We are happy to report that our products were kosher certified for another year. We know from feedback that this triggered some very personal and emotional positive reactions for some of our customers. We are always happy to oblige!

Serves 6 as a starter, 4 as a main course
Total preparation time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

4 tbsp Dijon or French mustard
3 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 egg yolk
¼ pint / 150ml vegetable oil
salt and pepper
12 large slices of Burren smoked Irish salmon
2 tbsp capers in brine, rinsed
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill, plus extra dill for decoration
Lemon wedges for serving

Method:

Place the mustard, sugar and vinegar in a large glass bowl and whisk lightly. Add the egg yolk and whisk thoroughly to form a creamy sauce.

Gradually add the oil a few drops at a time whisking constantly. The sauce should resemble mayonnaise when finished.

Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste, then stir in the chopped dill.

Divide the salmon equally between the plates, sprinkle on a few capers, decorate with dill and lemon wedges and serve the sauce on the side.

Click here to download the recipe

A tasting in the Roadside Tavern where the Burren Brewery beers (Red Ale, Black Stout and Gold Lager) are waiting to be discovered. Traditional music session afterwards.

Cookery demos by Aidan McGrath from the Wild Honey Inn, Donal Skehan, Inchiquinn House Cookery School, and others.

A walk & delicious tea on the farm of “Father Ted’s” house in the heart of the Burren. (For those of you who are not living in Ireland: “Father Ted” is a well loved programme from the 1990 about three priests fallen from grace who were banned onto fictitious Craggy Island. It was filmed in North Clare and on this farm and house.)

Very interesting talks under the header of Sustainable Food – Sustainable Tourism. Speakers will be Frank Fleming (Responsible Irish Fishing), John Hackett from BIM (Board Iascaigh Mhara, the Irish Sea Fisheries Board), Stefan Bergleiter (CEO of Naturland, association of organic certification in Germany), Michael & Patricia Murphy who are fishing wild salmon in the River Nore, and Mary Mulvey from Ecotourism Ireland. The talks will be chaired by John & Sally McKenna (Bridgestone Guide).

As always, there will be a farmers market where people can stock up on locally produced delicacies.

The festival takes place from Friday 18 May to Sunday 20 May 2012 in the Pavilion in Lisdoonvarna.
See more details and the programme on the Clare Slow Food Festival website.

Watch video here

Selfridges Food Hall will offer their customers the chance to meet dedicated producers from the length and breadth of Ireland, including bakers, cheese and butter makers, meat curers, salmon and eel smokers, to name just a few. Of course, customers will be able to purchase these delicacies on the spot.

During the three weeks, there will be a host of cookery demonstrations in the Food Hall from some of Ireland’s most influential chefs: Darina Allen of the Ballymaloe cookery school and restaurant – one of Ireland’s finest; Ross Lewis, of the Michelin-starred Dublin restaurant Chapter One (who cooked for the Queen during her recent visit to Ireland); award-winning Catherine Fulvio of County Wicklow’s Ballyknocken Cookery School; and BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen favourite, Kevin Dundon… Not forgetting, of course, the inimitable Richard Corrigan. Every day there will be something exciting to watch and something different to taste.

Makes 10 – 15 rolls

Ingredients:

8oz / 250g Burren smoked Irish salmon, finely diced
3 tabsp chopped coriander (cilantro)
4 spring onions (scallions) finely chopped
1 tabsp good mayonnaise
2 tabsp fresh ginger, peeled and grated (or use a good quality ready prepared ginger)
a pinch Chinese 5 spice powder
5 sheets phyllo pastry
melted butter
soy sauce

Method:

Preheat the oven to 220°C / gas mark 7. Line a baking sheet with non-stick baking paper.
In a bowl mix the salmon, the coriander, spring onions, mayonnaise, the ginger and the Chinese 5 spices together.

Lay out the phyllo pastry sheets and cut into 2 or 3 strips width wise.
Tip: Keep the unused pastry strips under a damp tea towel or they will become brittle and unworkable.

Place about 1 teaspoon of the salmon mixture at the end of each strip, fold in the sides and roll up into a cigar shape.

Place each roll onto the baking sheet, brush with melted butter and bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until golden brown.

Serve with a bowl of soy sauce or other dips.

Click here to download the recipe.

Our contribution is a special “green” offer for the big day – which is a Saturday this year – so that you can have a special Irish dinner with which to entertain your friends and family. Please note that the offer is available for the readers of our email newsletter only.

To subscribe to our newsletter, please click here – at the bottom right corner of your screen you will see the newsletter sign-up box.

Here is a list of all embassies and consulates who will be serving our Burren Smoked Salmon:

Abu Dhabi, UAE
Abuja, Nigeria
Ankara, Turkey
Athens, Greece
Atlanta, US
Beijing, China
Berlin, Germany
Bern, Switzerland
Boston, USA
Bratislava, Slovak Republic
Brasilia, Brazil
Brussels, Belgium
Bucharest, Romania
Budapest, Hungary
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Cairo, Egypt
Copenhagen, Denmark
The Hague, Netherlands
Helsinki, Finland
Kampala, Uganda
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Lisbon, Portugal
Ljubliana, Slovenia
London, UK
Luxembourg, Luxembourg
Madrid, Spain
Malta, Malta
Maseru, Lesotho
Mexico City, Mexico
Moscow, Russia
New Delhi, India
New York, USA
Nicosia, Cyprus
Oslo, Norway
Ottawa, Canada
Paris, France
Prague, Czech republic
Pretoria, South Africa
Riga, Latvia
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Rome, Italy
San Francisco, USA
Seoul, South Korea
Shanghai, China
Singapore, Singapore
Sofia, Bulgaria
Stockholm, Sweden
Talinn, Estonia
Tel Aviv, Israel
Tokyo, Japan
Vienna, Austria
Vilnius, Lithuania
Warsaw, Poland
Washington, USA

One venue will be outside Waterford, at Dromana House & Gardens, where an open day will be held on 14th and 15th April. On offer will be garden tours through the magnificent grounds on the River Blackwater on the hour between 2 – 6 pm, as well as tea, coffee and homemade scones.

The wild salmon smoked by us which was served to Queen Elizabeth II and over 170 other guests on the occasion of the State Dinner on 18th May 2011 during her historic visit to Ireland was caught by the outfit of Dromana House in the River Blackwater.

The photo shows Birgitta and Subramaniam, the D&D sales manager in Qatar. Because soon we will be supplying not only the Dean & Deluca shop in Kuwait, but also the one in Qatar!

Birgitta had the pleasure of showing him through our production facilities and the visitor centre.

It is a very unusual and interesting take on our story, well worth reading. Click here to be beamed to Ireland.

“Us” – that is Dean & Deluca in the United States. “It” is our Burren Smoked Salmon.

This is a most precious quote from Diane Stopford, one of the buyers in Dean & Deluca, New York, made when she was asked on the Morning Show on Irish TV station TV3 (13 Feb 2012), if D&D already carried Irish food products. The quotation refers to the state dinner in honour of Queen Elizabeth II’s historic visit to Ireland in May 2011.

Irish woman Diane Stopford started as a chef at D&D and was recently promoted food scout and buyer.

Do we have to mention that our organic salmon met with great approval? Not really, but we do it anyway.

This was a major event where Bord Bía, the Irish Food Board, managed to match Irish food producers with international food buyers of a very high standard. In total, there were 4,500 meetings in one day – no mean feat!

We got to meet them on their way around the communal Bord Bía-Ireland stand where we were exhibiting, and got a chance to tell them about our products and company. Of course, His Excellency (left) has known our salmon for years and was delighted to hear that we are selling it now into KaDeWe in Berlin.

Video: cick here to watch Rachel Gaffney making the dip

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon horseradish
250g / 8 oz Burren smoked salmon, sliced into pieces
cream cheese
1 tablespoon cream
4 tablespoons chopped chives
1/2 fresh lemon
cracked black pepper
kosher salt
olive oil
pita bread or falt bread

Method:

In a mixer bowl, beat the cream cheese until soft, add pepper, juice of half a lemon and chives.

Gently add salmon, turning lightly with a spatula.

Slice your bread and brush lightly with extra virgin olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt. Bake in a pre-heated oven or toaster oven until golden brown.

Serve with the salmon dip.

Click here to download the recipe

Ross will create a dinner which will include the starter he made for the State dinner in honour of Queen Elizabeth’s II visit to Ireland in May 2011.

The Barrettstown Children’s Charity was set up in 1994 by the great actor Paul Newman. It is a holiday camp with a fantastic therapeutical background for children with cancer from all over Europe.

A great video was produced in our facilities for that purpose, and you can learn a lot from watching it.

The second big event will be Biofach, the biggest organic fair in the world. It takes place from 15 to 18 February in Nuremberg, Germany. We will be at stand 4-432 (Bord Bía communal stand).

They were very interested in tasting our salmon, seeing the production facilities and to hear our story. See more photos of the visit.

For 6 – 8 people as a main course or 12 -14 as a starter

Ingredients:

900g of fish – a mixture of white fish like cod, hake, etc
175 to 225g smoked haddock and  Burren Hot Smoked Irish Salmon (don’t use too much smoked fish as it may overwhelm the other flavours)
2 medium leeks
100g butter
900ml full fat milk or fish stock if preferred
1 onion
1 carrot
1 bay leaf
pinch of thyme
25g flour
salt & pepper
900g potatoes

Method:

Potatoes
Steam or boil the potatoes in their jackets. Peel and mash them.
At the same time, boil 300ml of the milk with 50g of the butter in it until the butter is melted. Immediately mix the mashed potatoes with the buttery milk.
If you want to pipe some of the potato the mash will need to be quite soft.
Season to taste.

Leeks
Wash the leeks making sure no grit remains. Dry them.
Slice thinly into rings using the white and light green parts.
Melt 25g of  the butter and sauté the leeks until soft. Don’t allow them to brown.

Stock
Heat the remaining 600ml of milk in a wide saucepan with sliced carrot, onion, herbs and peppercorns.
Bring to boil and simmer for about 5 minutes, remove from heat and let flavours infuse in the milk for about 10 minutes.
Strain and keep the flavoured milk for cooking fish.
If you are using a stock cube dissolve it in the milk instead.
Tip: For a richer pie add 2oz (50g) grated cheddar cheese to the sauce.

Fish
If you wish you can buy the fish ready cut into cubes from the fishmonger. Just make sure there is a nice mix of fish and not too much smoked fish.
If you prefer to buy whole pieces of fish according to your taste then skin the fish, remove bones and cut into desired portion size.
Put the fish in a wide pan or saucepan, cover with the already strained milk/stock and bring to a gentle boil. Simmer with lid on for about 5 minutes depending on size of fish pieces.
Be careful not to overcook or break up the fish too much.
Mix in the cooked leeks gently.
Add the cooked shellfish if using.
You can make one large pie or 3- 4 smaller ones, or individual starter servings.
In each case lightly grease the dishes you will cook the pie in.
With a slotted spoon carefully remove the fish from the milk, and divide evenly among the dishes.
Keep the milk to one side.

Sauce
To make the sauce, melt 25g butter in saucepan and blend in 25g flour, add the milk in which the fish was cooked, whisking to avoid lumps. Cook for a few minutes.
If using cheese add at this stage, stir in to melt.

Pour the sauce over the fish in the dishes and top with the mashed potato, using a fork or a piping bag.

Heat oven to 375°F / 180°C / Gas mark 4.
Cook for 10 to 15 minutes.

Tip: You can prepare the pie and refrigerate to cook later in which case it would take about 20-40 minutes to heat through fully.

Click here to download the recipe

We are launching our own Burren Smokehouse iPhone app now – go and get it, it is free!

As a launch special, there is a  fantatstic discount on our smoked salmon products for everybody who will be downloading our app.

