Smoked Salmon Cucumber Bites
Cool cucumber rounds topped with herbed cream cheese and silky smoked salmon
Ingredients
- 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)
📝 Make Ahead
Pipe cream cheese up to 4 hours ahead. Add salmon and garnish just before serving.
Instructions
- Cut cucumbers into 1/2-inch thick rounds
- If desired, use melon baller to create slight indentation in each round
- Pat cucumber rounds dry with paper towels
- Mix cream cheese with dill, chives, lemon zest, and salt until smooth
- Transfer mixture to piping bag with star tip
- Pipe rosette of herbed cream cheese onto each cucumber round
- Top with small fold of smoked salmon
- Garnish with dill frond and a few capers
- Arrange on platter and serve chilled
💡 Pro Tips
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.
📜 History
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.