Last summer, my mother asked me to make cupcakes for the June birthdays. We have several in June and, in order to make it easy, we celebrate them all at once. Nevertheless, I forgot to make the cupcakes and I was on my way to the party when I remembered. “Oops,” or as Vivian, my daughter who never misses an opportunity to repeat a cuss word, noted from the back seat, “Oops” was more like a cuss word or three.

While I live in the country, I don’t live too far from civilization, and in truth the grocery is only a few minutes away. This would be fine if I didn’t dislike their cupcakes; they are always coated in blue icing, a color blue that doesn’t exist in nature. Lynnie goes bonkers when she eats them and this “crazy town” buzz last no less than two days. Not only won’t I do that to her, but I also won’t do that to myself. Fortunately, a call to my small town cupcake shop found it still open. They make fantastic cupcakes and the owner hooked me up in a big way, just as she was closing for the day. Crisis averted.

But this sinking feeling is the reason I always keep a loaf of bread in the freezer, a well-stocked pantry, and products like smoked salmon on hand. I know, I know, the smoked salmon came out of nowhere. But in truth I do keep a package or two of Cryovac-ed, hot-smoked salmon on hand to use in emergencies, in one of my favorite appetizers.

Let’s talk salmon for a minute — there are multiple products out there called smoked salmon but they aren’t all the same. I am talking about hot-smoked Alaskan salmon: antiqued and tanned, the color of a leather Ralph Lauren couch housed somewhere in a hand-hewn log lodge in the wilds of Montana. Classic and full character, not like pink cured salmon or lox or cold-smoked cured salmon. All are good, but what I am looking for here is a side of fish that is dug into with a spoon, served on hearty whole grain crackers or rye, not slices laid on toasted bagels.

When I have the time, I smoke the salmon myself. It isn’t complicated, but this is you-got-home-late-from-work-and-have-to-get-to-the-party convenience. From now on you will hear your host ask, “Can you bring that wonderful salmon dish you you make?” And you will hear it for years to come.

Hot Smoked Salmon with Horseradish Caper Sauce

Notes: Hot-smoked salmon is what you want for this recipe. While the others — lox and cured smoked salmon — would be perfectly acceptable, they don’t have the same texture. If you have all the ingredients on hand, you can slap this together in 5 minutes but you will hear about how good it is for years. Make sure to make the plate look pretty because the sauce and salmon can be a little homely, but that doesn’t make them any less lovable.

Serves 4 to 6