Click here to download the Burren Smokehouse iPhone app.

Get 20% off
- our Burren Smoked Irish Salmon (hot & cold smoked)
- our Burren Smoked Irish Organic Salmon (hot & cold smoked)
- our Wild Smoked Irish Salmon

This offer is only available to you once now that you downloaded our app – so make the most of it!

Important: to avail of the discount online, please enter this coupon code iphone2012 into the coupon field which will appear in the checkout process on our website.

Limited to 3 packs per product. The offer does not apply to hampers, selections or non-salmon products.

While still setting up our business connection with Dean & Deluca in the USA, we were contacted by Dean & Deluca in Kuwait to see if we could deliver our smoked salmon to this very exotic destination.

It turned out that we could, and next week at the latest it will be for the first time available in Dean & Deluca Kuwait!

The last date on which we will dispatch your orders will be Monday 19th December for delivery on either 20 Dec 2011 (for Ireland, UK & Europe) or 21 Dec 11 to the US, Canada & Japan.

You can order as of now for Christmas. Ordering now avoids disappointment later! Also, you don’t need to insist on a delivery on Christmas day – the salmon keeps for at least 3 weeks. So you can even have it delivered the week before Christmas (13 to 15 December).

The British yearbook will be launched on 25 November with a very stylish Champagne afternoon tea in the Claridge Hotel in Mayfair, London, at which Birgitta will present.

Another launch will take place across the big pond on 8 December in New York City, and our marketing counsellor Susan Weldon will attend that one on our behalf.

Tastings at Fortnum & Mason -
24 November 2011, London
Birgitta will meet and greet customers at the prestigious department store Fortnum & Mason in London to give out tastings of our Burren Smoked Irish Organic Salmon. She would be delighted to meet you – make yourself known!

A taste of Chrismas –
25 to 27 November 2011, Convention Centre, Dublin
We will have a stand at this Christmas fair where you can buy our salmon.

Food & Wine Show -
25 to 27 November 2011, RDS, Dublin
Here as well, we will have a stand at this Christmas fair where you can buy our salmon.

National Crafts Fair –
30 November to 4 December, RDS, Dublin
We will have a stand at this Christmas fair where you can buy our salmon.

Doonbeg Christmas market -
10 & 11 and 17 & 18 December 2011, Doonbeg, County Clare
Visit us and buy your Christmas supplies of – not only – smoked salmon at this stunning and atmospheric Christmas market on the sea at the amazing grounds of the Doonbeg Golf Club, as you can see in the picture.

Serves 8 (halve the quantities for less people)

Ingredients:

30g or 1 oz unsalted butter or oil
2 chopped leeks
4 large potatoes, diced
2 litres or 3 ½ pints vegetable stock
1.5 litres or 3 pints milk
4 tblsp fresh dill, chopped
8 tblsp lemon juice
300g or 11oz Burren Hot Smoked Salmon, chopped into pieces
black pepper and salt to taste

Method:

Melt the butter in a large saucepan, add the chopped leeks and cook, stirring until softened. Add the diced potatoes and vegetable stock, bring to the boil and then simmer gently for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked.

At this stage blend until smooth. Put back on the heat, add the milk, dill and lemon juice, reheat until hot.

Mix in the chopped salmon and season with black pepper. Check for saltiness before adding extra salt, remember that smoked salmon can be quite salty as can shop bought vegetable stock.

Serve the salmon soup with brown bread or fresh baguette.

Click here to download the recipe

National Women’s Enterprise Day is one of a number of important initiatives from the Enterprise Boards, to encourage and support more women in the setting up of their own businesses over the coming years. The conference will be inspirational, a good networking occasion and a source for information. Debra Searle is one of the keynote speakers. She is an accomplished sportswoman and rowed across the Atlantic to raise awareness. Domini Kemp, owner of the Itsa Bagel chain is another speaker.

The Minister for Social Protection, Joan Burton T.D. will be will  speaking at a networking session the evening before, on November 16th.

Renowned for sourcing and supplying the best artisan food products from around the globe, Dean & Deluca has fourteen outlets across the United States, as well as sixteen cafés and stores in Asia and the Middle East. In addition, the company operates a high-profile mail order service.

The new US sales agreement has already achieved a ‘marketing buzz’ among American foodies after highly-regarded food critic, Coleman Andrews (former editor-in-chief of Saveur magazine), posted text and video blogs about the Burren Smokehouse on the popular DailyMeal.com website.

As part of the launch campaign, Birgitta travelled to New York to meet food critics and coordinate promotional in-store tastings.

On her return to Ireland, Birgitta explained that the new supply agreement is yet another exciting development in her  export-focused expansion strategy:

“Our launch at Dean & Deluca is a hugely important development for our business as this is one of the world’s most prestigious gourmet food halls. The flagship Dean & Deluca store in SoHo has been referenced in books and films – you could say that it’s a brand that’s become part of popular culture!

The new listing with Dean & Deluca is a unique endorsement of the high standards that the Burren Smokehouse subscribes to, and offers yet another opportunity to expand our international market presence. Not only are we listed in-store, but our Burren Smokehouse hot and cold smoked salmon will be available via three key mail-order catalogues: Hallowe’en, Thanksgiving and Christmas 2011.

We’re thrilled to have received support and encouragement from Lisa Cagney and Diane Stopford, who are both Irish women working at Dean & Deluca. We’re also really appreciative of the interest that Coleman Andrews has taken in our brand. I really feel that in the US, and particularly in New York, there’s a genuine sense of enthusiasm about our product range.”

In what has been an outstandingly successful year for us, we have also relished the prestige of being selected to provide a platter of fine smoked Irish salmon delicacies for the state dinner held to honour Queen Elizabeth II at Dublin Castle.

The dinner, which took place at the castle’s St Patrick’s Hall on 18th May, 2011, was one of the key events in the itinerary of the Queen’s historic state visit to Ireland.

“2011 has overwhelmingly exceeded our expectations. In May, I had the privilege of hand-smoking salmon for Her Majesty and state guests for a meal that was prepared by Michelin-star chef, Ross Lewis, from Chapter One.

Earlier in the year, I was in London at Fortnum & Mason’s flagship store in Piccadilly, where I launched our Burren Smoked Irish Organic Salmon as part of their distinguished own brand range. The company, which was founded in 1707, also sells its luxury food products through exclusive retail outlets in continental Europe, the United States, Canada, Russia, Australia and Asia. In addition, the Fortnum & Mason label is available at most major airport terminals across the UK.

Furthermore, our artisan-smoked seafood is now being sold in the food hall of Berlin’s exclusive KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westens) department store.

We couldn’t ask for a better 2011 and we’re now looking forward to building on our success during 2012”, Birgitta explained.

For the first time, we will be showcasing our (organic) smoked salmon at the SlowFisch fair in Bremen, Germany. The fair takes place from 4 to 6 November, and will be hosting a really interesting array of products and producers from fish to meat products to chocolates.

The spirit of the fair is very much affiliated with the Slow Food movement, and Slow Food founder Carlo Petrini will be there on the first day to launch the fair.

It goes without saying that the Burren Smokehouse (tastings of smoked salmon) and the Roadside Tavern (meals and beer tastings) will be part of the fun.

The Féasta Bía was organised by “The Atlantic Way”. They are based in Shannon and dedicated to maximize the synergies of all sectors by driving forward an agreed agenda for co-ordinated and joined-up development, creating a region of greater international scale and significance, and a region of proven excellence.

Serves 4 -6 people

Ingredients:

2lb or 1kg slightly floury potatoes
2 garlic cloves, crushed
8oz or 250g Burren hot smoked Irish salmon, flaked
½ pint or 250ml milk
½ pint or 250ml double cream
1 tsp grain mustard
2oz or 50g butter (cold)
salt & pepper to taste
freshly grated nutmeg

Method:

Preheat the oven to 150°C / gas mark 2. Peel the potatoes and slice very thinly. Dry with a cloth and use half of the potato slices to cover a well buttered baking dish and season with salt and pepper.

Distribute the smoked salmon on top of the potato slices in the dish. Cover with the rest of the potatoes and the garlic, and season again.

Mix the milk, cream and the mustard together. Pour the mix over the potatoes. Grate some nutmeg over the top and dot with butter flakes.

Bake for 1½ hours or until the potatoes are tender (a knife through the center should go in easily) and the gratin is golden brown and bubbling.

Serve with either a green salad or green cooked vegetable and a glass of Sauvignon Blanc for the adults.

Tip if you want to change the taste: this recipe also goes very well with smoked mackerel instead of hot smoked salmon.

Click here to download the recipe.

Click here to read her article.

Read here what she has to say about Birgitta, the Burren Smokehouse and most importantly about our smoked salmon!

You can  check the progress of your shipment on the UPS website (www.ups.com). Nightline, the company we use for deliveries within the island of Ireland, also have a tracking system similar to the one UPS is using. Provided we have your email address, we will have email updates sent to you by Nightline.

Great Taste Awards 2010:
WE STRUCK GOLD – THREE TIMES!

Three of our four entries were awarded 2* Gold Medals! Not just any gold medals, but those with two stars! We are absolutely thrilled to see the reward for our never-ending efforts to maintain and if possible improve the high standard of the quality of our products, and to create new mouth-watering varieties.

These are the products that won the Great Taste 2010 2* Gold Medals:

– Irish Hot Smoked Organic Salmon with Honey, Lemon & Dill
- Irish Cold Smoked Organic Salmon with Honey, Whiskey & Fennel
- Cold Smoked Halibut

Considering that there were over 6,000 entries, and that only 457 products were awarded a 2* Gold Medal, this is definitely no mean feat!

Call into the Burren Smokehouse Visitor Centre and get a tasting of our Burren smoked salmon. You can discover mosaics inside and outside our shop, and look at the first kiln we used when we first set up the Burren Smokehouse.
Free parking available, as well as access and facilities for the disabled.

For one person. Recipe can easily be multiplied

Ingredients:

1 wrap
4oz Mayonnaise
Half teaspoon of Wasabi or more if you prefer.
Rocket salad
Pickled cucumber
Juice of a lemon
Salt
Burren Hot smoked Irish Salmon, plain

Method:

Combine the mayonnaise with the wasabi and spread some of the mix on the wrap.

Add the salmon, rocket & pickled cucumber to the wrap. Add a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of salt.

Roll the wrap & enjoy!

Click here to download the recipe.

“Pauli Cuisine” is a very interesting, specialised magazine in German which is targeted at the Swiss gastronomy. It covers a wide range of subjects – from hygiene to wine and beer to culinary temples in Switzerland.

Article by Esther Kunz about the Burren Smokehouse

Please click LIKE on their Facebook page – the more LIKES they get, the higher the chance that this food happening will be staged again next year!

The things we do to be able to tell you about about the way responsible and sustainable salmon farming is done! We will let you know everything we learned in our next newsletter.

Here is a shortcut to our Organic Salmon page where you will find all the information about organic salmon.

We want to take the opportunity to thank our two previous marketing advisors Patricia Gouldsbury and Patricia Lynch who worked for us in the USA and in Germany respectively until the end of June. Thanks to their hard work, we have found very interesting customers in both countries!

The picture shows Mick Murphy, a salmon fisherman, with Birgitta in a flat-bottomed, wooden boat called Nore cot.

Snapnet-fishing is a time-consuming technique, but one that does not traumatise or stress the salmon. A net is drawn between two cots, and when movement in the net indicates that there are fish trapped in it, the fishermen haul up the lower end of the net in one swift movement. Fishing does not get any more sustainable and gentle than this!

After the introduction of the commercial driftnet fishing ban in Irish waters in 2006, the salmon stocks have reached a much healthier level. For this reason, the Inland Fisheries Board asked local fishermen to fish small and clearly defined amounts of salmon for stock management purposes: after the conservation stock limit of salmon (i.e. the critical number necessary for the conservation of the species) lay their eggs in the shallow waters of the rivers, these “nests” would be greatly disturbed by too great a number of salmon coming up the rivers.

