In the first of this two-part special, Neven's Christmas in Limerick, Neven Maguire prepares Smoked Salmon Galettes, Glazed Rack of Pork with Creamy Roast Potatoes, and No-Bake Chocolate Tart.
Ingredients
Neven's Christmas in Limerick airs on Thursday, 4 December 2025, on RTÉ One at 8pm.
Serves 4
- 320g Ready Rolled Puff pastry
- 1 egg yolk (beaten with a splash of milk)
- 1 tsp mixed seeds such as poppy and sesame
- 250g soft cream cheese
- 50g crème fraiche
- Juice and zest of ½ lemon
- 1 tbsp chopped chives
- 1 tbsp chopped dill, plus extra to serve
- 100g Organic Irish Smoked salmon, cut into strips
- 100g Cooked White Crab Meat
- 1 tsp Pickled diced cucumber
- 1 tsp Pickled red onion
- 2 tsp baby capers
- dressed salad leaves, to serve
For The Pickled Cucumber & Red Onion
- 4 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 2 whole star anise
- ½ tsp pink peppercorns
- ½ small cucumber, peeled, halved and seeded
- ½ red onion, peeled and diced
Method
For The Pickled Cucumber & Red Onion
- Mix the white wine vinegar, caster sugar, star anise and pink peppercorns in a bowl or a Kilner jar.
- Add in the diced cucumber and red onion and allow to pickle for a minimum of 3 hours or over night allows the flavours to develop further
For The Galettes
- Heat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4).
- Unroll the pastry and cut out four 12cm diameter circles using a small plate. Put the circles on a large non-stick baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
- Using a 9cm pastry cutter place the cutter onto the centre of the pastry circles and gently press down to create an imprint. Be careful not to cut through the pastry.
- Glaze the border with the beaten egg yolk, then sprinkle it with seeds. Using a fork, prick the centre circle 5-6 times to create indents. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until puffed up, golden and cooked through.
- Gently push down the centre circles of the galettes to create a cavity. Set aside and leave to cool.
- Mix the cream cheese, crème fraiche, crab, lemon zest and juice, chopped herbs, pickled cucumber and pickled red onion and season well.
- Divide the mixture between the pastry cases then carefully spread out.
- Arrange the salmon on top and scatter over the capers and extra dill fronds. Serve with dress salad leaves on the side.
