The coastal village of Portsoy has been in the spotlight of late, thanks to the release of the new movie, Whisky Galore!
The film, starring Gregor Fisher, is a remake of the classic Ealing comedy, released in 1949 and based on Compton Mackenzie’s cracking 1947 novel of the same name.
But long before Compton or movie makers came calling, Portsoy was being put on the map by a local firm, Sutherlands of Portsoy.
Since 1908, five generations of the Sutherland family have produced the finest Scottish smoked fish and salmon. The family firm has a proud heritage with provenance while quality is the key to all aspects of its produce which is sold throughout the UK and beyond.
The salmon, always from Scottish producers, are reared in the fresh, fast-flowing waters around the west and north of Scotland. Using traditional smoking methods developed by the Sutherland family this bespoke process still remains a family secret, with only the freshest fish used in the kiln, where smoke from the burning shavings of oak casks caress and infuse the salmon flesh to give that special award winning Sutherlands of Portsoy flavour.
The products can be purchased online and in selected stores including Brodie Countryfare, Forres; Raemoir Garden Centre, Banchory; McLennans Supermarket, Benbecula; The Greengrocer Inverurie; Cairngorm Butcher & The Elephant in the Pantry, Grantown; Deli Mair, Aviemore and Spey Larder, Aberlour.
Here are two mouth-watering yet tasty recipes to try using Sutherland’s delicious smoked salmon.
Smoked Salmon Mini Muffins
MAKES ABOUT 20 MUFFINS
The ingredients
- 200g smoked salmon
- 4 eggs
- 100g full fat plain yoghurt
- Sprig of dill
- Half a lemon
- 200ml olive oil
- 300g plain flour
- 4tsp baking powder
- Sea salt
The method
- Finely chop 100g of the smoked salmon. Squeeze the lemon and drizzle the juice over the salmon. Set aside.
- Wash and finely chop the dill. Mix the flour, baking powder and a little salt together in one bowl. Break the eggs into another bowl and beat lightly, add the olive oil and yoghurt (to the egg mixture) and beat together until light and creamy.
- Fold together the wet and dry ingredients until just combined. Gently fold in the finely chopped smoked salmon and chopped dill.
- Line two mini muffin trays with muffin cases. Divide the mixture between the cases and bake at 180 degrees for 25 minutes or until risen and golden. Serve warm from the oven with some cream cheese and the remaining slices of smoked salmon.
Creamy Smoked Salmon and Asparagus Pasta
SERVES 2
The ingredients
- 250g farfalle pasta
- 15ml olive oil
- 1-2 courgettes, thinly sliced into ribbons
- 250g asparagus, cut into 5cm pieces and blanched
- 250ml sour cream
- 10ml grated lemon zest
- 30ml lemon juice
- Salt and black pepper
- 150g smoked salmon or trout, roughly chopped
- 15ml chopped dill
The method
- Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain and reserve about 80ml of the cooking liquid.
- Heat the oil in a large pan and gently fry the courgette and asparagus for a minute.
- Stir in the sour cream, lemon zest and juice and bring to the boil.
- Add the drained pasta and season. Stir in the smoked salmon and dill and heat.
- If the sauce is too thick, add a little of the reserved pasta cooking liquid to thin it down.
- Serve immediately.