Irish chef Catherine Fulvio from Ballyknocken House & Cookery School spoke warmly of our smoked Salmon and other Irish food products she selected for the occasion.

In the radio interview, she told the listeners how she – as an Irish chef – got invited by two Americans who stayed with her last autumn for a cookery course. These people were the ones who organised the dinner, and they were clearly impressed with Catherine’s culinary skills and her passion for Irish food!

Word must have gotten around in the States, because a few days later, the wife of a congressman was spotted by another American lady buying salmon and other things to her heart’s content in our visitor centre.

Listen to the radio interview here.

Ingredients:

1 pack of Burren Hot Smoked Organic Salmon with honey, lemon, pepper & honey, lemon, dill
butterhead lettuce or rocket, washed
4 cherry tomatoes
2 medium hard boiled free range eggs
plenty of blanched green beans
2 boiled new season ‘waxy’ potatoes
a few capers
some chopped parsley
a dozen or so pitted black kalamatta olives
Rua salad dressing or vinaigrette
black pepper
soda bread

Method:

1. Place everything except the eggs and Salmon in bowl and dress well.

2. Crumble the desired amount of both salmon qualities over the salad. Quarter the eggs and place it in the bowl or on the plate. Add a little more dressing to taste and grind fresh black pepper over the top.

Serve with some soda bread or a crusty baguette. Bon appetit!

Click here to download the recipe.

Here you can watch the video.

In the picture you can see Pat Coleman of Food Ireland, importer and distributor in the USA based in New York, Birgitta Hedin Curtin of the Burren Smokehouse, and Karen Coyle of Bord Bia New York. Birgitta also met with Ambassador to the States Michael Collins and First Secretary Department of Agriculture, Dr John Dardis at a Kerrygold product launch.

For us, it was a good way of meeting existing and new contacts in the United States where at least one exciting customer is about to come onboard. But we will cackle about this later when the egg is laid…

Biolüske is a new customer of ours – our first one in Berlin – who not only offers a great variety of organic foods in the shop, but also cookery courses and catering for events. They are celebrating their 7th business anniversary by inviting food producers to meet their customers for tastings.

On Sunday 24 July 2011, we will be celebrating the launch of the Burren Brewery – bands will be playing from 3pm, and food will be available, as will be the three new beers at great prices. Join us if you are anywhere near Lisdoonvarna! See here for more details.

This is another added attraction as in most pubs, you would only be able to drink the usual suspects. But with Peter’s microbrewery lager, ale and stout, there is a big and unique range of beers available for our visitors. This goes down very well with our many German and foreign visitors and the locals alike who all enjoy the traditional music and the Sunday night sessions.

Good Food Ireland

This picture shows Birgitta with IFA President John Bryan, An Taoiseach Enda Kenny (the Irish Prime Minister), Niall Ennis (Carrygerry Country House), and Pat Breen (Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Trade, Fine Gael TD).

The Burren Smokehouse, along with other small business from the Shannon area, were given the opportunity to showcase their goods to the members of the delegation. Here is what they wrote about us and the other producers:

“GO WEST, THE YOUNG AND FOOIE AT HEART
LISDOONVARNA is not just for matchmaking and surfing — now you can also eat rather well, as we discovered on a recent visit to the area for the Burren Slow Food Festival. The festival organisers weren’t blessed with the weather on the day, but they were blessed with the enthusiasm of the wide variety of artisan producers, local chefs, including Aidan McGrath of the Wild Honey Inn, and enthusiastic foodies. Chairperson of the Slow Food Clare convivium is Birgitta Hedin-Curtin of Burren Smokehouse, who smoked the organic Clare Island salmon for the Queen’s banquet at the request of Ross Lewis of Chapter One. All very prestigious indeed and they will now be smoking salmon for Fortnum & Mason’s own label which will be on…” Read full article here.

- for one person -

Ingredients:

1 potato
2 slices Burren Smoked Irish Salmon
1 tablespoon Horseradish sauce
Lemon Juice
1 egg
1 Spring onion sliced
Parsley to garnish

Method:

1. Peel the potato and boil. Slice it once done.
Put oil in a hot pan and add the potato slices.

2. Drizzle a small amount of oil on a roasting plate or dish and lay salmon on it. Rub the salmon with horseradish sauce and add a small squeeze of lemon. Then put the slices under the grill for 1½  to 2 minutes.

3. Fry the egg with oil in a medium hot pan. Season the potato slices and add a sprinkling of spring onion.

4. Plate the potato slices and lay the salmon slices over. Place the fried egg on top and garnish with a sprig of parsley.

Bon appetit!

Click here to download the recipe

Eileen Hartnett
Jo O’Connor
Chris Carroll
Brian Hunt
Deirdre Reddy

We will send the sides directly out to the winners – bon appetit from the Burren Smokehouse Team!

Birgitta holding up our freshly Burren smoked Irish Salmon. Photograph Eamon Ward

On 18 June 2011, the Irish Examiner magazine published an article written by Pól O’Conghaile about one of the biggest food operations this year in Ireland. It is about the foodie heroes behind the State Dinner held for Queen Elizabeth II in Dublin at the end of May. It is about the Irish artisan producers who made it possible to provide excellent food for over 170 guests. Read the full article here.

“This is a story about what I did today. Some of it is factual and real and the rest of it might be completely made up. You decide. No fish were harmed in todays excursion.

I kind of have a bit of a crush on  a dude named Peadar. (American friends pronounce this name like Padthurr). He likes fish and do I. So it makes sense that I would drool over him, or at least his fish, right? …”

You have to absolutely read the rest of it by clicking here.

Whilst at Bloom in the Park Birgitta met with landscape gardener and garden radio show host Peter Donegan.

Peter was at Bloom recording audio with fellow presenter Brian Greene for The Sodshow when he met with the Burren Smokehouse team in the food arena.

We love this little bit of audio Peter recorded with son John

Very easy and fast seasonal recipe (ca. 30 min) which will be great for buffets, brunches and picnics as it can be prepared in advance and is served cold.

Ingredients:

1 bunch / about 20 spears (green) asparagus
2 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tblsp chopped fresh rosemary leaves
salt
freshly ground black pepper
500g / 1.1 lb thinly sliced Burren smoked Irish Organic salmon (1 slice per asparagus spear)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Cut off the ends of the asparagus spears, and spread out the spears on a baking sheet lined with tinfoil. Drizzle the spears with olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper. Roast until cooked and starting to brown around the edges, which will take about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to another baking sheet to cool.

2. When the asparagus have cooled, wrap each one in a slice of smoked salmon. Arrange on a serving platter and serve at room temperature.

Bon appetit!

Download recipe here

There are, however, limited licences being given out to small fishery outfits like the Grubb family. They are only allowed to fish a small number of wild salmon, and they basically do it by hand with draft nets (see photo).

The season started on 12 May and ends in August. Fishing is only allowed on certain days. The fishing takes place more than 5 kilometres upriver on Blackwater River (Co. Waterford). This is important, as the wild salmon, on return to and in search of the river where they were born, swim into the river for a certain distance and taste the water. If they find it is not the native river of their origin, they turn back to look for the right one. The outfit of the Grubb family is upriver from where salmon would turn back.

Here you can read up more on the life cycle of the wild salmon.

Barbara Grubb and her husband can look back on 21 generations of salmon fishing. The property and fishing rights were handed down four times through the female lineage of the Fitzgeralds, then Villier-Stuarts. The salmon fishing rights at Dromana House in Villierstown (!) in County Waterford date back to the times of King John (1200 AD, to be exact).

The house is full of mementoes from centuries gone by – a sword from some English king, or a dress given to one of the ladies of the house by Queen Elizabeth I. In the 16th century, one of Barbara Grubb’s female ancestors, the Countess of Desmond, had walked from the south-east of Ireland to London to ask her lands back, and attached to the lands, her fishing rights. By the time she got there and had an audience with Her Majesty, her clothes were in tatters. QE1 was so impressed with the determination of that other woman, that she presented her with a dress!

The political correspondent who was interviewed during the live coverage at Dublin Castle pointed out that it was highly unusual that a Prime Minister would join the Queen during a state visit. PM David Cameron was flown into Dublin yesterday to meet with Ireland’s Taoiseach Enda Kenny and to join the guests during the dinner. His presence underlines the political importance and the new relationship between the two countries.

This is the first official visit of an English king or queen in the Republic of Ireland in a hundred years. It is an immensely important and welcomed step in the healing process between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland.

Great endorsement for our smoked salmon

Birgitta herself delivered the smoked salmon to the chefs in Dublin who had the honour to cook for the dinner during the State visit of Queen Elizabeth II, her husband Prince Philip and Prime Minister David Cameron.

Garrett Duff (on left) from With Taste, Dublin, and Ross Lewis (on right) from Chapter One, the award-winning restaurant in Dublin, were the wizards on duty. Ross was the hands-on executive chef, and Garrett the catering chef.

Bord Bía did a great job providing Irish top-class produce from about 15 counties for this dinner which highlighted the importance and the high level of quality of Ireland as a food producing country.

Birgitta: “It’s an absolute delight and outstanding compliment to have been selected to provide the smoked fish that was served at this pivotal state event. We’re also really pleased that executives at Bord Bia have worked so hard to capitalise on the opportunity to showcase Irish food produce during Queen Elizabeth II’s visit. It’s fantastic that the finest Irish food products are being promoted in this way.

This was the menu for what was probably the most memorable state dinner to ever be held in this country – to be selected to provide our Burren smoked salmon delicacies for Her Majesty brings amazing kudos and underlines our brand as being one of the country’s most esteemed and celebrated artisan food products.”

Coverage on RTE1 & dinner menu

For those of you who live in Ireland, you can watch the live coverage of last night’s State dinner on the RTE player. Click here to watch it. About 14 minutes into the coverage, you will hear the correspondents talk about the food that was being served at the dinner.

Here is the start of the menu, published also on the RTE1 website and in the Irish Independent:

Menu
Cured salmon with Burren smoked salmon cream and lemon balm jelly, horseradish and wild watercress, Kilkenny organic cold pressed rapeseed oil [...]

Here you will find more information on the Burren Slow Food Festival.

This recipe splits into two different kinds of presentations to keep it more interesting. Nicely suited for a brunch or buffet-style lunch/dinner for friends and family as they are served cold.

Ingredients:

200g / 7oz sushi rice
1 kombu leaf (dried seaweed, serves as spice)
2 tblsp rice vinegar
1/2 tblsp sugar
1 pinch salt
nori leaves (seaweed) for garnish
250g / 9oz Burren Smoked Irish Organic Salmon, sliced
wasabi paste

Method:

1. Wash rice in a sieve until the water coming out of it is clear. Let drip for 30 minutes.

2. Cook rice with 320ml / 11 fl.oz. of water and the kombu leaf (which you cut into four times). Stir occasionally. Let boil for 2 min, then reduce heat and simmer to let the rice expand until the water is completely soaked up, for 15-20 minutes.

3. Heat rice vinegar, sugar and salt until dissolved. Fill rice into a wide dish, discard the kombu leaf. Mix the rice with the vinegar solution and let it cool down. Now you can either prepare the entire recipe as little packets or as little rolls. If you want to do both: half the quantity.

4. (a) For the rolls: place 1 nori leaf on a sushi mat. Place rice on top of leaf, 5mm / 0.2in thick. Roll up the salmon slices tightly, and coat on one side with the wasabi paste. Put the salmon roll lengthwise onto the rice. Roll up with the help of the mat. Then cut the sushi roll in slices of about 2cm / 1in with a sharp knife.

