In short: A raclette without cured meats: smoked salmon, grapes, caramelized red onions and gherkins. The sweet-and-salty pairing of cheese and grapes, the freshness of the salmon: a lighter raclette, perfect for a change.
📲 The video that inspired this recipe
Chef’s tip
Swapping cured meats for smoked salmon is a bit like inviting a sailor to a party of mountain folk: you worry it will go badly, and in the end everyone dances.
The principle is simple: keep the cheese and the potatoes, and change the companions. The grapes bring sweetness and freshness, the caramelized onions softness, the gherkins acidity. The salmon never goes under the heating element: you pour the melted cheese over it, just before eating.
| Prep time | 20 min |
|---|---|
| Cook time | 35 min |
| Total | 55 min |
| Servings | 4 people (adjustable) |
| Difficulty | Easy |
Ingredients (for 4 people)
- 800 g sliced raclette cheese
- 1.2 kg small new potatoes or fingerlings (grenaille or ratte)
- 300 g sliced smoked salmon
- 300 g seedless white or black grapes
- 3 red onions
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ bunch of dill
- 1 lemon
- Gherkins
- Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
- Cook the potatoes. Boil the potatoes in their skins for 20 minutes in salted water, then keep them warm.
- Caramelize the onions. Slice the red onions and cook them gently for 15 minutes over low heat in the olive oil. Add the brown sugar and the cider vinegar, then let them reduce until glossy.
- Prepare the grapes. Wash the grapes, pick them off the stems and cut the largest ones in half.
- Prepare the salmon. Cut the smoked salmon into strips, drizzle with a little lemon juice and sprinkle with chopped dill. Keep it chilled until serving.
- Set the table. Arrange the salmon, grapes, caramelized onions and gherkins in small bowls around the raclette grill.
- Melt the cheese. Melt the cheese slices in the raclette pans for 2 to 4 minutes, until melted and lightly golden.
- Serve. Pour the melted cheese over the potatoes, add a few strips of salmon, some grapes and caramelized onions, then a turn of the pepper mill.
Chef’s tips
- Never heat the smoked salmon: it toughens and takes on too strong a flavor. The hot cheese is enough to warm it.
- Choose crisp grapes: they contrast with the melting cheese.
- The caramelized onions can be made the day before and keep for 3 days in the refrigerator.
- Have a little cured meat on hand for guests who do not like fish.
Variations
- Replace the salmon with smoked trout.
- Add roasted pears: see our recipe roasted pears and caramelized onions.
- Appetizer version: serve on slices of toasted rye bread rather than on potatoes.
Which wine to serve?
A dry, mineral white wine, such as a Chablis, a Muscadet or a Fendant from Valais: it goes as well with the salmon as with the cheese.
Frequently asked questions
Can you put the salmon in the raclette pan?
It is not recommended: smoked salmon toughens with heat. Place it on the melted cheese, on the plate, instead.
Which grapes should you choose?
Seedless grapes, white or black, nice and firm. Muscat grapes bring a more fragrant flavor.
How much cheese per person?
With the salmon, 200 g (7 oz) of cheese per person is usually enough.
🧀 The right grill: the 3-in-1 raclette and crêpe maker (raclette pans, grill and crêpes), our comparison.
Read also: Roasted pears and caramelized onions for raclette and Raclette-Baked Oysters
