Smoked Salmon Cucumber Bites
Cool cucumber rounds topped with herbed cream cheese and silky smoked salmon
- 2English cucumbers
- 8 ozcream cheese(softened)
- 2 tbspfresh dill(chopped, plus fronds for garnish)
- 1 tbspfresh chives(minced)
- 1 tbsplemon zest
- 0.5 tspkosher salt
- 8 ozsmoked salmon(thinly sliced)
- 2 tbspcapers(drained)
Pipe cream cheese up to 4 hours ahead. Add salmon and garnish just before serving.
- 1Cut cucumbers into 1/2-inch thick rounds
- 2If desired, use melon baller to create slight indentation in each round
- 3Pat cucumber rounds dry with paper towels
- 4Mix cream cheese with dill, chives, lemon zest, and salt until smooth
- 5Transfer mixture to piping bag with star tip
- 6Pipe rosette of herbed cream cheese onto each cucumber round
- 7Top with small fold of smoked salmon
- 8Garnish with dill frond and a few capers
- 9Arrange on platter and serve chilled
English cucumbers have fewer seeds and thinner skin. Pat them very dry or the cream cheese won't stick. A piping bag makes professional-looking rosettes, but a spoon works fine. Good smoked salmon should be silky, not slimy. Fold or roll the salmon rather than laying it flat for better visual appeal.
This elegant canapé draws from Scandinavian traditions where smoked salmon is a staple of celebration tables. Using cucumber as the base instead of bread makes it lighter and gluten-free, allowing the delicate salmon flavor to shine. It's become a modern classic for sophisticated entertaining.