15 Smoked Salmon Appetizers That Will Make the Party
From brunch apps to celebration finger food, these elegant dishes are easy to make—and easy to eat.
Smoked salmon may be best known for its revered (and well-earned) spot atop a bagel with cream cheese, but we'd like to make the case for its second-best use: in all manner of appetizers. As our smoked salmon recipes show, its savory, salty taste makes it a natural for rich, creamy pairings (crème fraîche, we're looking at you)—not to mention wake-up-your-tastebuds ingredients like capers, onions, radishes, and beets. And we'd be remiss if we didn't note that it couples beautifully with a sparkling white wine or dry sparkling rosé.
All of these qualities make it an excellent starter, so dive in and check out the wide array of appetizers we've pulled together. They're guaranteed to kick your meal off in style (and fair warning: could threaten to upstage the main event!).
Related: 27 Quick and Easy Appetizers That Make Entertaining a Breeze
Smoked Salmon-Radish Deviled Eggs
Minced radish and smoked salmon elevate these party (or picnic) classics. The radish has a delightful peppery bite that's a great match for the salty salmon and creamy egg.
Smoked-Salmon Flatbread With Pickled Beet
Cut these mini pizzas into bite-size squares for a delicious party food that could have your guests pining for a cup of coffee or a mimosa. This brunch-themed pizza includes smoked salmon and cheese (a garlic-herb spreadable blend), amped up with matchsticks of colorful pickled beets.
Salmon Rillettes
To make this tasty spread, you pulse sautéed onion, smoked salmon, dill, mayonnaise, mustard, and lemon juice and zest in a food processor, just until they're combined. And that's it! It's one of our favorite smoked salmon recipes and. you can prepare it up to three days ahead. It's delicious on any crackers, especially matzoh.
Salmon-and-Mashed-Potato Croquettes
We couldn't resist including these crispy fried morsels in our collection, even though they're more time-consuming than the other appetizers you'll find here. They're well worth the effort: savory, light, and crunchy, and even better dipped in a zesty tomato sauce or curried sour cream.
Salmon Mousse
Smoked salmon, sour cream, and lemon juice come together in this firm but spreadable mousse, which is lovely with crispy crackers or slices of baguette (the crustier, the better). And don't forget the dill garnish!
Smoked Salmon Cake
A mixture of cream cheese, red onion, capers, dill, and lemon juice is layered with smoked salmon and cucumber, along with thin slices of pumpernickel bread for a clever take on a classic dessert. You'll want to make this cake at least two hours before serving, or even a day before, to make sure its elements hold together when sliced.
Savory Crepe Rollups
Whether you use store-bought or homemade crepes, these are a perfect party food. You simply lay out a crepe, spread lemony cream cheese over it, then top with chopped scallions and smoked salmon. Tightly roll up, then cut into slices.
Avocado Toast With Poached Quail Eggs and Smoked Salmon
These gorgeous toasts make the case for the beauty of taking a few high-end ingredients and preparing them simply. To serve them as appetizers, cut each slice into thirds on the diagonal.
Smoked Salmon Dip With Bagel Chips
Somewhere between rillettes and mousse lies this lively smoked salmon dip. It's quick and easy to make, simply combine smoked salmon, mayonnaise, cream cheese, capers, and red onion in your food processor, along with a little prepared horseradish for a kick. Serve with bagel chips—or your favorite crackers.
Potato Galette With Smoked Salmon
This flat, round, crusty potato cake gets a cream cheese and crème fraîche topping, followed by pieces of smoked salmon. Cut it into wedges for an elegant hors d'oeuvre.
Smoked-Salmon Lettuce Rolls With Avocado and Tahini
These hand rolls are as simple as taking Bibb lettuce leaves and filling each with avocado and smoked salmon, and rolling them into little handheld tacos. A tahini/soy sauce/Sriracha/lemon dipping sauce is the perfect complement.
Smoked Salmon and Caramelized Onion Stuffed Celery Stalks
We love these stuffed celery stalks for their nostalgia factor. But instead of the childhood classic peanut butter and raisins, they're spread with cream cheese and smoked salmon for a grown-up (and delicious) party snack.
Salmon Tartines With Horseradish-Whipped Cream Cheese
Kicky grated horseradish and lemon zest are fantastic additions to whipped cream cheese. Spread it on small slices of marble rye and top with slices of smoked salmon, capers, red onion, and dill.
Smoked Fish With Juniper Salt and Sorrel-Red Onion Butter
Aromatic juniper and lemony sorrel raise this smoked fish snack plate from plain to perfection. With smoked salmon, sable, and whitefish (or your favorites), it's the perfect intro to any meal, but particularly good for one that incorporates mushrooms, herbs, and other woodsy ingredients.
Blinis With Smoked Salmon
It's hard to come up with a lovelier starter to an elegant dinner party than a smoked salmon blini. These mini pancakes are often served with caviar, but smoked salmon is an equally fantastic topper.
Read the original article on Martha Stewart.
