Mary Berry’s salmon terrine is a chilled no-cook starter lined with smoked salmon and filled with a cream cheese pâté flavoured with horseradish and dill. It serves eight from a 450g (1lb) loaf tin and takes about ten minutes of hands-on work before the fridge does the rest.
Her recipe in Cooks the Perfect Step by Step (2014) includes a rare three-step Keys to Perfection guide on assembling the tin. Berry notes the filling needs no salt “as the salmon is salty,” so the smoked salmon seasons the whole terrine from the outside in.
The technique that makes or breaks the terrine is lining the tin. Berry says to dampen the tin with a pastry brush dipped in water before laying the cling film, so the film grips the surface and doesn’t bunch when you press the salmon in.
Mary Berry Salmon Terrine
Course: AppetizersCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy8
servings10
minutes240
kcal10
minutesA food-processor pâté wrapped in smoked salmon slices from Berry’s Cooks the Perfect Step by Step (2014), layered with fresh dill, chilled in a loaf tin and served cold with toast.
Ingredients
- For the terrine:
200–250g (7–9oz) smoked salmon in long slices
freshly ground black pepper
100g (3½oz) roasted salmon flakes
225g (8oz) full-fat cream cheese
115g (4oz) butter, at room temperature
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp hot horseradish sauce
4 tsp finely chopped fresh dill, plus small sprigs to garnish
baby salad leaves, to garnish
- Special equipment:
450g (1lb) loaf tin, 19 x 8.5cm (7½ x 3½in) and 5.5cm (2¼in) deep, with 750ml (1¼ pints) capacity
Directions
- Dampen the bottom and sides of the loaf tin using a pastry brush dipped in water. Line the tin with cling film so that it overhangs the sides. Cut 3 slices of salmon into long strips about 6cm (2½in) wide. Line the bottom and sides of the tin with the slices, allowing 3.5–5cm (1½–2in) overhang. Sprinkle with pepper.
- Put the salmon flakes, cream cheese, butter, lemon juice, and horseradish sauce in a food processor. Purée the mixture until smooth and season with pepper (you shouldn’t need salt, as the salmon is salty).
- Spoon one-third of the pâté into the salmon-lined tin and spread evenly to level the surface. Scatter over 2 teaspoons of the chopped dill. Continue with another third of the pâté, the remaining dill, and then the last of the pâté. Bring the smoked salmon overhang over it to cover, then the cling film overhang. Chill for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight, to firm up.
- Serve the terrine straight from the fridge, as it will be easier to slice. Turn it out of its tin onto a serving plate. Peel off and discard the cling film and garnish the top with dill sprigs and baby leaves. Slice with a sharp knife.
Notes
- Calories: Smoked salmon (225g avg): 320. Roasted salmon (100g): 208. Cream cheese (225g): 563. Butter (115g): 825. Lemon juice + horseradish: 18. Total: 1,934 ÷ 8 = 242 → rounded to 240 kcal per serving. Berry’s published figure is 311 kcal, which likely includes toast accompaniment or uses different nutritional database values.
FAQs
How do I line the tin with smoked salmon?
Berry’s Keys to Perfection breaks this into stages. Smooth the cling film over the dampened tin with enough overhang on all sides. Then cut three slices of smoked salmon into strips about 6cm (2½in) wide and press them in, overlapping edges so they “stick together.”
Allow 3.5–5cm (1½–2in) of salmon to hang over the sides, because you fold that back over the pâté before chilling. If your slices are uneven, Berry says to “patch up any gaps with leftovers.” Buy the higher end of the 200–250g range to give yourself trimming room.
What’s the difference between Berry’s four salmon terrines?
This Cooks the Perfect (2014) version blends roasted salmon flakes into cream cheese with horseradish for a smooth pâté. Her Salmon and Asparagus Terrine in Mary Berry Cooks (2014) swaps horseradish for chives and threads whole asparagus spears through the middle. You get green circles when you slice it.
The Double Salmon and Egg Terrine in Cooks Up a Feast (2019) folds in hard-boiled eggs and mayonnaise for a chunkier texture. Her Fresh Salmon and Dill Terrines in the Christmas Collection (2013) are individual ramekins with crème fraîche. Berry says not to “expect them to set firm” because there’s no gelatine.
How far ahead can I make this terrine?
Berry says to chill this for “at least 6 hours, preferably overnight” to firm up. She doesn’t give a storage limit in this version. Her Salmon and Asparagus Terrine in Mary Berry Cooks (2014) keeps “for up to 2 days in the fridge.”
I’d make it the night before serving and no earlier. The cream cheese filling holds well when cold, but the smoked salmon lining dries out after two days even under cling film. Neither version is suitable for freezing.
How do I slice the terrine without it falling apart?
Berry says to “serve the terrine straight from the fridge, as it will be easier to slice.” Turn it out onto a plate and cut with a sharp knife. Cold butter and cream cheese firm up when chilled, so the colder the terrine, the cleaner the cut.
Her Salmon and Asparagus Terrine goes further with a Mary’s Wise Words tip: “freeze the terrine for 30 minutes” before slicing. I use that trick for all cold terrines now, and the slices come out neat enough for a dinner party plate.
Can I leave out the horseradish?
The horseradish adds a mild heat that stops the cream cheese filling from tasting flat, so I wouldn’t skip it. Berry’s Salmon and Asparagus Terrine in Mary Berry Cooks swaps it for chives and extra lemon juice. That gives a sharper, fresher flavour instead of warmth.
You could also try a teaspoon of Dijon mustard. Berry pairs mustard with smoked salmon in her Gravadlax sauce in Mary Berry Cooks (2014). It’s a combination she reaches for across her fish starters.
What do you serve with salmon terrine?
Berry keeps the accompaniments simple in her headnote: “serve chilled with toast.” Melba toast or thin slices of brown bread are the classic choice. Her Salmon and Asparagus Terrine suggests oatcakes as an alternative if you want more crunch.
For a more substantial plate, a potato salad balances the richness of the cream cheese filling without competing with the salmon. salmon and potato salad uses a lemony yoghurt dressing over Jersey Royals, which would sit well alongside sliced terrine at a summer buffet.
