough into 12″ rectangle.
  • Transfer dough to a parchment paper pan. Drizzle additional olive oil (about a tablespoon) over the top of the dough and use your pastry brush to brush the entire surface with olive oil. Use a fork to poke holes all over to keep the dough from bubbling up in the oven.
  • Bake in a 425°F preheated oven for 13-15 minutes or until is golden brown. Take out of the oven, let rest for 5 minutes, spread the cream cheese and top it with sockeye wild salmon, some greens and a touch of pepper.

Ducktrap products are available in grocery stores island-wide.
For more information regarding Ducktrap, visit www.ducktrap.com