4.(b) For the little packets: Cut the salmon in the opened pack into strips 3cm wide and 5-6 cm long (1in / 2in) without separating it into slices. Coat them with a bit of wasabi. Shape rice into even rolls of 4cm (1.5in). Flatten the rolls gently, place the salmon pieces on them (wasabi side facing down) and press onto the rice. Cut the nori leaf in thin strips and press it onto the packets as a garnish.

Bon appetit!

Download recipe for Burren Smokehouse Smoked Salmon Sushis here

The motto of this year’s festival is “Local food, local jobs” – a notion that becomes more prominent and important in everyday Irish life. One proof of this change in consumers’ attitude is the growing number of farmers markets around the country. There will be a farmers market at the Slow Food festival which will showcase the excellent local produce and products.

A great array of activities is being organised: cookery demos, a walk in the Burren, the famous Slow Food Dinner in Roadford House in Doolin, microbrewery beer tasting with traditional music. The recently launched Burren Ecotourism Network will be there to showcase their services for sustainable holidays. There will be guest speakers, one of them will be Duncan Stewart, well-known from the TV programme “About the House”.
Find out more on the Clare Slow Food website.

Birgitta’s daughter Sarah did her transition year work experience in MacNeans House & Restaurant in Blacklion (Co. Cavan) recently. Birgitta brought some Burren Smoked Irish Salmon to Neven and his head chef Glen Wheeler who looked very well after Sarah and a friend of hers!

Our salmon will be used to cater for this event called “Celtic Chefs” in aid of the Washington Ireland Fund whereby six celebrity chefs prepare dishes for 250 guests (key politicians in Washington and their families). ]]> http://www.burrensmokehouse.ie/blog/blog/our-salmon-in-washington-dc/feed 0 http://www.burrensmokehouse.ie/blog/blog/breaking-news-wild-salmon-back http://www.burrensmokehouse.ie/blog/blog/breaking-news-wild-salmon-back#comments Wed, 11 May 2011 15:08:15 +0000 admin http://www.burrensmokehouse.ie/blog/?p=3500 For the first time since 2006, the first draft netted Wild Irish Salmon will be caught for us in mid May by fishermen in the Blackwater River, County Cork.  It will be available in small amounts only and most likely be at the same price level as gold nuggets (possibly) found in the same river!

So if you are interested, please let us know as soon as possible as we cannot guarantee to be able to satisfy the demand. Once we know the price we will start taking orders for the end of May and early June for Wild Salmon in season, freshly smoked by Burren Smokehouse.

By the same token, we already have one taker for this precious wild salmon: it will be used to cater for a high-powered visit in Ireland this month…

The picture does not show our Irish fishermen catching our wild salmon, but a hungry bear in Alaska feeding on salmon after a long winter spent in hibernation. ]]> http://www.burrensmokehouse.ie/blog/blog/breaking-news-wild-salmon-back/feed 0 http://www.burrensmokehouse.ie/blog/recipes/by-ingredients/spinach-cakelets http://www.burrensmokehouse.ie/blog/recipes/by-ingredients/spinach-cakelets#comments Wed, 13 Apr 2011 14:41:21 +0000 admin http://www.burrensmokehouse.ie/blog/?p=3373 Savoury Spinach Cakelets

- for 4 cakelets or 1 big one -

This recipe is originally from Germany, we ireland-ized it with our salmon on the side!
Ingredients:

300g / 10oz spinach leaves (frozen)
75g / 2.5oz  flour + flour for the moulds and work surface
50g / 2 oz ground almonds
1 tsp sugar
salt
75g / 2.5oz cold butter + butter for baking pan(s)
1 egg yolk + 1 egg (medium-sized)
1 onion
1 garlic clove
2-3 tablespoons raisins
1 tblsp olive oil
pepper
150g / 5oz cream fraîche
3 tblsp almond flakes
200g Burren hot smoked salmon
Method:

1. Defrost spinach. Knead together flour, ground almonds, sugar, salt, butter (cut into little flakes) and the one egg yolk. Chill for 30 minutes.

2. Preheat the (electric) oven to 175°C / 350°F. Peel onion and garlic, dice them and fry off gently in olive oil with the raisins. Take 4 baking pans (Ø 12 cm / 5in), or 1 big baking pan (Ø 26cm/10in), grease them and then dust them with flour. Squeeze the excess water out of the spinach, cut it into fine pieces. Then salt and pepper it and add it to the onion mixture.

3. Mix cream fraîche and the remaining egg. Add salt and pepper. Dust the work surface with flour and roll out the dough until it is about 5mm/0.2in thick. Cut out the dough a bit bigger than the baking pan(s), and press it into the pan(s).

4. First fill in the spinach mixture, then the egg mixture on top. Pour the almond flakes evenly over the top. Bake for 30 minutes at 175°C / 350°F. Serve hot or cold with the Burren Hot Smoked Salmon on the side.

Bon appetit!

Cold and Hot Smoked Salmon

Do you know the difference between hot and cold smoked salmon, or which one is the traditional Irish way of smoking? If not, we might be able to clear up the confusion…

The traditional Irish (and central European) way of smoking salmon is cold smoked. That means that the salmon is in the kiln for about 8 hours at roughly 32° Celsius. The exact times and temperatures depend on the size of the fillets. The texture and taste of the salmon is the one that you would automatically associate with smoked salmon: dark pink, soft, juicy.

It comes in plain, or as a unique blend of tastes as the Burren Smoked Irish Organic Salmon with Honey, Whiskey & Fennel. This variety won a 2* Gold Medal at the Great Taste Awards in 2010.

The Scandinavian way of smoking salmon would be hot smoked. The salmon fillets are in the kiln for half the time at double the temperature (4 hours at 80°C). Some people also call it barbecued salmon which is quite an accurate way of describing it when it comes to the texture (but note that it does not mean that it’s burnt on the outside!). It is flakier and has a lighter colour. Especially people who find cold smoked salmon a bit “fishy” or oily love our hot smoked salmon. It comes in different varieties:

Plain: nothing added, pure salmon taste

Spiced: a colourful and tasty mix of herbs and mustard seeds are added to give it the extra edge

Honey, Lemon and Dill: in 2007, we invented the Burren Hot Smoked Irish Organic Salmon with honey, lemon & dill. It won a gold medal at the 2008 Great Taste Awards, and at the 2010 Great Taste, it won 2* Gold Medals!

Honey, Lemon and Pepper: also invented in 2007. Applied on the Burren Hot Smoked Irish Organic Salmon, it promptly won the “Best Irish Product of the Show” award at SHOP 2007! The lemon makes the salmon very juicy.

What are the advantages for you?
When you ask the people in your family, workplace etc if they would like to place an order for smoked fish, you achieve a few things:

- the price of the smoked fish will be reduced by 12.5% for orders over 20 kg

- the freight will come cheaper, because we will drop the high rate for the first kilo of each delivery which is usually the most expensive one. So for a delivery of 20 kg to the United Kingdom you will pay €79 instead of €94.60.

How do you go about joining our Salmon Buying Club?
First of all, find out who in your circle of friends and relatives would want to join in. We will be delighted to send out as many catalogues as you need by post. Or you can direct your friends to our website where they will be able to see all the products. You then collect their orders and pass the total order on to us.

If you want to, you can send us an email or fax or letter with your order, or you place your order on the website. You should mention the words “Salmon Buying Club” when sending us an order by email etc.
The prices will be adjusted automatically to the conditions herein stipulated when placing your order online.

Conditions
Orders
- over 20 kg
- to be shipped to one delivery address

will qualify for a
- 12.5% discount
- reduced freight rate (high rate for first kilo replaced by the rate for the 2nd kilo)

This easy recipe only takes 30 minutes to prepare from scratch.
Tip: if the avocado s not quite ripe yet, wrap it into newspaper with an apple for 1 to 2 days.

Ingredients:

3 tomatoes
2 small onions
1 clove of garlic
500g short maccaroni pasta
salt
2 ripe avocados
3-4 tblsp lemon juice
2 tblsp olive oil
2 tblsp vinegar (for ex. balsamico)
1 pinch sugar
200g Burren Hot Smoked Salmon

Method:

1. Place tomatoes in boiling water for 30 seconds, then cool them down under tap. Skin and quarter them, remove the pips then cut into small pieces. Chop onions and garlic clove.

2. Cook pasta. After draining the pasta, break the Burren Hot Smoked Salmon into small pieces and add to the pasta. Cover saucepan with a lid.

3. Skin the avocados and remove the core. Spread the lemon juice on the avocados, and puree them. Add salt and garlic to the mix.

4. Heat oil in a saucepan and fry off the onions. Add tomatoes and vinegar and cook over low heat to reduce. Then add salt and sugar to your taste.

5. Arrange the pasta/salmon mix on plates. Garnish pasta with the cooked tomatoes and a blob of the avocado cream on top.

Enjoy!

Another kind of tourism which we have worked on for as long as we have had the visitor centre (since 1995), is of course food tourism. People who come into our visitor centre with the intention to just buy smoked salmon, usually end up sitting down to watch the video about how we smoke our salmon, and then taste it (free of charge, of course). We are there to answer specific questions for those who are interested, and receive groups to give presentations about our business.

We are striving to make a visit to our smokehouse an experience. Hopefully, those who had a chance to visit us will have a better understanding of the nutritious product we are handcrafting here in Lisdoonvarna. But besides our visitor centre, our website brings an Irish Food Shop and heaps of information to a much wider audience located anywhere in the world. Have a look around, you’ll be surprised how much information and recipes you will find there!

And speaking of food tourism, Birgitta will be a foodie tourist herself at the end of March. She will be going on an inspiration tour in the area of San Sebastian (Spain) and Biarritz (France) on the Bay of Biscay. This tour is organised by Bord Bía and will bring the participants in contact with the markets and potential buyers.

We noticed that there is a great interest in Irish products and in companies like ours who can offer high quality products, an authentic experience and a real story behind it.

We have started smoking for Fortnum & Mason a month ago which we are really delighted about. Fortnum & Mason was founded in 1707 and discreetly shows quite a few royal warrants on their website.

We still have all three languages (English, French and German) available – select the one you would on top of the homepage.

Also, the website is very safe to use. You pay by credit card (Visa, MasterCard and American Express) through Paypal. Please note that you do not need to have a Paypal account to pay by credit card. Alternatively, you can also pay with money in your Paypal account if you have one. For us and also for you, this is a safe and fast way to make a payment – no misunderstandings or typos are possible, and no credit card details are stored anywhere.

Please have a look at our new website and browse – then tell us what you think! (Note that we are still working on the contents, so please bear with us!)

The day got its name from two of the many Early Christian martyrs called Valentine. One theory from Belarus is telling the story of of Saint Valentine, who upon rejection by his mistress was so heartbroken that he took a knife to his chest and sent her his still-beating heart as a token of his undying love for her. Thankfully we since moved on to more light-hearted (sorry about the pun!) means of expressing our love.

The tradition of sending Valentine cards – the one shown here dates from 1887 – started in 1840 in the US, but it must have been popular in England before that. It is estimated that around 1 billion Valentine cards are sent worlwide each year, making it the second largest day for greeting cards after Christmas. And Gentlemen: about 85 percent of them are sent by women – so this is your chance to rectify this imbalance!
So the short answer to the above question is: Yes! Valentine’s Day has a religious origin, is a tradition and has been developed into a commercially viable holiday!

… and for once we are not talking fish but seaweed! The next time you walk on the shore and look at the stranded seaweed, you will most likely think “Wow” and not: “Oh this boring stuff again…” after reading what we have to say about it.

We already have a lot of information about the health benefits of seaweed on our website, and we keep adding more after talking to our seaweed product suppliers, Algaran and Quality Sea Veg, in Donegal. There is so much to learn, it is hard to find a good start. But maybe John B. Keane’s quote who was a great believer in seaweed will do: “God created seaweed… The seaweed made the world.” It might sound a bit strange, but in the big scope of things he was not too far off the mark.

