Time to get fancy with this delicious smoked salmon caviar appetizer. Perfect to serve for Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year's Eve, this simple recipe is sure to impress your guests.
A couple of months back I went to a food & wine festival and after consuming a copious amount of free samples, I thought it was the best idea in the world to buy some very expensive caviar!
Now obviously I could just have enjoyed it straight with some vodka, but I really wanted to incorporate it into a dish for the blog. This salmon caviar appetizer will totally hit the mark for your next dinner party!
The salmon and caviar are obviously the stars of this appetizer and the ingredients that they are paired with should compliment, not over power them. With hints of herby freshness and tang from lemon and creamy soft cheese, it all balances wonderfully.
Be sure to check out my Bloody Mary Shrimp Cocktail too!
Ingredients
- Bread: This appetizer is served on thin slices of toast. I prefer to use white bread as it's more neutral in flavor. We flatten and toast it before topping.
- Cream cheese: I prefer to use full fat cream cheese, but you can you low fat if you prefer. It adds a nice creamy texture without being too overpowering.
- Dill: Dill works so well with seafood. It adds a great freshness and slightly grassy flavor.
- Lemon juice: Use fresh rather than bottles for the zingiest taste.
- Mustard: Use English or Dijon mustard for a hint of tang.
- Cucumber: Thinly sliced cucumber adds freshness and a little moisture.
- Smoked salmon: Don't skimp on the salmon in this recipe, it will be noticed. Cheap salmon tends to be watery, floppy and dull in colour. Buy the best you can afford and you won't be disappointed.
- Caviar: You can make this dish without caviar, but it makes for a great centerpiece. You can also use cod roe for a cheaper alternative.
- Arugula: This is optional, but I like to serve this appetizer on a little arugula. It adds a nice pop of color and the peppery flavors work well.
How to make salmon caviar appetizer
Be sure to scroll down for the full recipe!
- Flatten the bread, cut into circles and fry til golden brown.
- Mix together the mustard cream cheese and dill cream cheese in two bowls.
- Spread the mustard cream cheee on the toast, top with cucumber slices and spread over the dill cream cheese.
- Roll a strip of salmon into a cone, place on top and add the caviar.
- Serve on a bed of arugula with a lemon wedge.
Frequently Asked Questions
This salmon caviar appetizer is best made as close to serving as possible so that everything is nice and fresh, though it could be made an hour or so ahead and kept covered in the fridge.
To get ahead of things, you can make the toast a few days ahead and keep stored in an airtight contianer, and the cream cheeses can be kept covered in the fridge for a couple of days too.
I remember the first time I had caviar, my tastebuds were literally dancing! It tastes salty like the ocean, but isn't overpoweringly fishy and it has a wonderful buttery richness. It's a complex flavor, but one I adore!
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Do not skimp on the quality of the salmon. It really does make all the difference.
- Make sure that the toasts are completely cooled before adding the toppings.
Apart from making the toast, there is zero cooking involved here, and I would hardly say that making toast is tricksy! It is so simple to put together, if you multitask you could get it done in 15 - 20 minutes.
Now don't think that I'm so fancy pants that I eat smoked salmon and caviar everyday...never say never, but not quite yet!
More Appetizers
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Salmon Caviar Appetizer
Ingredients
For the toast
- 2 slices of white bread
- Salted butter for spreading
- Cracked black pepper
For the dill soft cheese
- 2.6 ounces soft cheese (75g)
- 1 tsp fresh dill finely chopped
- A squeeze of fresh lemon juice
- Cracked black pepper to taste
For the mustard soft cheese
- 1 ounce soft cheese (30g)
- ¼ teaspoon English mustard
To build the dish
- 6 thin slices of cucumber
- 2 strips of high quality smoked salmon
- 1 tsp caviar
To serve
- Dill
- Slice lemon
- arugula (rocket)
Instructions
- Put a frying pan over a medium high heat.
- Using a rolling pin, flatten out the slices of bread and cut out a circle with a large cookie cutter. Spread butter on both sides of the bread circles and add a pinch of black pepper. Place the slices into the hot pan and fry until golden brown, about 5minutes each side.Once done, remove from the heat and set to one side.
- In a bowl mix the ingredients for the dill soft cheese together. In another bowl, mix the cheese and mustard together.
- Make sure the toast is cool before layering up.
- Take a piece of toast and evenly spread half of the soft cheese mustard over the top. Place 3 slices of cucumber on top so that they don't overlap. evenly spread half of the dill soft cheese on top of the cucumber. Roll a strip of salmon into a cone shape and place on top, then place half a teaspoon of caviar in the middle of the salmon.
- Place on a bed of rocket and dress with dill and a lemon slice. Repeat for the second plate.
Notes
- Do not skimp on the quality of the salmon. It really does make all the difference.
- Make sure that the toasts are completely cooled before adding the toppings.
- Nutrition is based on one of two servings, and is an estimate only.
Marlee says
This is such a fancy looking appetizer!!! I love some caviar and especially with smoked salmon!