Smoked Fish Dip

This fish dip recipe is adapted from Hank Shaw's recipe for smoked trout dip. Unfortunately, I neglected to take a photo of the black drum fish which I smoked.

tear into small pieces a medium sized smoked drum fish
     about 1-1/2 lbs, check well for bones, (I used pimento wood)
3 heaping tablespoons of whipped crem cheese
3 tablespoons of sour cream
3 teaspoons of prepared horseradish
2 teaspoons of dijon mustard
1 shallot minced
1 tablespoon chopped chives fresh or dried
1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar or lemon juice
salt & black pepper (I didn't use salt because the chips are salty)
a few dashes of hot sauce (I've been using sweet habenero)

I used pimento smoked drum fish but you could use the smoked fish of your choice such as salmon, mullet, trout, or mackeral. Use a mild wood such as alder, cherry, or to smoke the fish since you don't want too smokey a flavor to overpower the fish completely. The hardest part was making sure there were no bones; drum fish seems to have a lot of bones. I added the fish pieces in last and gently tossed them with the other ingredients I had already stirred up. The idea is to have little chunks of fish visible in the dip. I served the dip with a mild tasting gluten free black bean chip. You could use a mild cracker, toast or celery sticks. I don't recommend a strong flavored chip or cracker because then you can't taste the fish dip. This recipe is enough to make three generous small dip bowl fulls. Worth making for a party when guests are expected. It was delicious. White Rabbit to you all.