As we all know, life began in the seas. Sea water is very mineral-rich, and therefore algae absorb plenty of mineral elements, vitamins and trace elements. The mineral content of some seaweeds account for up to 80% of their dry matter. But it gets better: some brown seaweed like Ascophyllum nodosum (also called Knotted Wrack) or Fucus vesiculosus (commonly called Bladder Wrack) contain all the minerals there are on the planet!

In this newsletter, we want to share with you what we learnt from Algaran about their daily work. Rosaria Piseri, one co-owner of the company, came from Italy to Ireland in 1996, and she brought with her a unique extraction technology: to make cosmetics, the cells of the seaweed get broken by -25°C temperature followed by soundwave extraction to get the goodness out of them. Some, however, will stay inside the solid part of the seaweed. These will be extracted with the help of oil, so nothing will be wasted.

We will have a second info feature about seaweed in our next newsletter featuring more interesting facts. In the meantime, read more on our website – there is too much to mention in this restricted space!

In the first part of Treasures from the Sea, we talked mostly about Algaran and how they work. Today, it is Quality Sea Veg’s turn. Quality Sea Veg concentrates on processing seaweed as a very healthy food supplement. Parts of the seaweed is washed, dried and packed as it is. Some is milled and blended with sea salt to make the perfect spice.

They have their own harvesting rights to areas on the shore and on some islands in County Donegal. Gathering seaweed is an old tradition in Donegal as well as in other parts of Ireland. Manus McGonagle from Quality Sea Veg told us how he used to go out with his father and others in his summer holidays to gather carragheen and dulse and… Read more here on our website

Here are some more interesting facts about seaweed:

In 1959, there was an outbreak of the food & mouth disease in Europe, and it affected many animals which died as a consequence. Only those that had been fed on a diet that in parts contained seaweed survived unscathed. The reason for that is that seaweed contains some complicated forms of sugar the cell structure of which is very similar to those of viruses. So the virus “thinks” that the infected body is already saturated with its own destructive cells, and will not reproduce any longer.

Something similar happens when an extract in oil of a red seaweed called Dumontia is applied on cold sores. It stops the virus from growing, and after a while the virus just dies because it cannot reproduce any more.

Seaweed has been around for about 3 billion years now. It is something in-between, not an animal and not a plant. Some seaweed kinds reproduce sexually through male and female reproductive cells by producing eggs and sperms. Others reproduce asexually by splitting from the main plant in a process called fragmentation or division. These are clones of the mother plant.

In contrast to salmon and trout, mackerel is a species that cannot be farmed, so all mackerel you buy was caught in the wild. They can reach the mature age of 20 years. Usually mackerel swim in large schools of several thousands. It is not known if the schools hold together all the time, but fishermen tend to think so. The members of a school are usually of the same size. In summer, they tend to move towards the shores and the surface of the water, while they would move into deep water in winter. Mackerel school by themselves, as a rule, but sometimes they are found mingled with herring, alewives or shad.

The just-hatched fish are called alevins, and still have a yolk sac attached to their bodies containing the remains of food supplied from the egg. When most of the their yolk sac has been consumed, the alevins become active and begin their journey up through the gravel.

Three to six weeks after hatching they are called fry. The small fish must rise to the surface of the water to take a gulp of air with which they fill their swim bladder. This critical period exposes the young to dangerous predators for the first time.

Fry quickly develop into parr with vertical stripes and spots for camouflage. They feed on aquatic insects and grow for one to three years in their natal stream. Once the parr have grown to 10–24 cm in body length, they undergo a physiological pre-adaptation to life in seawater while still in freshwater, by smolting (internal changes in the salt-regulating mechanisms of the body, and in the appearance and behaviour of the fish). The smolts change from swimming against the current to moving with it. This adaptation prepares the smolt for its journey to the oceans.

In spring, large numbers of smolts leave Irish rivers to migrate north along the slope current into the Norwegian Sea and the greater expanse of the North Atlantic Ocean. As they grow fewer predators are able to feed on them. Their rate of growth is therefore critical to survival.

Some Irish salmon will reach maturity after one year at sea and return to their river in summertime weighing from 1 to 4kg. If it takes two or more years to mature, the salmon will return considerably earlier in the year and larger at 3 to 15kg – becoming a highly prized fish but also a very rare one. Salmon exhibit a remarkable “homing instinct”, by which a very high proportion are able to locate their river of origin using the earth’s magnetic field, the chemical smell of their river and pheromones (chemical substances released by other salmon in the river).

Having spawned, the salmon are referred to as “kelts”. Weakened by not having eaten any food since their arrival in freshwater and losing energy in a bid to reproduce successfully they are susceptible to disease and predators. Mortality after spawning can be significant, especially for males but some do survive and commence their epic jouney again. In exceptional cases, some Irish salmon are known to have spawned up to three times!

We are very proud to work with exclusively Irish salmon suppliers who are all committed to sustainability and care for the environment.

Our biggest supplier of our Salmon of Knowledge has been audited for the “Friend of the Sea” certificate. This name might not mean much to you, but you might have heard about the dolphin-friendly tuna that you can buy in tins with the logo of a dolphin on it.

The Dolphin-Safe seal of approval is by far the best known environmental certification label. It testifies that the tuna has been caught without killing dolphins as a by-catch (dolphins would drown in the nets before they would get a chance to come to the surface and breathe again).

Friend of the Sea was founded by Dr Paolo Bray, also European Director of the Earth Island Institute’s Dolphin-Safe Project, the precursor of all seafood and fisheries certification scheme, which managed to save millions of dolphins from getting targeted, bycaught and killed by the industrial tuna industry.

The criteria for certification are:
- the fishfarms are not impacting critical habitats
- procedures are in place to limit escapes of fish to a negligible level;
- there is NO use of Genetically Modified Organisms and growth
hormones;
- there is NO use of antifouling paints;
- there is waste, water, feed and energy management in place;

The impact of these measures are very positive for the salmon itself, its taste, quality and its health benefits, but also for the environment. And at the Burren Smokehouse, we are convinced you can taste it in the smoked salmon!

We are committed to conserve Energy, reduce Waste generated and Recycle as much as possible of the raw materials that we utilise in the Burren Smokehouse. We are also committed to sustainable tourism and sustainable production and sourcing of food.

Burren Smokehouse got an Energy Audit done in 2007 and follow the recommendations from that report. We have changed our
electricity supplier to a company that uses renewable sources to create energy. The oak shavings we use for smoking our salmon are a side product of a wood craft company in Clare.

We are committed to care for the environment and to leave as little trace as possible.

We continually look at new, innovative ideas in our processes to reduce water and energy use.

All our fish that we smoke are 100% Irish, sourced from Clare Island in Co Mayo, Co Donegal and Co Waterford. Our salmon all have an ECO-label and ISO 14001, and a portion of the Salmon are organically certified. We are certified with IOFGA (the Irish Organic Farmers and Growers Association) to produce Burren Smoked Irish Organic Salmon.

We are committed to source locally and/or organically produced raw materials and food to keep the food milage as low as possible. This helps to support and grow our local community and local economy.
The majority of our gourmet foods like cheeses, chocolate, chutneys, jam, even some wines we source are produced in Co Clare and also from all over Ireland. Our priority lies in sourcing as locally as possible.

Birgitta & Peter Curtin are Slow Food Members and believe in as well as support that movement.

We employ staff who live locally. They support the local economy and its services.

Over a century ago, in 1909, explorer Sir Ernest Henry Shackleton who was born in 1874 in County Kildare, Ireland, had to leave behind some cases of alcohol at Hut Point in the Antarctic. They had failed to reached the South Pole as they had to turn back in a race against starvation. They just about made it back to the ship. But their achievement was that they were the first humans (we know of) to get this far south. Two years later, Roald Amundsen reached the southernmost point of the earth.

In 2006, five crates of Scotch whisky and two of brandy were recovered from under the floor boards by a team restoring an Antarctic hut used more than 100 years ago by polar explorer Ernest Shackleton and his crew.

Only this year, current distillery owner, drinks group Whyte & Mackay, launched the bid to recover the Scotch whisky for samples to test and decide whether to relaunch the defunct spirit made by distiller McKinlay and Co.

Richard Paterson, master blender at Whyte and Mackay, described the find as “a gift from the heavens for whisky lovers.”

“If the contents can be confirmed, safely extracted and analysed, the original blend may be able to be replicated. Given the original recipe no longer exists, this may open a door into history,” he said in a statement.

On 5 January 1922, Shackleton suffered a fatal heart attack on his last expedition to the South Pole, on board his ship QUEST in South Georgia. Just before he died, his doctor who was with him on the ship told him to lead a more regular life and to give up alcohol…

Roughly speaking, one can say that the rainbow trout is a freshwater fish, and the sea trout one that lives mainly in salt water.

The rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) is native only to the rivers and lakes of North America, west of the Rocky Mountains, and of the tributaries of the Pacific Ocean in Asia. Its value as a hard-fighting game fish and tasty meal, however, has led to its introduction in freshwater bodies around the world.

The rainbow trout is a species of salmonid. On the west coast of the United States, there is a sea run form of rainbow trout called steelhead which usually returns after two to three years at sea. They are the same species, the difference is that the steelhead migrate from salt water to spawn in fresh water.

The sea trout (Salmo trutta morpha trutta) shows anadromous reproduction, meaning it migrates to the oceans for much of its life and returns to freshwater only to spawn, like the salmon. Sea trout in the UK and Ireland have many regional names including sewin (Wales), finnock (Scotland), mort (North West England) and white trout (Ireland).

Trout make for a very tasty meal, as simple and easy or as sophisticated as you like. It is rich in Omega-3 oils and low in calories, and contains vitamins A and D. So give our recipe below a try and taste it for yourself! And if you fancy seeing trout for yourself, take a trip down to Kilkenny and visit the Goatsbridge Trout farm free of charge. They will be delighted to show you around.

Let us go back in history for a bit. Before the advent of refrigerators, and even before the invention and building of railroads, people had different ways of preserving perishables. Foods were fermented (grapes become wine), pickled (gherkins and peppers), salted or cured (herring in brine, cured cod), cooked (fruits turn into jam), dried (stockfish = dried cod) and smoked (fish, meat). This was particularly important for long sea journeys. The meat and other preserved foods were probably not particularly appreciated anymore after months and months of the same diet, but at least the sailors still had something to eat. Then lateron, the making of ice was mastered and used to chill perishables, and the “fast” transport by railroad solved a few of the preservation problems. Today we cannot imagine that something as soft as salmon can stay out of the fridge for longer than an hour, but it actually can.

It will keep easily for 2 to 3 days without being chilled even in warm and hot weather conditions because of the special process it has been submitted to: the salting, smoking – which are two of the ancient ways of preserving food – and vacuum packing. So even if your smoked fish arrives with a temperature that equals the forehead of a feverish child, there is no problem with enjoying the fish if you keep it in the chill on arrival.

For more important information on how to make shipping our smoked salmon a success click here! And we also have a FAQ section, where all your other questions will be answered.

- serves 2 –

Ingredients:

4 oz / 110 g butter
4 medium-sized leek, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1.5 oz / 40 g flour
1/2 pint / 230 ml milk
4 eggs, separated
salt
6 tbsp freshly grated parmesan (reserve 2 for rolling roulade)
8 oz / 225 g ricotta or cottage cheese
chopped chives, coriander, parsley
4 oz / 100g Burren Cold Smoked Salmon

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 180°C. Melt the butter and add the chopped leeks. Sweat for a few minutes and add the crushed garlic. Add the flour. Cook it through in the pan and then gradually whisk in the milk stirring constantly until the mixture thickens. Take pan off the heat, and carefully add the egg yolks to the mixture one at a time whisking vigorously.

