Mary Berry’s salmon and asparagus terrine layers smoked salmon pâté with whole asparagus spears inside a smoked salmon shell. From Mary Berry Cooks, it serves 8, bakes at 180°C (160°C fan) for 12 to 15 minutes, and chills for at least 6 hours.
Berry’s headnote in Mary Berry Cooks (2014) calls this “a striking and impressive dish.” She adds that you can vary the thickness of slices depending on how much food follows, making it work as a generous starter or a lighter course.
The asparagus spears through the centre give each slice its visual impact. Berry trims them to exactly the length of the tin and lays them head to tail so they fit tightly. Every slice shows a neat row of green circles.
Mary Berry Salmon and Asparagus Terrine
Course: AppetizersCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy8
servings30
minutes15
minutes340
kcalA two-texture terrine from Mary Berry Cooks that combines smooth salmon pâté with crisp asparagus spears in a smoked salmon wrapping. Berry recommends serving with melba toast, oatcakes or a little green salad.
Ingredients
150g (5 oz) salmon fillet
About 7 large asparagus spears
350g (12 oz) smoked salmon slices
200g (7 oz) full-fat cream cheese
75g (3 oz) softened butter
1 tablespoon chopped chives
2 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cress, to serve (optional)
Directions
- Grease a 450g (1lb) loaf tin then line with a double layer of cling film. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/Gas 4.
- Place the salmon fillet on a square of foil. Season the salmon and fold the foil over the top to make a parcel. Cook in the oven for 12 to 15 minutes until the flesh has turned an opaque pink. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.
- Trim the woody ends of the asparagus to exactly the length of the tin. Bring a frying pan of water to the boil and cook the asparagus spears for 3 to 4 minutes until they feel just tender when pierced with a knife, then drain and plunge into ice-cold water to cool. Drain and pat dry.
- Trim a smoked salmon slice to fit the base of the tin then cut slices to fit all four sides, leaving a little to overhang, and reserve one slice for the top.
- Place the remaining smoked salmon in a food processor with the cold cooked salmon fillet, cream cheese, soft butter, chives and lemon juice. Blend until smooth and season to taste.
- Spread half the smoked salmon mixture into the lined tin and top with the asparagus spears, laying them head to tail so that they fit tightly into the tin. Top with the remaining salmon mixture and lay the last piece of smoked salmon on top.
- Cover the terrine with cling film and leave to chill for at least 6 hours in the fridge, then remove the cling film, turn out and cut into slices. Scatter with cress, if using, and serve.
FAQs
Why does Berry use chives instead of dill in this terrine?
Most of Berry’s salmon terrines use dill, but this one uses chives because the asparagus changes the flavour balance. Dill would compete with the grassy, vegetal taste of the asparagus. Chives complement asparagus naturally, adding a mild onion note without overpowering anything.
Berry’s Chilled Salmon Terrine from Cooks the Perfect uses dill because there’s no vegetable component to consider. The flavour pairing choices across her terrine recipes show how carefully she thinks about each element working alongside the others.
How do I trim the asparagus to the right length?
Berry says to trim the woody ends so the spears are “exactly the length of the tin.” Lay a spear inside the tin and cut where it meets the edge. Use this first spear as a template for the rest, so they’re all identical.
The precision matters here because the spears need to fit tightly head to tail inside the tin. If they’re too long, they’ll stick out and create gaps. If too short, the salmon pâté will fill the gap and you’ll lose the clean green line through each slice.
Can I use fine asparagus instead of large spears?
Berry specifies “about 7 large asparagus spears” for a reason. Large spears hold their shape better after blanching and create a bolder visual effect when sliced. Fine asparagus would bend more easily and might get lost in the pâté.
If you can only find fine asparagus, bundle them together to create the same width as the large spears. You’ll need about 14 to 16 fine spears to fill the same space. Blanch them for just 2 minutes since they cook faster than the large variety Berry specifies.
How is this different from Berry’s Chilled Salmon Terrine?
Both use the same 450g loaf tin and smoked salmon lining. The Chilled Salmon Terrine uses roasted salmon flakes with horseradish and layers of dill scattered between the pâté. This version uses fresh salmon fillet with chives, and the asparagus spears replace the dill layers entirely.
The textures are different too. The Chilled Salmon Terrine is uniformly smooth throughout, while this one gives you a contrast between smooth pâté and the slight snap of the asparagus. Both need at least 6 hours of chilling before they can be sliced.and both slice best straight from the fridge.
What does freezing the terrine for 30 minutes do?
Berry’s Wise Words suggest this freezing trick for cleaner slices. The brief freeze firms up the butter and cream cheese just enough that the knife glides through without dragging. It doesn’t freeze the terrine solid, just makes it extra cold.
This tip is useful when you’re serving the terrine at a dinner party and want professional-looking slices. After 30 minutes in the freezer, slice immediately and plate quickly. The slices will come back to fridge temperature within about 10 minutes once plated.
Can I make individual portions instead of a large terrine?
Berry suggests this herself in her Wise Words: “You could also make this in individual 150ml ramekins and turn them out.” Line each ramekin with cling film, press in the pâté, add a single asparagus spear through the middle, and top with more pâté.
Individual portions look elegant and solve the slicing issue entirely. Berry uses the same ramekin approach in her Fresh Salmon and Dill Terrines from the Christmas Collection. Small moulds are ideal for a plated first course where you want each guest to have their own portion.
