Mary Berry’s double salmon tian combines baked salmon with soft cheese and dill, pressed into metal rings and topped with smoked salmon. From her Complete Cookbook, it serves 6 at 232 calories, baked at 190°C (170°C fan) for 15 to 20 minutes.
Berry keeps this deliberately simple in the Complete Cookbook (2024), with no gelatine and only a handful of ingredients. The salmon is baked in foil, flaked, then folded with cream cheese and dill. It works because good ingredients don’t need fussing over.
The “double salmon” name refers to the two forms of salmon in the dish. Fresh salmon makes up the base, while smoked salmon sits on top as a garnish. The contrast between mild, flaky base and salty smoked salmon gives each bite depth.
Mary Berry Double Salmon Tian
Course: AppetizersCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy6
servings20
minutes20
minutes232
kcalA clean, modern starter from the Complete Cookbook that uses both fresh and smoked salmon with cream cheese and dill. No gelatine needed. Berry suggests metal rings for shaping but ramekins lined with cling film work too.
Ingredients
650g (1 lb 5 oz) fresh salmon fillet, skinned
200g (7 oz) full-fat soft cheese
4 tbsp chopped fresh dill
Salt and black pepper
- To serve:
6 small slices of smoked salmon, total weight about 200g (7 oz)
50 to 60g (1½ to 2 oz) fresh rocket or mizuna leaves
6 lemon wedges
Directions
- Wrap the fresh salmon tightly in foil, and bake in a preheated oven at 190°C (170°C fan, Gas 5) for 15 to 20 minutes or until just cooked. Leave to cool in the foil.
- Mix the cheese and dill in a large bowl until smooth. Flake the cooled salmon into the bowl, including any fish juices and jelly, but discarding any bones. Season well with salt and pepper, and fold gently together.
- Put the metal rings on a flat plate or baking tray (if using ramekins, line them with cling film). Divide the salmon and cheese mixture among them, smoothing the surface with the back of a metal spoon. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, overnight if possible.
- Lift each ring filled with salmon using a fish slice. Place on a serving plate, then carefully ease off the ring. (If using ramekins, invert the salmon onto the plate and gently remove the cling film.) Top each tian with a loosely curled piece of smoked salmon. Divide the salad leaves among six plates and serve with lemon wedges for squeezing.
FAQs
Why doesn’t this tian need gelatine to hold together?
The full-fat cream cheese does all the binding work here. Once mixed with the flaked salmon and chilled for at least 2 hours, the cheese firms up and holds the tian in shape. Berry uses the same no-gelatine approach in her Fresh Salmon and Dill Terrines from the Christmas Collection.
This is one of Berry’s recurring principles across her salmon starters. She avoids gelatine whenever possible because it changes the texture. Without it, the tian stays soft and yielding rather than bouncy, which suits the delicate flakes of fresh salmon.
What’s the difference between a tian and a terrine?
A tian is shaped in a ring mould and served as an individual portion. A terrine is made in a loaf tin and sliced. The texture also differs: this tian is loose and soft because there’s no layering or pressing, while Berry’s Chilled Salmon Terrine has firm, sliceable layers.
Berry uses tian shaping for her lighter, simpler salmon recipes. Her terrines tend to be richer, with more butter and cream cheese. This double salmon tian sits at the lighter end of her range, which is partly why it comes in at only 232 calories per serving.
Can I use a different type of salmon?
Berry calls for fresh salmon fillet, skinned. Wild salmon, farmed salmon, or organic salmon all work here. The key is that the fillet is fresh rather than smoked, since the smoked salmon on top provides the cured element.
Tinned salmon wouldn’t suit this recipe because it has a different texture after processing. Berry bakes the fresh fillet in foil specifically to keep it moist and create those lovely flakes. The cooking juices and any jelly from the foil parcel go into the mix too.
How do I unmould these without breaking them?
Berry gives two approaches depending on your equipment. With metal rings, slide a fish slice under the ring and transfer it to the plate, then ease the ring up carefully. The chilled cheese mixture should hold its shape.
With ramekins, Berry’s trick is to line them with cling film before filling. When you’re ready to serve, flip the ramekin onto the plate and peel away the film. This is the same method she uses in her smoked salmon mousse from Family Sunday Lunches.
How far ahead can I prepare this?
Berry says to refrigerate for at least 2 hours and adds “overnight if possible.” That overnight chill is worth doing if you have time, because the cheese sets firmer and the flavours have longer to come together.
The tians can sit assembled in their rings in the fridge for up to a day. Unmould them just before serving so they hold their shape on the plate. Add the smoked salmon curl and rocket leaves at the last minute to keep everything fresh.
What leaves work best alongside this tian?
Berry suggests rocket or mizuna, both of which have a peppery bite that cuts through the richness of the cream cheese. Plain lettuce would be too mild here. The leaves aren’t just a garnish; they’re doing real work as a palate cleanser.
Watercress is another option that Berry uses with several of her fish starters, including the Three Fish Terrine. A simple squeeze of lemon over the leaves is all you need for dressing, since anything heavier competes with the salmon. Anything heavier would compete with the delicate salmon.
