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
Enjoy this super simple appetizer!
Smoked Salmon Pate with Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 6 ounces smoked salmon flaked
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 teaspoon dried chives chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix until well blended.
- Shape into a ball. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Can be served with cucumber slices or keto friendly crackers.
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Nutrition
Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
About Lisa
Lisa has been creating low carb recipes for herself and sharing them with others since 2010. She loves to experiment in the kitchen and find new ways to create low sugar foods that taste like high carb favorites! Her recipes have been featured on popular magazine sites including Fitness, Shape, Country Living, Women's Health, and Men's Health. Lisa lives in Southeastern Connecticut. Connect with her and Low Carb Yum at:
SUSAN taylor says
Will definitely be trying this. The further along I get with keto the more adventurous I get with recipes.
I’ve noticed that the online recipes provide the number of servings but not the serving size. Have you noticed that. I’ve been getting around it by making the item and weighing it the most dividing, but I was wondering what you’d think think about addimg the serving size to your recipes? Apologies if I’ve overlooked it!
Lisa says
It’s just really hard to get the serving size in grams with most of the calculators.
Kim Hardesty says
Wow! That was a lot of helpful information! I grew up on these types of dips. My parents had their drinkypoos every night before dinner and always had cheese and crackers or dip and crackers before dinner. This salmon dip looks great. Thanks for linking to my recipe for crackers.
Lisa says
Your crackers are a perfect compliment to this pate!