Texas Smoked Salmon Tartare

By BobD

These spicy, tangy little hors d'oeuvres are chef Dean Fearing's take on the classic combination of smoked salmon, red onion and capers—he throws in roasted garlic, lime juice and jalapeño and replaces the standard cream cheese with sour cream. To make the dish especially Southwestern, he serves the tartare on tortilla chips. "Everything is good on a chip," he says.

Ingredients

• 2 oil-packed anchovy fillets, drained and coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons roasted garlic paste (see Note)
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
• One 1/2-pound piece of skinless smoked salmon, cut into 1/4-inch dice
• 1 small jalapeño, seeded and minced
• 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained and coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro, plus 4 dozen cilantro leaves, for garnish
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4dozen sturdy corn tortilla chips

Preparation

Step 1

In a medium bowl, using the back of a fork, mash the anchovies with the roasted garlic paste, cumin and extra-virgin olive oil. Stir in the sour cream and lime juice. Fold in the smoked salmon, jalapeño, red onion, capers and chopped cilantro and season with salt and pepper.

Arrange the tortilla chips on a platter. Spoon a heaping teaspoon of the smoked salmon tartare onto each chip, top with a cilantro leaf and serve.