Smoked Salmon Pate with Cream Cheese

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Hosting a party soon? Don’t ruin your low carb eating success by high carb crackers and other junk. This smoked salmon pate with cream cheese recipe will satisfy without the insulin spike.

Picture an average dinner party. What’s the first thing that comes to mind when it comes to appetizers and snacks?

Most likely, it’s probably crackers, chips, pretzels, and the straight-to-your-gut like.

Needless to say, most snacks that are laid out at dinner parties are loaded with carbs. And not the good-for-you, high-nutrient density ones.

But I’m living proof that it’s totally possible to please your guests’ palette without junk apps.

In fact, I have over 30 low carb appetizers for parties and holidays right here.

And let me add one more to the list: smoked salmon pate with cream cheese.

Better Than Liver Pate?

My husband’s side of the family is of Acadian origin (French Canadian). So paté runs through my family’s blood.

Paté is French for “pie.” Usually, the first thing people associate with paté is liver (usually goose or duck). Most people shudder even thinking about eating liver.

But the truth is, it probably would do most of us some good to eat more organ meats. Organ meats are very nutritious.

In fact, liver is extremely high in vitamin A.

And it’s the real vitamin A, not the wanna-be-vitamin-A, beta carotene, found in carrots. Most people think beta carotene is the same as vitamin A.

But it’s not. In fact, beta carotene is a precursor to vitamin A.

Only a small amount of beta carotene converts into vitamin A. That’s what makes snacking on liver on occasion a good idea if you need to get more vitamin A in your diet.

However, liver is a richer source of vitamin A than carrots.

Actually, I don’t eat liver myself. That’s because although liver is loaded with vitamin A, the liver is also the storage house of toxins in the body; it’s a tradeoff … one that I avoid.

Anyhow, woops … I went off on a tangent about organ meats….

Low Carb Snack With Healthy Fats

You won’t find any liver in this smoked salmon pate with cream cheese recipe. But what you will find in it is healthy fat.

This recipe is very easy to make. It features salmon and cream cheese as the satiety-satisfying main ingredients.

In the ingredients list below, you’ll notice I don’t list what kind of salmon to use.

I don’t think it particularly matters if it’s Coho, Chinook (King ), Pink, Chum or Sockeye.

But if there is one factor to consider when buying salmon is making sure it’s wild.

If you buy Atlantic salmon, it’s farmed. The problem with farmed salmon is that first of all, farmed salmon have more contaminants than wild salmon.

Second of all, farmed salmon does not contain as many heart-healthy omega-3 essential fatty acids.

Furthermore, in my opinion, I think wild salmon tastes the best. For ease of use in this smoked salmon pate with cream cheese recipe, you might just want to buy a few cans of pink salmon.

Pink salmon is wild. But instead of being packaged as fillets, it’s canned and sometimes smoked. This might make it easier to make this low carb appetizer.

It’s harder to grill a Sockeye fillet and pat it into a salmon patty rather than buying smoked from the package or canned.

Either way you choose, you’ll still have to combine all the ingredients into a bowl and mix until well blended.

Ditch The Crackers

This recipe for salmon pate is sort of like a lettuce-wrap burger. Instead of putting the salmon pate on a cracker, just use cucumbers. It’s easy and nutritious.

The juxtaposition of light and watery crunch and full-fat goodness can be a meal itself.

In fact, this salmon pate with cream cheese is a fun alternative to eating grilled salmon.

Every once in a while, it’s good to mix things up.

And don’t think that because the recipe contains cream cheese, it’s not healthy.

Lots of people associate cream cheese with bagels. But obviously, here, there’s no high-carb junk.

Moreover, there’s not a ton of cream cheese in the recipe. For a 10-person yield, there’s only 4 ounces.

Without doubt, I wouldn’t put cream cheese at the top of my most nutrient dense list. However, a little bit of it here and there is in fact good for you. That’s because the fat in it will help prevent cravings for high-sugar snacks.

So what’s worse for you, I ask? … a spoonful or two of cream cheese or a can of soda?

Keto Crackers: The Crack of Low Carb Snacks

But if your guest (or you, yourself) insists on crackers, you can buy some keto crackers.

What are keto crackers? Any cracker that has a Paleo-friendly flour.

Almond flour can be used to make a keto/Paleo-friendly cracker. As long as the ingredients are ultra low in carbs, it’s keto.

Ideally, the crackers won’t contain gluten either. The most nutrient-dense keto crackers contain seeds.

Pumpkin seeds make for a very nutrient-dense filler for low carb crackers.

If I’ve piqued your curiosity about healthy crackers, check out my recipe for Garlic Parmesan Flax Seed Low Carb Crackers.

However, I’m telling you that with this smoked salmon pate with cream cheese recipe, you won’t need crackers. The salmon and cream cheese are filling enough.

And not only will your belly be pleased, but, so, too, will your taste buds. The combination of dill weed, onion powder, chives and lemon juice is very savory.

So next time you’re hosting a party, save time, money and empty calories. Help spread (no pun intended) the word how satisfying low carb snacks can be.

Smoked Salmon Pate With Cream Cheese Recipe