2. Mix in most of the parmesan cheese and salt to taste. Whisk the egg whites and fold through.

3. Pour onto a large baking tray covered in parchment paper and bake at 350°F / 180°C for about 15 minutes. Slice the salmon into strips.

4. Switch off the oven. Allow the baked mixture to cool a little. Sprinkle the last two tablespoons of parmesan on a large sheet of baking paper and turn the roulade onto this. Spread the ricotta cheese, chives, herbs and the salmon strips onto it. Put it back in the switched-off oven for a few minutes to heat up the cold ricotta and salmon without baking it.

5. Roll it up. Serve with rice and a selection of salads.

Bon appetit!

Having said that, it always depends on the way you eat the salmon – do you use lemon, a white sauce, horseradish or capers with it? This would of course change the taste of the meal, and hence the relationship between the smoked salmon, the wine and your taste buds.

As a rule of thumb, we can say that the texture and “weight” of the food should be similar to the texture and “weight” of the wine. A light fish like sole would go best with light wines like a Pinot Grigio from Italy, and heavier fish like salmon would love to swim in richer, fuller-bodied wines like an un-oaked Chardonnay.

The majority of wines that are suitable to drink with smoked salmon are white. An exception would be the light, red Beaujolais from the Burgundy region in France (we are talking about a generic Beaujolais, not a Cru du Beaujolais which would have a more complex body). Wines from the Beaujolais area are low in tannins, light and reasonably fruity.

The white wines to look out for when choosing one to go with smoked salmon would be dry and acidic, as they would bring a refreshing taste to the table (every pun intended) and make the rich salmon seem leaner. Here are some examples for suitable wines:

Muscadet de Sèvre et Maine (France), a dry Riesling (from Alsace or Germany), a Gewürztraminer from Alsace (France), wines from the Italian wine-growing region of Gavi, Bollinger Champagne (France), and Chablis (France).

Here a list of what not to drink with smoked salmon: sweet wines; oaky/woody wines that were aged in barrels or exposed to wood chips if New World wines; (red) wines with too many tannins which would make fish taste unpleasantly metallic. Very fruity wines are not the best choice either. They don’t clash with the taste of smoked salmon but they don’t add to the experience either.

So go out and experiment – and let us know what you found!

Birgitta at Stormont
On 24 January, Birgitta and Darina Allen from Ballymaloe Cookery School in their roles as representatives of Slow Food Ireland met with Northern Ireland’s MLA (member of legislative assembly) Jim Wells at Stormont, Northern Ireland’s government building. Over lunch, Birgitta and Darina explained to him the ins and outs of the Slow Food project about healthy eating in schools. Lagan College in Belfast is part of this project, as well as Mary Immaculate Secondary School in our own Lisdoonvarna. Hopefully there are many more schools to follow. If you as a parent are interested in getting your children’s school involved, let us know!

Birgitta’s focus will be on the school project. The Mary Immaculate Secondary School in Lisdoonvarna is currently the only school in the Republic of Ireland to be participating, together with another one in Northern Ireland. The project highlights the need for healthy food to be consumed in school (canteens). The school in Lisdoonvarna does not avail of a canteen where healthy food options would be on offer, but the students will be educated about healthy eating and healthy food options.

In addition, a voucher system for the local shops is in place. Parents buy vouchers which then will be swapped against healthy foods by the students.

We carefully source our quality raw materials for the Burren Smoked Salmon, Trout, Mackerel, and Cheese. We control our own quality standards with backup of regular testing from independent laboratories and regular checks from organisations who certify us. The Smokehouse currently employs a staff of twelve, and ships within Ireland and to countries all over the world.

Ingredients (Serves 4)
1.5 cups of almond flakes
4 fillets of Burren smoked rainbow trout
butter
4 chopped onions
1 cup of sliced mushrooms
1 cup of cream
Paprika
Salt
Brandy
Your choice of vegetables
Potatoes or rice or couscous

Method

1. Lightly toast the almond flakes in the dry frying pan without using butter or oil, tossing them regularly in the pan. Once they are golden, set them aside for now.
2. On low to medium heat, warm the smoked trout fillets in butter for 2 minutes on each side. Then place them on a hot serving plate and keep them warm.
3. Fry the onions and mushrooms in butter until cooked. Add a cap measure of brandy followed by the cream, salt and paprika.
4. Pour the brandy mixture over the smoked trout fillets and sprinkle with the almond flakes and serve.

Bon appetit!

Ingredients (Serves 4)
2 cups French bread crumbs
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup grated Swiss cheese
1 tbsp. fresh dill, chopped
1 medium onion
3 tbsp. butter
1 3/4 cup cream cheese, whipped
1/2 cup Swiss cheese, grated
1/3 cup cream or milk
Salt and pepper
4 eggs
1/2 lb. or 200g Burren Smoked Salmon of Knowledge

Smoked Salmon Pie

Method

1. Blend all ingredients and put in greased springform pan.
2. Refrigerate.
3. Set some aside for the crust.
4. Saute onion in butter until clear.
5. Add cream cheese, Swiss cheese, cream or milk, salt and pepper.
6. Beat in eggs, one at a time.
7. Add the sliced salmon.
8. Place crust on top and bake 45 minutes at 350° Fahrenheit (175° Celsius).

Ingredients:(Serves 4)
12 Eggs (try quail eggs for the taste)
2 tsp hot horseradish or 4 tsp horseradish sauce
200 ml crème fraîche
8 slices toast
150g wild rocket
4 tsp olive oil for drizzling
2 lemons, each cut into 6 wedges
Freshly ground pepper, salt

Christmas Smoked Salmon with Egg

This is a quick starter to serve before your Christmas dinner. It is tasty, takes only a few minutes and will impress your guests!

Method

1. Add the eggs to a pan of boiling water.
2. Bring back to the boil and simmer for 2 1/2 minutes.
3. Drain and cool under running water.
4. Peel, rinse and dry them.
5. Just before serving, mix the horseradish into the crème fraîche in the carton, then put a heaped teaspoonful on each plate.
6. Start toasting the bread.Halve the eggs.
7. Arrange the salmon and eggs on the plate, then add a few rocket leaves on top.
8. Drizzle each plate with a little olive oil and squeeze lemon juice over, saving 8 lemon wedges for garnish.
9. Grind black pepper over the eggs and salad, sprinkle salt over the eggs if desired.
10. Serve with the toast.

Ingredients:(Serves 2)
100g / 4oz self-raising flour (or flour with a little baking powder)
1 teaspoon baking powder
(25g / 1 oz suger, if wanted)
Pinch of salt
1 egg from a happy hen (= organic)
125ml / 4 fl.oz milk a bit of sunflower oil for the frying pan
Sour ceam or cream cheese
Burren Organic Smoked Salmon
Herbs like fennel or dill

Rachel Allen’s Drop Scones

Darina Allen showed us this recipe at the Burren Slow Food Festival last May in Lisdoonvarna, and as it is so versatile, we just have to pass it on to you. The basic recipe is always the same – just add sugar if you want to have sweet toppings. And as for the toppings, there is no limit to your imagination! From smoked salmon with cream cheese to Strawberries and cream, everything is delicious!

Method

1. Sieve the flour and baking powder into a bowl, add the salt (and sugar) and stir to mix.
2. Make a well in the centre, crack in the egg and whisk, gradually drawing in the flour from the edge. Add the milk gradually, whisking all the time, to form a smooth batter.
3. Lightly grease a frying pan and warm it over moderate heat. Drop 3 tablespoons of the batter into the pan, keeping them well apart so they don’t stick together.
4. Cook for about 2 minutes, until bubbles appear on the surface and begin to burst and the drop scones are golden underneath (and not before). Then flip them over and cook for another minute or so, until golden on this side as well.
5. Remove from the pan and serve with sour cream or cream cheese, Burren organic smoked salmon and herbs like fennel or dill.

Ingredients: ( serves 1 pizza, 4 servings )
Easy Pizza Dough:
1 cup of warm water
3.5 cups of all purpose flour
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 teaspoons of honey
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of yeast

Alternatively, you can cheat and buy a pre-baked pizza crust -

Toppings

2 cups of ricotta cheese
4 sprigs of fresh dill, chopped
zest of 1 lemon
salt and freshly ground pepper
0.5 lb Burren Smoked Salmon slices, cut into strips
2 large handfuls of rocket/rouquette, cut into strips
We owe this recipe to Helen Thompson from the USA, who was kind enough to share it with us!

Pizza with Smoked Salmon

Method

1. Put warm water (circa 45°C / 110°F) into a bowl. Add salt and honey and mix with a spoon. Add yeast, mix and let it sit for about 10 minutes.
2. Gradually add flour and olive oil and start mixing. When the mixture gets too heavy to mix, start kneading the dough with your hands. Knead the dough until you have a smooth ball. If the dough cracks it is too dry. Add water bit by bit until if forms a nice coherent ball. If your dough feels more like batter, it is too wet and you need to add flour bit by bit. If you need to add water or flour, do it by small amounts.
3. Coat the dough with olive oil, place it in a large bowl and cover it with kitchen wrap/cling film. Let the dough rise for about an hour at room temperature, then push it down again so it deflates. Let it sit for about another hour. If you want to use it the next day, put it in a refrigerator.
   Preheat the oven to 425°F / 220°C.
4. Put the dough on a lightly floured surface, put a bit of flour on top and make it into the shape of a pie by stretching it out from the center outwards. Use a rolling pin until the dough is about 1/4″ thick. Punch some holes in the dough with a fork to let the air escape while the pizza is in the oven. Transfer the rolled-out dough on a lightly greased baking sheet.
5. Combine the ricotta cheese, dill, lemon zest, salt and pepper in a bowl. Spread the mix on the dough,and place the pizza in the oven. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.
6. Remove the pizza from the oven. Top with rocket and smoked salmon strips.

Bon Appetit!

Ingredients: (serves 4)
1kg mixed vegetables such as onion, leek, carrot, diced potatoes
25g butter
570ml water
7g dillisk*
7g Irish Moss (carragheen)**
570ml milk
450g of white fish/smoked fish fillets such as cod or pollock, skinned and boned
225g shellfish such as mussels or prawns
110g Burren smoked salmon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Seafood Chowder with Seaweed

Method

1. Dice all the vegetable.
2. Melt the butter. Add the vegetables (except the potatoes) and sweat them for about 5 minutes, but don’t colour them.
3. Add water, dillisk and carragheen, and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Add the potatoes and the milk. Simmer until the potatoes are soft.
5. Cut all fish into cubes of approximately 1cm. Add all the fish and shellfish, and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Season to taste.

* Dillisk is a purple reddish sea vegetable which is high in iron.
**Irish Moss/Carragheen is rich in calcium and other essential vitamins and minerals.

Ingredients: ( serves 4 )
6 eggs
1 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
2.5 oz / 70 g diced Organic smoked salmon
1/2 cup / 120 ml mayonnaise
2 tblsp / 6 g chopped fresh dill
salt and pepper to taste

Egg and Smoked Salmon Salad

Method

1. Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil; cover, remove from heat, and let eggs stand in hot water for 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop.
2. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, celery, onion, smoked salmon and mayonnaise. Season with dill, salt and pepper.
3. Refrigerate at least 2 hours to allow flavors to combine.

Bon appetit!

