Recipe: Deb Perelman's Smoked Whitefish Dip with Horseradish

Excerpted from Smitten Kitchen by Deb Perelman. 

Smoked Whitefish Dip with Horseradish

Adapted, just a little, from Chris Shepherd via Tasting Table

You’ll want about 1 1/2 pounds whole (bone-in, skin-on) smoked whitefish to get 1 pound skinned and flaked. At Russ and Daughters (which my son misreads as “Russian Daughters” and no, we will not correct him), where I bought mine, their whole whitefish range from 2 1/2 to 3 pounds, and they will sell you half of one.

Serves 4 to 6

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons Creole mustard, or a mustard that you prefer
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
Zest and juice from 2 lemons
2 tablespoons Tabasco sauce (see Note; I skipped this)
1 teaspoon cayenne powder (I used much less)
3 green onions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1/2 jalapeño, finely chopped (I skipped this)
1/2 medium yellow onion, finely diced (and this)
1 pound skinned and flaked smoked whitefish
Salt and pepper, to taste
Saltine crackers to serve
1 tablespoons finely chopped chives, for garnish

Make the dressing by mixing mayonnaise, sour cream, horseradish, Worcestershire, mustard, paprika, zest and lemon juice, hot sauce (if using), cayenne (to taste), green onions, celery, jalapeño (if using) and onion in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Place skinned and flaked whitefish in a larger bowl. Add dressing to taste (we used about 3/4 of it total) and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Serve with crackers, garnished with chives.