Ingredients
1 whole smoked whitefish (1 1/2 pounds), with head and tail
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/2 small white onion
1/4 cup mayonnaise
Romaine lettuce leaves, for garnish
1/2 pound smoked sable, thinly sliced
1/2 pound smoked Gaspe nova, thinly sliced
1/2 pound hot smoked salmon, thinly sliced
1/2 pound smoked wild Baltic salmon, thinly sliced
Salmon roe, for garnish
Caperberries, for garnish
Variety of olives, such as black, green and Kalamata, for garnish
Lemon slices, for garnish
Fresh dill and parsley sprigs, for garnish
Variety of breads, such as bagels, black bread and rye bread
Variety of cream cheeses, such as Caviar Cream Cheese, plain cream cheese, chive cream cheese
Preparation
Remove flesh from fish, leaving skin in one piece, reserving skin. Discard bones. Coarsely chop flesh (you should have about 4 cups). Transfer to a medium bowl. Add celery, onion, and mayonnaise. Mix gently to combine.
Line a large platter with lettuce. Open reserved skin and place on platter, scale-side down. Mound salad onto one half of skin, using the skin as a template. Fold the remaining half of skin over salad, and gently press to form salad into the shape of the fish. Using scissors, cut top half of skin off, and discard. Using the edge of a spatula, gently score the salad to resemble the bones of the fish.
Arrange the smoked fish around the whitefish salad. Garnish with salmon roe, caperberries, olives, lemon slices, and herbs. Serve with bread and cream cheese, on the side.
