Smoked trout dip is a fabulous appetizer made with smoked fish, cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, and a few secret spices. This Florida style fish dip is so tasty I can’t stop eating it!
I LOVE smoked trout dip
I’m sorry, but this stuff is perfection in a bowl. It was inspired by one I’ve been buying all year from a local market. I’m completely obsessed with the smokey flavor and creamy texture. I’m telling you guys, this fish dip is the best. If you love smoked salmon, this has to be on your list to make this fall. And if you’re on the fence, just trust me on this one, a little tub of smoked fish dip in your fridge will be your best friend. The flavor is out of this world, and it can be served as a dip or a spread, high brow, or low, doesn’t matter. We love it with Fritos and Saltines, but you can easily make it holiday-worthy with some fancy crackers or crudité. (It’s HEAVEN on a toasted bagel.)
If you’re from Florida, you know what I’m talking about, fish dip has a cult following down there! But lots of you who live near a coast, lakes or rivers are hip to fish dip, too. It’s a ‘thing’ in the Midwest, in the Pacific Northwest, and in the South, but if you’re out of the loop on this one, keep an open mind, and read on…
what you’ll need
- smoked trout ~ we’re talking about hot smoked fish, not cold smoked fish. Hot smoked fish is sold in chunks or fillets and has been smoked with heat, which cooks the fish. It has a firm texture and a deep smokey flavor. Find it, usually shrink wrapped, with the fresh fish in your market, or with the cured meats and cold smoked fish like lox, etc.
- cream cheese ~ you can use regular or whipped, I used regular.
- sour cream ~ it gives this dip a nice ‘tang’.
- mayonnaise ~ most dips benefit from mayo, it has a nice flavor, and loosens the texture. Make you own if you like, it’s easy!
- prepared horseradish ~ this is sold in small jars in the condiment aisle of your store and it gives the dip a zesty bite. You can also used creamed horseradish, homemade, or from a jar.
- spices ~ sweet and smoked paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder.
- lemon juice ~ just a squeeze of fresh lemon juice brightens and cuts the richness of the smoked fish.
- salt ~ you’ll add it to taste, depending on how salty your fish is.
make this fish dip your own
Of course you can use other types of smoked fish to make fish dip, smoked salmon, blue fish, swordfish, tuna, mahi mahi, mackerel, or whitefish are other popular options. (I have a wonderful new Easy Smoked Whitefish Dip up on the site.) Smoked mullet is a Florida favorite. Basically whatever hot smoked fish you love will work in this dip.
Make it without mayo, just leave it out and double down on the cream cheese and sour cream.
If you don’t have a food processor you can definitely do this by hand, just be sure to get the base ingredients really well blended. Flake the fish into fine bits before folding in. Tip: if doing by hand, start with room temperature cream cheese, or use whipped cream cheese.
Give this dip a different flavor profile: use fresh herbs like dill and parsley in place of the spices. You can also use Worcestershire and hot sauce. Alternative spices are Old Bay seasoning, powdered mustard, cayenne, or chili powder. Note: remember the smoked fish is the star here, so don’t overdo the spicing.
Make this into a baked dip ~ you might add some shredded cheese to it as well. Bake at 350F until hot and bubbly and serve with toasted bread.
Make it with canned smoked fish ~ this works, use a brand you love.
Add a fresh crunch with finely minced celery and scallions.
Everything’s better with bacon, so go ahead and add some crisp crumbled bacon.
Make it lower calorie by using reduced fat mayo, cream cheese and yogurt or labneh in place of the sour cream.
Keep it keto by serving with crisp veggies, or in little endive cups.
Smoke your own fish on your charcoal grill for the ultimate smoked fish dip! This recipe for smoked salmon from Hank Shaw works for trout, too.
who doesn’t love a great dip!
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Smoked Trout Dip
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb smoked trout
- 1 cup cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise (I used Dukes)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp prepared horseradish
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp onion powder (you can use onion salt, just reduce the regular salt in the recipe)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp lemon juice, or more to taste
Instructions
- Remove the skin from the smoked trout by sliding a sharp knife between the skin and the fish. Discard the skin.
- Break apart the trout into rough pieces. Set aside
- Put the cream cheese, sour cream, and mayo in a food processor and blend until smooth.
- Add the salt, spices, and lemon juice and blend again until combined. Scrape down the sides of the machine. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
- Add the pieces of smoked trout and pulse the machine about 15 times, just until the trout is broken up and evenly distributed, but there is still some texture in the dip.
- Take a taste to see if you want to adjust any of the spices, or add more lemon juice.
- Transfer the dip to an airtight storage container and chill. Note: the dip will start out light and fluffy straight out of the processor, but will get nice and firm, thick, and spreadable after few hours in the refrigerator.
- The dip is ready to serve after it has completely chilled. It will keep up to a week in the airtight container in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Reduce horseradish to 1 tsp. Too much can overwhelm.
Better still topped with a sprinkling of pickled red onions (cut into small cubes, brunoise) & some finely chopped chives, adding both flavor and eye appeal. Also, noticeable small chunks of fish are attractive, rather than a paste, so I would cut the pulses in the food processor down to 8 or 10.
I will often just fold in the trout to keep it really chunky.
good dip but I’m starting with a half cup cream cheese next time. it’s also fun to add variations such as jerk sauce, Sriracha, celery/capers/dill… we catch a lot of trout here in NJ!
I like the way you think!
Everyone raved about this smoked trout dip! It was a big hit!
Sue, I’ve made this recipe many times over the past year for our guests and EVERYONE raves about it!!! My husband smokes the trout himself on a cedar board and I make your homemade horseradish to mix in…wow! Quick and easy question: does this dip freeze well?
I’m so happy to hear that Deb! I personally haven’t frozen this dip but from what I know about the subject, it’s an iffy proposition because the texture can suffer a bit. It might be worth a try with a small amount and then you’ll know for the future. Sorry I can’t be more definitive.
This dip is wonderful! A thousand times better than what you can buy at the store. Easy, too!
This is a Keeper! I added the chopped celery, fresh garlic chives and green onion from the garden. I also included the capers and dill weed. I used fresh garlic minced and omitted the powdered garlic and onion powder. I used whipped cream cheese, omitted the mayo but kept the sour cream and added a bit extra. I mixed this all by hand in a bowl and added the chunked trout last to avoid breaking it up too much. The lemon juice is a must for brightness! I had it on celery stalks and toasted baguette with good olive oil. Printed and using this often. Thank You!!
Raised in the Midwest I remember this kind of dip. I’ll be making this. Must say though you must have been visiting family in another state becaùse we don’t have Dukes in California! Always enjoy your recipes and your readers comments. But not so much how the comments section is working.
My husband and I lived in Florida for a couple of years and loved the smoked fish dip that you could buy in the grocery store or fish market. THIS taste just like it! I made it last night and brought to a party and it was a huge hit! Thank you!
I’m so happy to hear that Robin, it is like a little taste of Florida!
We live on the shore of Lake Superior and make this every Christmas!
I’ve never thought about having it in the fall but may have to start – good with football games!
Yay Amy, I think every season is fish dip season 🙂