Mousse con uova di lompo. This dish doesn’t in fact use real caviar, but red Lumpfish Roe. Lumpfish mousse doesn’t quite have the same ring to it though :-) If you can only find black roe, feel free to use that, the taste is exactly the same. This is a very easy antipasto, especially if you use tinned beans, but looks quite impressive. The original recipe used smoked trout, but I found it impossible to find both here and in the UK, so I got very good results when I used smoked salmon. It is worth spending a little extra on the smoked salmon though, as the cheaper varieties tend to be very salty. Be careful when seasoning the beans for this reason. Serves 4.

• 140g smoked salmon
• 600g plain yoghurt
• 400g boiled cannellini beans, canned are fine
• Red lumpfish roe, enough to make a thin layer, 1 jar will probably be enough
• Lemon juice
• A sprig of rosemary
• Olive oil

1. Blend the smoked salmon, the yoghurt and a tablespoon of lemon juice in a liquidiser. Keep a little of the smoked salmon aside to use as a garnish.
2. Blend the drained cannellini beans,  the leaves from the rosemary sprig and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Assemble the mousse in 4 wine glasses, a layer of  cannellini beans, a thin layer of lumpfish roe and a layer of the smoked salmon and yoghurt mixture.
4. Garnish with a little chopped smoked salmon.
5. Serve with toast or bread sticks (grissini).

Filed under: Antipasto, Cannellini beans, Lemon, Lumpfish roe, Recipe, Rosemary, Smoked salmon Tagged: Antipasto, cannellini beans, Italian recipe, lumpfish roe, rosemary