Smoked Trout Pate With Creme Fraiche and Dill Cucumber Strips

Pate

8 ounces smoked trout, skin, bones and blood lines discarded

½ cup creme fraiche (may substitute low-fat sour cream)

½ cup low-fat cream cheese (4 ounces; do not use nonfat)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more as needed

2 teaspoons Dijon-style mustard

¼ teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more as needed

½ cup minced fresh chives (optional)

Cucumber

1 English seedless cucumber (about 1 pound)

2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Crusty baguette, cut crosswise into thin slices, or crackers, for serving

For the pate: Flake the trout into a food processor; pulse to chop. Add the creme fraiche, cream cheese, lemon juice, mustard, hot sauce and black pepper. Pulse until smooth. Transfer to a container. Fold in the chives, if using, and season with salt to taste, then taste and add pepper and/or lemon juice as needed. Seal and refrigerate until ready to serve.

For the cucumber: Trim, then peel the cucumber, preferably using a Y-shaped peeler. Applying greater pressure, use the peeler to shave wide strips into a mixing bowl until you reach the cucumber’s seed core, which can be reserved for a separate use. Add the vinegar, the tablespoon of dill and the salt, tossing gently to incorporate.

To serve: Spread a generous schmear of pate on the bread or crackers. Top with a few ribbons of the cucumber and dill.

Serves eight.

Nutrition values per serving (without the baguette): 160 calories, 12 g fat (6 g saturated), 4 g carbohydrates, 0 fiber, 0 sugar, 11 g protein, 35 mg cholesterol, 810 mg sodium.

Food writer and cookbook author Tony Rosenfeld for The Washington Post