Smoked Salmon Christmas Starter: Jamie Oliver’s Wavy Salmon
This Jamie Oliver-inspired smoked salmon Christmas starter is a masterclass in assembly over cooking, making it perfect for hosting on Christmas Day or Boxing Day when you want maximum impact with minimum time away from your guests.
A Smoked Salmon Christmas Starter in Ten Minutes
This dish always goes down well with my vegetarian friends who eat fish. It is incredibly simple, relying entirely on the quality of the ingredients and a bit of attention to the presentation. I use Norwegian wild salmon whenever I can lay my hands on it, as the flavour is second to none.
The secret is serving it on a large white plate to let the vibrant pink of the fish and the deep green of the parsley stand out. By ‘ruffling’ the salmon into waves rather than laying it flat, you create a professional look that always gets a good reception.
It also suits a Christmas table because nothing needs cooking, so the oven stays free for the main course. Plate it just before you sit down, and to feed more people allow roughly 75–100 g of salmon per person.
The final flourish is a generous drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. I always use Montetucci olive oil; its peppery finish from the local Picual olives perfectly cuts through the richness of the Norwegian wild salmon.
When selecting the star of this dish, the debate usually settles between Scottish, Icelandic, and Norwegian waters. While my Scottish roots give me a natural affinity for a delicate Loch-grown fish, I find that Norwegian wild salmon offers a firmer texture and a cleaner, ‘ocean-fresh’ flavour that holds up beautifully against the zing of lime and red onion.
Of course, the real divide is between wild and farmed. Farmed salmon is often oilier, which can be pleasant, but wild-caught fish has a lean, muscular quality and a deeper natural hue that looks far more impressive on a large white plate. If you’re at the fishmonger and can’t find wild Norwegian, a good quality dry-cured Scottish smoked salmon is a very respectable runner-up.
Jamie Oliver Smoked Salmon Starter — The Recipe
This is less about cooking and more about the art of assembly. The goal is texture and freshness.
Serves: 2 as a generous starter Prep time: 10 minutes
Ingredients
- 150g-200g Smoked Salmon: Ideally Norwegian wild salmon, thinly sliced.
- ½ Red Onion: Very finely chopped.
- Small bunch of Flat Leaf Parsley: Chopped.
- 1 Lime: Halved for squeezing.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A good glug of Montetucci.
- Black Pepper: Freshly ground.
Method
- The 'Wavy' Effect: Take a large white plate. Instead of laying the salmon flat, use your fingers to ruffle and fold the slices into 'waves'. This creates height and little pockets to catch the dressing.
- The Topping: In a small bowl, toss your finely chopped red onion and parsley together. Scatter this mixture generously over the salmon.
- The Finish: Squeeze the juice of half a lime over the fish. Drizzle with a good tablespoon of olive oil and finish with an aggressive grind of black pepper.
- Serve: Bring your smoked salmon Christmas starter straight to the table with the remaining lime wedges on the side.
More Christmas Starters
Looking for more Christmas salmon starters, or something to go alongside? Try the Casa Adora Stuffed Avocado, the light and bright Boxing Day Escabeche, or my Chestnut and Mushroom Pâté. For the main event, there's my Christmas Day Roasted Guinea Fowl. And if you have salmon left over, my smoked salmon recipes have plenty more ways to use it.
If you've enjoyed the recipes, you can buy me a coffee ☕ — it helps keep the site going.
Footnote
This smoked salmon Christmas starter is part of my Smoked Salmon Recipes collection and my Inland Fish & Seafood hub, a collection of resourceful ways to prepare the sea's bounty from the heart of rural Spain.
Find more recipes and food adventures here.
Wonky photos, proper food, genuine adventures – The Flexible Chef
