Confit and rillettes are two traditional methods of food preservation. Dating back to ancient civilizations, these methods originated as a preservation practice before the advent of refrigeration. They both involve slowly cooking meat in its own rendered fat. By submerging the food under a layer of fat, an anaerobic environment was created, effectively preventing spoilage and allowing people to store food during leaner times. Today, these techniques are still used to create dishes with exceptional tenderness, rich flavor and a naturally extended shelf life.
The technique of confit evolved into a classic French method of preserving meat, typically duck or goose, by slow-cooking seasoned pieces in their own rendered fat until tender. I recently encountered this method firsthand at a market in Gascony, a region in southwest France, where I bought vacuum-packed duck leg-thigh confit. A quick pan-sear yielded incredibly tender meat with wonderfully crispy skin. Potato wedges, cooked in the same fat, made for an exceptional meal with minimal effort.
Rillettes (pronounced “ree-yet” with a silent “s”) is a similar meat preparation that dates back to the 14th century. The technique involved slow-cooking meat, usually pork or duck, and then shredding it, adding some seasonings and then packing it under a sealing layer of fat. The result was a rustic, coarse and spreadable paste. It became known as “brown poor man’s jam” or “pig jam.”
My first taste of rillettes de porc was in 1998, and I still have a clear memory of sitting at a sidewalk table outside Café de Flore in Paris. I ordered a glass of wine and rillette while reading the International Herald Tribune about a scandal unfolding back in the States involving Bill Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. The small stoneware crock of rillettes that arrived at my table, covered in a layer of pork fat, was a perfect accompaniment to the unfolding drama.
Though originally made from fatty meats such as pork, duck or goose, the method has since been adapted for seafood, especially salmon. Instead of cooking fat, seafood rillettes rely on binders like crème fraîche, mayonnaise or softened butter, resulting in a lighter, more delicate spread. Salmon rillettes are traditionally served slightly chilled, with crusty bread, cornichons (small pickled cucumbers) and whole-grain mustard as an appetizer.
Every month, I receive a delivery of high-quality frozen fish from Sitka Seafood Shares, a community-supported fishery. With a freezer stocked with sockeye and smoked salmon portions, I had all the key ingredients for preparing a batch of salmon rillettes. This recipe, adapted from one of Chef Thomas Keller’s, calls for two things you might not have hanging around in your fridge: crème fraîche and clarified butter.
You can often find crème fraîche in the dairy aisle, but making it at home is simple, requiring only two ingredients: one cup of pasteurized (not ultra-pasteurized) heavy cream and two tablespoons of cultured buttermilk. To begin, pour the heavy cream into a glass jar. Add the buttermilk, then cover the jar tightly and shake well to thoroughly combine the ingredients. Next, cover the jar loosely with a slightly damp paper towel and let it sit on your kitchen counter overnight. Once the mixture has thickened, seal the jar with a lid and refrigerate. The homemade crème fraîche will keep for up to two weeks.
Keller offers a nifty hack for making clarified butter: place a stick of butter in a resealable bag. Suspend the bag in a pot of simmering water, making sure it doesn’t touch the bottom. After the butter has melted, move the bag to the refrigerator and let it hang over the edge of a shelf. Once the butter is solid, remove the bag from the fridge, hold it over a bowl, and snip off a bottom corner to drain the milk solids. Finally, rinse the block of solidified clarified butter briefly under a faucet, then dry it to remove any residual milk solids
Salmon rillettes
Serves 6-10 as an appetizer
Ingredients:
1 pound center-cut salmon fillet, skin and pin bones removed
2 tablespoons Pernod or other anise-flavored liquor
Salt
Freshly ground white pepper
1 stick of unsalted butter, at room temperature, divided
1 stick of unsalted butter, clarified as described above
½ cup minced shallots
1 tablespoon crème fraîche
8 ounces unsliced smoked salmon, chilled, skin and dark layer removed if necessary, cut into 1/4 -inch dice and brought to room temperature
2 ½ tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
2 egg yolks, lightly beaten
Serving suggestions:
Toasted baguette slices or potato chips
Caviar
Minced shallot
Chopped hard-boiled egg
Capers
Lemon wedges
Preparation:
Discard any dark sections of flesh from the salmon fillet. Season the fish on both sides with 1 ½ teaspoons of salt and ¼ teaspoon of white pepper. Transfer to a resealable plastic bag, sprinkle with Pernod and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes, flipping it over midway through the marination.
Remove the salmon from the bag, transfer it to a steamer over simmering water, and cover. Steam gently for five to eight minutes, lowering the heat if too much steam escapes. To check for doneness, insert a knife tip into the flesh. The center should be medium-rare. Once cooked, remove the salmon from the steamer.
In a medium sauté pan, melt one tablespoon of butter over low heat. Add the shallots and cook for two minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Continue cooking for three to four minutes until the shallots are soft but not browned. Remove the pan from the heat.
In a small bowl, using a fork, beat seven tablespoons of butter until smooth and mayonnaise-like. Then stir in the crème fraîche and set aside.
In a large bowl, break the cooked salmon into large chunks, taking care not to over-shred the fish. Add the smoked salmon, shallots, lemon juice, olive oil, and egg yolks. Season with 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper. Finally, fold in the butter mixture.
Transfer the rillettes into sterilized four-ounce jelly jars or similar containers, leaving at least 1/2 inch of space at the top. Smooth the top of the rillettes and wipe the inside rims clean. Refrigerate for about one hour until cold.
Melt the clarified butter and pour a ¼-inch-thick layer over the rillettes.
Cover the jars with their lids and store them in the refrigerator for up to a week. To serve, break through the butter layer and remove it. Serve the rillettes with toast points, crackers, or potato chips.
After retiring from a 40-year career in dentistry at age 66, Dr. Peter Glatz embraced his lifelong dream of becoming a professional chef. His transition from the exacting world of dentistry to the inventive world of culinary arts is a testament to the possibility of self-reinvention at any age.
This article appears in March 19-25, 2026.