Ingredients:( serves 4 people )
350g/12oz package farfalle (butterfly) or other short pasta
1/2 tablespoon salt
6-8 cups water
1 bunch slender green asparagus, washed
Lemon pistachio vinaigrette
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup pistachio nut, unshelled
100g / 3oz smoked salmon
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

Asparagus and Smoked Salmon Pasta in Lemon Pistachio Vinaigrette

Method

1. Cook the pasta in 1/2 tbs salted water, according to the package directions for time.
2. Prepare the vinaigrette.
3. When the pasta is done, run it under cold water and pat dry with paper towels, then toss it with the vinaigrette.
4. Cut the stems from the asparagus and boil or steam the asparagus for a minute or two, depending on thickness.
5. Cut the salmon into strips and put them in the bowl with the pasta.
6. Run the cooked asparagus under cold water until cool and cut into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces and add to the pasta, tossing the salad again.
7. Top with chopped parsley and refrigerate for several hours. To serve it, let it come to room temperature.

Ingredients:
12 eggs
8 thin slices Burren Smoked Salmon (ca 200g), of which 3slices finely chopped
3 tablespoons onion, finely grated
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons mayonnaise or crème fraiche
2 tablespoons dill, finely chopped – few sprigs for garnish
A few dashes Worcestershire sauce
A few dashes hot sauce
1 tablespoon paprika
Salt and ground black pepper
1/4 cup salmon roe (optional)

Devilled Eggs

We want to thank Helen Thompson, USA, for this delicious recipe!

Method

1. Cover eggs with cold water in a saucepan, bring up to rolling boil over high heat. Remove from heat, cover tightly with lid and let sit for 10 minutes. Run eggs under cool water and peel off shells.
2. Slice top half-inch off each egg, scoop out yolks and place in a bowl. Transfer each scooped out egg to an empty egg carton so they stand upright for refilling them (we recommend to line the egg carton with some cling film first).
3. Mash yolks with a fork and combine with the chopped salmon, onion, 1/4 cup mayo or crème fraiche, chopped dill, Worcester sauce, hot sauce, salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a piping bag (a plastic bag with corner snipped off works well) and fill each of the eggs. Sprinkle with paprika.
4. Cut the thin slices of smoked salmon into strips and roll up to form flowers. Place on top of each egg and garnish them with a small drop of mayonnaise or crème fraiche, salmon roe and a sprig of dill.

Bon appetit!

Ingredients: ( serves 4, takes ca. 45 min )
50 to 60 g butter
1/2 onion, chopped
350g Arborio rice
1 glass brandy or vodka (optional)
1L vegetable stock
Salt and pepper to taste
200g Organic Smoked salmon

Risotto with Organic Smoked Salmon

Method

1. Heat the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot. Stir in the chopped onion and the rice until well crispy. Add the vodka or brandy and let evaporate.
2. In the meantime prepare a light stock using vegetable stock cubes and/or carrots, tomatoes, celery and one potato.
3. To make the risotto: add the hot stock to the rice, ladle by ladle, having the patience to wait for the liquid to be absorbed while you keep stirring vigorously. When it is nearly done – taste it until you get the right texture! – adjust the seasoning. Switch off the heat.
4. Chop the salmon in thin stripes and add it to the rice. Leave the risotto to rest for a few minutes off the heat before serving.
5. It is important that you add the salmon at the very last, and leave the risotto to sit for a few minutes off the heat, otherwise you risk losing all the flavour from the fish.

Bon appetit!

Ingredients:
225g floury potatoes
75ml full cream milk
75g whipping cream
2 eggs + the white of another
1.5 heaped tsp self-raising flour (or normal flour + a pinch of baking powder)
salt, pepper
4 dessertspoons crème fraîche
8 slices of Smoked Salmon of Knowledge

Potato Cakes with Smoked Salmon

Method

1. Peel, quarter and boil the potatoes in salted water until cooked, and mash them finely.
2. Combine the milk and cream in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat. Whisk two egg yolks and the white of one egg into the potato mixture along with the flour (and baking powder if used). Then mix in the hot cream and milk, and season with salt and pepper. It should at this stage be a thick batter. It can be prepared in advance and refrigerated until ready to use.
3. Before cooking the potato cakes, whisk remaining two egg whites until stiff and fold into the batter. Heat frying pan and lightly oil once hot. Turn down the heat to medium. Spoon in potato mixture making small heaps for individual cakes. Once the side facing down is fairly firm, turn it and flatten the potato cake gently with a spatula. Cook until done.
4. Arrange in the middle of the plate, gently spread a dollop of crème fraîche over it and top with smoked salmon.

Bon appetit!

Ingredients: ( serves 4 )
Pizza Dough:
1 1/2 cups or 350ml warm water (ca. 110°F or 45°C)
1 1/2 tablespoons or 25g sugar
3 teaspoons or 15ml active dry yeast (about 1 1/2 envelopes)
4 1/2 cups or 560g all purpose flour
4 1/2 tablespoons or 70ml olive oil + some for greasing
2 1/4 teaspoons or 10g salt

Pizza with Smoked Salmon and Caramalised Onions

Method

1. Brush large bowl with oil. Mix warm water and sugar in processor. Sprinkle yeast over; stir to dissolve. Let stand until mixture bubbles, about 10 minutes. Add flour, 4 1/2 tablespoons oil, and salt. Process 1 minute.
2. Transfer dough to floured surface; knead until smooth, about 5 minutes. Transfer to prepared bowl, turning to coat with oil. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, about 1 hour.
3. Sprinkle flour over rimmed baking sheet. Divide dough into 6 equal portions; roll each into ball. Space dough balls evenly on baking sheet. Place a damp tea towel over dough. Refrigerate 1 hour before rolling and baking. This recipe provides plenty of dough, so feel free to use less at the baking stage.

Toppings:
300gr of Burren Smokehouse Salmon of Knowledge, thinly sliced
4 brown onions, sliced
1/2 cup or 120ml of sour cream
2 tbs of capers
Fresh dill
4 tbs or 60ml of olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Sea salt

1. Pre-heat the oven to 300°F or 150°C.
2. Slice the onions thinly and evenly. Heat oil over a medium-high heat in a large, heavy-based fry-pan. Add the onions and saute until a deep golden brown. This process will take about 25 minutes. Start frying the onions on a medium heat and then gradually lower the heat. Stir the onions occasionally and make sure they don’t burn.
3. Roll out the dough and then brush will a little olive oil on both sides. Place dough on a baking tray and then bake for 10-15 minutes. Bubbles may rise in the dough but just pop them once the dough is cooked.
4. Remove the pizza from the oven and then top with caramelized onions, and smoked salmon. Sprinkle on capers, dill and top with sour cream.
5. Finish with a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of sea salt.

Ingredients: ( Serves 4 )
200ml (7 fl oz) fresh milk
a few onion and carrot slices
1 bay leaf
6 black peppercorns
30g (2 tbsp) plain flour
25g (1 oz) butter
salt and pepper
75g (3 oz) smoked mackerel, skinned, boned and finely flaked
4 eggs, separated
1 extra egg white

Soufflé with Smoked Mackerel

Method

1. Grease a 1.3 litre (2 1/4 pint) soufflé dish.
2. Put the milk in a medium saucepan with the onion and carrot slices, bay leaf and peppercorns. Slowly bring to the boil, remove from the heat, cover and leave to infuse for 30 minutes. Strain and reserve the milk.
3. Put the flour, butter and reserved milk in a medium saucepan. Heat, whisking continuously, until the sauce thickens, boils and is smooth. Simmer for 1 – 2 minutes. Season to taste. Leave to cool slightly.
4. Beat the yolks into the cooled sauce, 1 at a time. Sprinkle the fish over the sauce. (At this stage the mixture can be left to stand for several hours if necessary.)
5. Stir in the fish until evenly blended. Whisk the egg whites until stiff.
6. Mix one large spoonful of egg white into the sauce to lighten its texture. Gently pour the sauce over the remaining egg whites and cut and fold the ingredients together. Do not overmix; fold lightly, using a metal spoon or plastic spatula, until the egg whites are just incorporated.
7. Pour the soufflé mixture gently into the prepared dish. The mixture should come about three-quarters up the side of the dish. Smooth the surface of the souffle.
8. Place the soufflé on a baking sheet and bake at 180°C (350°F, gas mark 4) for about 30 minutes. It should be golden brown on the top, well risen and just firm to the touch with a hint of softness in the centre.

Ingredients:( serves 2 )
4 organic or free-range eggs
100ml crème fraîche
4 sprigs chives, finely chopped
100gr Burren Smokehouse Organic cold Smoked Salmon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Toasted brioche or fresh baguette to serve

Poached Eggs with Smoked Salmon

So delicious to eat on a lazy Sunday morning with a pot of coffee, the Sunday papers and good company. With thanks to Clodagh McKenna – a recipe from her new book “ Fresh from the Sea

Method

Place a saucepan of salted water on to boil.

1. When the water has come to the boil, stir the water with a spoon. While the water ist still swirling, break in your eggs as close to the water as possible (the swirling water and breaking the eggs close to the water both help to form the perfect poached egg).
2. Reduce the heat and allow the eggs to poach for 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on a plate.
3. Wrap each egg in a slice of smoked salmon, place a dollop of crème fraîche on top and sprinkle with the finely chopped chives.
4. Season with salt and papper and serve with toasted brioche or freshly baked baguette.
5. TIP: You can also use scrambled eggs for this recipe instead of poached eggs. Just make sure you add a little knob of butter to the scrambled eggs before you take them off the heat.

Ingredients:
450 g / 1lb Salmon of Knowledge (cut into stripes)
15g / 1/2 oz butter
2 medium potatoes, diced
1 onion, chopped
2 leeks, sliced
600ml / 1 pint stock or water
300ml / 1/2 pint milk
Good pinch of Carragheen
Dried Dillisk to garnish
Freshly milled black pepper

Chowder with Smoked Salmon & Carragheen

Thanks to our friends from Quality SeaVeg

Method

1. Melt the butter, add the vegetables and cook until the onion becomes transparent.
2. Add the stock and milk, and simmer until vegetables soften.
3. Add smoked fish and carragheen and continue to cook for 7 to 10 minutes. Serve garnished with dillisk.

Frittata with Smoked SalmonMethod:

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C or 350°F.
2. Heat olive oil in an 8 inch oven-safe skillet / frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, and season with a little salt and pepper. Cook, stirring until translucent. Add the salmon and olives; cook and stir briefly to release the flavors.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, milk and cream. Pour over the salmon and onion, and stir gently. Scatter cubes of cream cheese over the top. Cook over medium heat without stirring, until the edges appear firm.
4. Place the skillet in the preheated oven, and bake for 20 minutes, or until nicely browned and puffed. Flip onto a serving plate, and cut into wedges to serve.

Ingredients: (20 Portions)
10 large eggs
2 ounces (60g) Burren Smokehouse Salmon of Knowledge, finely chopped plus 50g per person, sliced
3 tablespoons light mayonnaise
1/4 cup cucumber, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh dill, chopped, plus sprigs for garnish
Pepper
1 or 2 big baguettes (French sticks)

Eggs filled with Smoked Salmon & Cucumber

This is a nice addition to your Easter brunch, but also serves as an appetizer all year round.

Method

1. In a big saucepan, place eggs and enough cold water to cover by at least 1 inch (2.5 cm); heat to boiling on high. Immediately remove saucepan from heat and cover tightly; let stand 15 minutes. Pour off hot water, and run cold water over eggs to cool. Peel eggs.
2. Slice eggs lengthwise in half. Gently remove yolks and place in medium bowl; with fork, break yolks into chunks. Reserve 1 tablespoon chopped salmon. To egg yolks, add mayonnaise, cucumber, 2 teaspoons chopped dill, 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, and remaining salmon; gently stir until combined. (Egg-yolk mixture and egg whites can be covered separately and refrigerated up to 24 hours.)
3. Place egg whites on serving dish lined with paper towels (to prevent eggs from rolling). Spoon about 1 tablespoon egg-yolk mixture into each egg-white half. Top eggs with reserved chopped salmon. Cover eggs and refrigerate up to 4 hours. Just before serving, garnish with dill sprigs. Serve with sliced Salmon of Knowledge and baguette on the side.

