Summer is here, and with it comes picnics, graduation parties, weddings and a host of random backyard barbeques, all designed to get friends and family together. Why? Because it’s hard to beat hanging out with your favorite people under the sun for some fellowship, activities, and, of course, some tasty treats.

But with these outings comes the age-old question: What should you bring? Sure, there are the classics – mom’s famous potato salad, baked beans, poppers, deviled eggs, cheese and sausage, or the always dependable fruit salad.

Or ... you can break free from convention and make something unexpected. Something that is easy to make, inexpensive and yet utterly delicious. Like homemade smoked fish dip!

For this Mercury Cook Your Catch installment, outdoorswoman Emily Hayes joins veteran outdoorsman Blaine Garrett in making a simple and easy smoked fish dip that will make you a bit of a backyard barbeque hero. And while Emily and Blaine make their dip with monkfish, any type of smoked white fish or smoked salmon is every bit as delicious. It just depends on what you and your guests might enjoy most.

Ingredients

• 3 cups smoked white fish
• 1 tablespoon minced onion
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup chili sauce
• 2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
• 1 package cream cheese (8 ounces)
• Assortment of crackers

Preparation

Begin by shredding your smoked fish with two forks, until you have a bowl of light and flaky bite-sized pieces of fish.

Next, add the minced onion, mayonnaise, chili sauce, chopped hard-boiled egg and cream cheese. Using a spoon, mix everything together thoroughly.

The only thing left to do is grab your favorite cracker and dig in! Just be sure to save some for the get-together!