Recipe: Smoked Salmon Rillettes on Oatcakes: A Recipe Inspired by the Story Feast Menu at St. John's Abbey
Smoked Salmon Rillettes Inspired By Mateo Mackbee’s Menu at Story Feast St. John’s
Last autumn, guests gathered in the Great Hall of St. John's Abbey for the first-ever Story Feast dinner. Chefs Mateo and Erin Mackbee served a five-course harvest feast that Minnesota Monthly described as "a meditation on community, craft, and care." It was the kind of meal that lingered: in conversation and in my memory.
One of the dishes that stayed with me was the very first bite of the evening: walleye rillettes on rye crisps, passed during the cocktail hour. It was the perfect opening: delicate but confident, smoky and creamy, a little bit luxurious. The kind of thing that makes you pause mid-conversation and look down at what you're holding, because it's that good.
I've been thinking about those rillettes ever since, and this week I finally made my own version at home in Ireland. I swapped the Minnesota walleye for Irish smoked salmon and the rye crisps for oatcakes. These are both ingredients that are everywhere here and that feel rooted in this place the way the Mackbees' walleye felt rooted in theirs. That's what I love about rillettes: the technique is classic French, but the fish and the cracker can be whatever is best and most local to where you are.
The Full St. John's Abbey Menu
Before we get to the recipe, here's a look at the complete harvest menu the Mackbees created for our inaugural gathering. Every dish was built around seasonal Minnesota ingredients and served family style at long communal tables on handmade ceramic serviceware by Maine Prairie Studio. Every course includes at least one thoughtful meatless option for our vegetarian friends.
Shared Bites
Walleye Rillettes on Rye Crisps
Wild Rice Arancini with Cranberry Compote
Pickled Garden Accents
Salads & Bread
Seasonal Harvest Salad
Roasted Beet Salad with Horseradish Cream
Rustic Breads & Compound Butters
Main Platters
Braised Short Ribs with Juniper Jus
Maple-Glazed Roast Chicken
Foraged Mushroom & Barley Casserole
Sides
Charred Carrots with Maple & Hazelnuts
Seasonal Grain Pilaf
Corn Grits with Smoked Chili Oil
Desserts
Honeycrisp Apple Galette with Cardamom Cream
Church Basement Sweet Bar Sampler
Beverages
Vespers signature cocktail by Brother Justus Whiskey
Lift Bridge Beer and Root Beer
TÖST Nonalcoholic Sparkling Beverage
Wine from the cellars of the monks at St. John's Abbey
Smoked Salmon Rillettes with Oatcakes
Smoked Salmon Rillettes on Oatcakes
Rillettes are one of the great traditions of French charcuterie. It’s meat or fish, slowly broken down and folded with fat and aromatics until you have a rough, luxurious spread that's somewhere between a pâté and a dip. The classic versions are made with duck or pork, but salmon rillettes have become a staple of French bistro cooking, and for good reason: they're elegant, simple, and can be made entirely ahead of time.
This version uses smoked salmon as the base, no poaching required, which makes it a true no-cook recipe that comes together in about fifteen minutes. The cream cheese gives it body, the crème fraîche keeps it light, and the lemon, dill, and a pinch of chili flakes give it the brightness it needs. Serve it on oatcakes, rye crisps, toasted sourdough, or whatever good cracker you have on hand.
A note on the salmon: hot-smoked salmon works best here. It has a flakier, meatier texture that breaks down beautifully into the spread. Cold-smoked salmon (the kind you'd put on a bagel) is silkier and more delicate; you can use it, but the texture will be smoother and less rustic.
Serving Size: 6–8 as an appetizer Preparation Time: 15 minutes (plus at least 1 hour chilling)
Ingredients:
250 g (9 oz) hot-smoked salmon, skin removed
115 g (4 oz / 1/2 cup) cream cheese, at room temperature
3 tbsp (45 ml) crème fraîche (or sour cream)
1 tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice (about half a lemon), plus zest for garnish
2 tbsp (5 g) fresh dill, finely chopped, plus extra for garnish
1 tbsp (3 g) fresh chives, finely chopped (optional)
1/4 tsp chili flakes (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Flaky sea salt, if needed (taste first, smoked salmon is often salty enough)
To serve: Oatcakes, rye crisps, or toasted sourdough slices
Method:
Break the smoked salmon into a large bowl, flaking it apart with a fork into rough, shredded pieces. You want a mix of textures; some finer, some chunkier. Don't pulverize it.
Add the cream cheese, crème fraîche, lemon juice, dill, chives (if using), and chili flakes. Fold everything together with a fork or spatula until the mixture is well combined but still has visible pieces of salmon running through it. The texture should be rough and spreadable, not smooth like a mousse.
Taste and adjust: add more lemon juice if it needs brightness, more dill if you want it more herbal, black pepper to taste, and a pinch of flaky salt only if it needs it.
Transfer to a serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least an hour and ideally longer. The flavors deepen and meld as it chills. The rillettes will keep in the fridge, covered, for up to three days.
When ready to serve, bring the rillettes to room temperature for about fifteen minutes (they spread better when not ice-cold). Garnish with a scattering of fresh dill and a bit of lemon zest, and serve alongside oatcakes or your cracker of choice.
Story Feast Minneapolis: October 24, 2026
If this menu has you dreaming about being at the table, we have good news: tickets are on sale now for Story Feast Minneapolis on October 24th at the Weisman Art Museum. Chefs Mateo and Erin Mackbee are returning for a five-course dinner inside Frank Gehry's landmark building on the banks of the Mississippi where the trees will be in their full autumn splendor.
We're also hosting experiential dinners in extraordinary venues across the globe in 2026–2027.
Join the waitlist for your city:
Edinburgh, Scotland — Join the waitlist→
County Clare, Ireland — Join the waitlist →
The Cotswolds, England — Join the waitlist →
Tallinn, Estonia — Join the waitlist →
Prague, Czech Republic — Join the waitlist →
Fes, Morocco — Join the waitlist →
Gothenburg, Sweden — Join the waitlist →
Tickets sold out within weeks for our inaugural event. Join the waitlist to be the first to know when tickets go on sale for each location.
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