Smoked Salmon Parchment Parcels

This recipe was presented by Rozanne Stevens from the Cooks Academy in Dublin on the “Today with Pat Kenny” radio show on 4th April 2008.

Method

1. Lay the salmon on the parchment paper square.
2. Season with salt and pepper, spread on some grated ginger, sprinkle over scallions. Drizzle with white wine or lemon juice.
3. Bake for 10 minutes at 180°C.

Ingredients:
Olive oil
6 leeks, trimmed, washed and sliced
400g Burren smoked Salmon of Knowledge, cut into ribbons
500g half-fat crème fraiche
2 tbls grated parmesan cheese
2 tbls chopped fresh dill
Squeeze of lemon
Salt and black pepper
400g farfalle pasta, cooked according to packet instructions

Rozanne’s Farfalle with Smoked Salmon and Leeks

This recipe was presented by Rozanne Stevens from the Cooks Academy in Dublin on the “Today with Pat Kenny” radio show on 4th April 2008

Method:

1. Saute the leeks in a little olive oil until soft.
2. Add the smoked salmon, crème fraiche, cheese and dill. Simmer for 5 minutes
3. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice. Stir through the cooked pasta.

Ingredients (Serves 2)

Birgitta’s Smoked Salmon Tagliatelle

Method

1. Slice the leek and sauté until the leek is soft and almost transparent.
2. Chop the smoked salmon in strips and just barely heat with the leek.
3. Add in the crème fraiche.
4. Season to your own taste.
5. Serve with Tagliatelle or other pasta of your own choice.

Ingredients: (For 4 People)
Preparation time 20 min.
1 medium-sized pumpkin
5 potatoes
2 carrots
Fistful of finely chopped parsley, or some roasted pumpkin seeds
Salt
Curry powder
Cayenne pepper
200g / 7 oz Burren Smoked Salmon
1 onion
1 clove of garlic

Pumpkin Soup with Smoked Salmon

Great as a starter for your Thanksgiving Dinner

Method

1. Peel the pumpkin, or cut it open on top and scoop out the flesh, peel the potatoes and cut into small cubes, the same with the carrots. Peel the onion and cut into chunks, same with the garlic. Fill everything into a big saucepan, fill up with water, put in salt, curry and chili powder. Let cook for about 20 minutes.  Careful – just be easy on the salt as the smoked salmon will contain salt as well.
2. In the meantime, cut the smoked salmon into small strips.
3. When the potatoes and the pumpkin are soft, puree (blend) the soup and season to taste.
4. Divide the salmon onto all the plates, fill them with the soup and decorate with some parsley / roasted pumpkin seeds on top. It is a lovely and decorative idea to serve the soup in the hollow pumpkin!

Ingredients: (Serves 4 People)
800g Burren Hot Smoked Organic Salmon plain

Colcannon:
1 lb or 500g floury potatoes
4 cups shredded leaves of cabbage
2 tbsp chopped scallions (spring onions)
2 tbsp butter or margarine
50 ml or ¼ cup heated milk
Salt and black pepper to taste

Stir fry Vegetables:
1 red pepper
1 onion
1 courgette
8 mushrooms
1 tsp soya
1 tbsp olive oil

Mustard Cream Sauce:
1 tbsp whole grain mustard
500 ml or 1 pint cream
2 tbsp white wine

Burren Hot Smoked Salmon on a bed of Colcannon with Stir Fry Vegetables

This is the signature dish of the Roadside Tavern pub (also owned by the Curtin family)

Method

Colcannon:

1. Boil the peeled potatoes in lightly salted water until tender, then drain.
2. Boil the cabbage and onion for about 5 minutes.
3. Drain and set aside.
4. Mash potatoes with milk, butter, salt and pepper to taste.
5. Add the spring onion and cabbage mixture.

Stir Fry Vegetables:

1. Cut all vegetables in strips and stir fry in olive oil until they are soft.

Mustard Cream Sauce:

1. Mix all ingredients together and heat.

Salmon:

1. Cut the Hot Smoked Organic Salmon into 4 pieces.
2. Heat the Salmon in preheated oven for 5 minutes at 175°C or 350°F.

To decorate the plate start by placing the base of colcannon, add stir fry vegetables on top.
Pour the mustard cream sauce over the vegetables, and top the dish with the Burren Hot Smoked Salmon.
Bon Appetit!

Ingredients: (This Starter serves 4)
4 large baking potatoes (roosters / maris pipers), skin cleaned
300g Burren Smoked Salmon of Knowledge, sliced into long thin strips
2 tsp chopped shallot
2 tsp chopped capers
4 tbsp crème fraîche
30g chives, chopped / snipped
50ml extra virgin olive oil
Black lumpfish roe (Caviar!!), optional garnish
3 tbsp olive oil for frying
Salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Rostis with Smoked Salmon and Creme Fraiche

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Pierce each potato twice with a fork or skewer. Bake the potatoes (skin left on) for 40 minutes in a hot oven (ideally the day before you intend to use them).
2. Slice the smoked salmon into julienne (long thin strips) and mix with the chopped shallot and capers.
3. Liquidize the olive oil and half the chives and strain.
4. Fold the remaining chopped chives into the crème fraîche with a few grinds of black pepper.
5. Scoop the potatoes from their skins. Coarsely grate and press into 4 rosti cake shapes (8cm wide).
6. Heat a generous amount of olive oil in a non stick pan and fry the rosti turning half way through until golden brown on each side.
7. Place on a warm plate and top with the smoked salmon, then the crème fraiche and finally the lumpfish roe / caviar.
8. Drizzle the chive oil around the plate and serve immediately.

Ingredients: (Serves 4)

Salad Ingredients:
600g or 1 1/3 lb Burren Hot smoked Spiced Salmon, cut into pieces
2 litres or 2 quarts mixed salad greens washed and torn (for ex. romaine, red leaf, chinese cabbage, escarole or watercress)
12 x asparagus stalks cooked and chilled

Tarragon Honey Mustard Dressing:
1 x garlic clove minced or pressed
60ml or 1/4 cup olive oil, preferably virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tbl white wine vinegar
2 tbl Dijon-style mustard
1 tsp honey (runny)
3/4 tsp dried tarragon leaves
1/8 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
salt to taste

Salad with Burren Hot Smoked Salmon

With Tarragon Honey Mustard Dressing

Method

For the dressing:

1. Combine all the ingredients, except the salt, in a small bowl and whisk until blended.
2. Add salt to taste. Let stand 30 minutes or overnight to blend flavors.

1. Meanwhile toss the salad greens with two-thirds of the dressing.
2. Arrange the greens on individual plates. Arrange the asparagus around the edges.

1. Slice the Hot Smoked Salmon into strips and arrange them on top of the greens.
2. Drizzle them equally with remaining dressing and serve.

Organic Burren Cold Smoked Salmon on Oven-roasted Asparagus

Very easy; you can leave out the potatoes and the butter-lemon sauce and just eat the salmon on asparagus

Method

1. In a bowl, toss the trimmed and washed asparagus with a glug of olive oil, a good pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
2. Lay the asparagus on a baking sheet and roast in a preheated oven (200°C/400°F/Gas 6) for 10 minutes.
3. Boil potatoes.
4. Heat saucepan until very hot, melt the butter in and toss the lemon cubes and stripes in for a short while.
5. Transfer the asparagus to a warmed serving dish and arrange the Burren Cold Smoked Organic Salmon over the spears. Serve with lemon wedges.

Asparagus & Hot Smoked Salmon Terrine

This terrine looks very professional and impressive, and yet is so easy to make.

Method

1. Blanch the asparagus in boiling water for 2-3 minutes until bright green and just tender. Remove and plunge into cold water, drain well.
2. Finely chop the white section of the leeks to give 1 cup. In a large pan, melt the butter, add white leeks and cook for 2 minutes or until soften, cool.
3. Slice the green section lengthwise into long ribbon like leaves. Blanch in boiling water for 1-2 minutes or until softened, then plunge into cold water, drain well.
4. Combine the Philadelphia with the Burren oganic hot smoked honey-glazed salmon rind, juice, horseradish, and seasonings in a large bowl until well mixed.
5. Line an 11cm x 21cm loaf pan with plastic wrap.
6. Layer the leek ribbons across the pan ensuring they overlap by 1 cm.
7. Spoon half the Philadelphia mixture evenly into the pan, top with the asparagus spears, then spoon in the remaining Philadelphia.
8. Fold the leek ends over the filling to enclose, trim if necessary.
9. Chill until firm. Invert onto a serving plate. Serve sliced.

Irish Soda Bread

Method

1. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Make a well in the centre and gradually beat in the honey, buttermilk and enough milk to form a soft dough.
3. Transfer to a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 minutes.
4. Shape the dough into an 8 inch round and place on a greased baking sheet.
5. Using a sharp knife, cut a deep cross on top of the dough.
6. Brush with a little extra milk and bake at 200°C (400°F) or gas mark 6 for 30-35 minutes.
7. Test by tapping the base of the loaf. If is sounds hollow it is done.
8. Cool on a wire rack.

Lisdoonvarna Smoked Salmon with potato wafers

Method

1. Deep fry the potato slices until crispy. Dry on kitchen paper and season. Grate a little fresh horseradish and mix with 1 tbsp of your own mayonnaise.
2. Layer the potato wafers,smoked salmon and horseradish mayonnaise, starting with potato wafers and finish with smoked Salmon. Top with deep fried rice noodles and serve with a green leaves salad.

Zutaten:

Ingredients:

170 – 225g / 6 – 8oz Burren Smoked Salmon
8g / 1/4oz butter 6 tablespoons
Cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch (5 mm) dice
Salt, freshly ground pepper and lemon juice
120 ml / 1/2 cup / 4 fl oz cream
2 teaspoons chopped fennel or 1 teaspoon chopped dill

Method:

Slice the smoked salmon straight down to the skin into 1/4 inch (5 mm) thick slices. Melt the butter in a sauté pan until it foams. Place the smoked salmon slices carefully in the pan, after 30 seconds turn them carefully and add the cucumber dice. Season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Add the cream and dill o r fennel and allow the cream to bubble up and barely thicken. You may add seasoning, if required.

Serve immediately on hot plates.

Smoked Salmon Quiche

Method

1. Roll out the pastry thinly and cut into 24 rounds with a 6.5 cm (2 1/2in.) cutter.
2. Line greased patty tins with the pastry rounds.
3. Beat the eggs with the cream, salt and nutmeg until well mixed.
4. Stir in the salmon.
5. Spoon the mixture into the pastry cases, ensuring that the salmon is evenly distributed.
6. Bake at 200°C (400°F / Gas 6) for 10 – 15 minutes or until puffed and golden.
7. Serve warm.

Note: For large parties, the quiches may be cooked in advance, removed from the tins and chilled. To re-heat, place on flat trays and warm at 200°C (400°F / Gas 6) for five minutes.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

8oz / 225g Burren smoked Irish Salmon (cold sm.)
7 fl oz / 200ml fish stock
Juice of half a lemon
Bechamel sauce made with 10 fl oz milk, 1/2oz butter and 1/2oz flour
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 level teaspoons gelatine dissolved in 4 tablespoons water
10 fl oz whipped cream
pepper

Garnish:
6 oz peeled prawns
8 whole prawns
4 oz / 125g smoked salmon
Twists lemon
Sprigs of parsley

Method:

Put the smoked salmon pieces, fish stock and lemon juice into a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Transfer to a bowl and add the Bechamel sauce, mayonnaise and dissolved gelatine.

Lightly whip the cream and stir into the salmon mixture. Season with pepper.

Put into an oiled 1.5 pint mould and leave to set in the fridge.

To serve, turn out onto a serving dish and garnish with piles of prawns and rolls of smoked salmon.