Canapés with Smoked Salmon

Canapés with Smoked Salmon are always on my list for entertaining. In France a canapé is a cold appetiser or hors d'oeuvre, a one or two bite morsel of deliciousness that might be offered to you at a cocktail party. For me, it translates to a plate of eye-catching temptations that are served in the kitchen before dinner with a glass of something cold and fizzy. Equally, these are great at any party or buffet or as a personal celebration. Best of all, these canapes take only a few ingredients and are really simple to make.

What are the ingredients?

A canapé is traditionally a bread or pastry base with a topping. The easiest way is to use bread and make a croustade, which is literally a crust which could be pastry or bread in origin. I have used a plain brown bread but anything pre-sliced that you normally have will work. You will need butter to set the shape of the croustades in the oven.

For the filling I have used crème fraîche, fresh dill, smoked salmon and lemon juice.

What other toppings can I use?

You can use soured cream, cream cheese, quark or fat free Greek yogurt as a base for your canapes.

For fish canapés use tinned salmon, tuna or crab well drained.Try small prawns, smoked mackerel or cured salmon too.

For a vegetarian option try sliced mushrooms and tarragon, chopped cucumber and mint or Carrot and Celeriac Remoulade.

And for meat eaters, mix cold beef with horseradish and cold chicken with tarragon. Chicken is fantastic mixed with a little garam masala and mango chutney.

What garnishes are best for canapes?

Pieces of cucumber, dill, lemon, and capers work best for fish dishes.

Try fresh herbs such as tarragon, mint, chives or coriander (cilantro).

How to make the croustades and canapés

Making the croustades is easy if you have a mini muffin pan.

Start by rolling the bread out as thin as possible then cut out 12 rounds with a plain cutter 5.5-6cm in diameter. Sometimes it's easier to get the bread really thin if you cut the crusts off first.

Melt the butter and use a pastry brush to cover both sides with butter before pushing the bread into the pan.

Bake in a preheated oven at 180 C or gas mark 5 for about 20 minutes until crisp.

In the meantime prepare the filling. Start by chopping  100g of the smoked salmon finely.

Mix the smoked salmon with the lemon juice, chopped dill and crème fraîche. Check the seasoning. You might like to add some ground black pepper.

Spoon into the croustades and garnish with a sprig of dill and the remaining salmon.

How to store

The croustades will keep in an airtight container for a few weeks or they could be bagged and frozen.

Once the croustades have  been filled they will stay crisp for about 3 hours but I would recommend that they are eaten the same day. Trust me, you won't have any leftovers!

Other appetisers and canapés to try

• Ham and Cheese Palmiers
• Baked Garlic Mushrooms
• Arancini
• Sushi
• Quail Scotch Eggs
• Pork and Peanut Moneybags
• Quiche Lorraine

Smoked Salmon Canapes

Amanda

Easy appetiser dish of croustades filled with a creamy smoked salmon and dill mixture.

4.5 from 18 votes

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 30 mins

Course Appetizer

Cuisine French

Servings 12

Calories 41 kcal

Ingredients

 

MetricUS Customary

 

1x2x3x

• 50 g butter
• 4 slices brown bread
• 120 g smoked salmon
• 3 tbsp creme fraiche
• 1 tbsp fresh dill and extra for garnish
• 1 tsp lemon juice

Instructions

 

• Roll the bread and cut 12 5.5cm rounds.
• Melt the butter and coat both sides.
• Lay in the tart tins and push down.
• Bake for 20 mins at 180 C, Gas 5.
• Chop 100g of the salmon finely and mix with creme fraiche and dill.
• Fill the croustades and garnish with remaining salmon and a sprig of dill

Nutrition Facts

Smoked Salmon Canapes

Amount Per Serving

Calories 41 Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Fat 1g2%

Saturated Fat 1g6%

Cholesterol 4mg1%

Sodium 118mg5%

Potassium 45mg1%

Carbohydrates 4g1%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 3g6%

Vitamin A 27IU1%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 14mg1%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Keyword canapes, croustades, smoked salmon

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