Cucumber and smoked salmon bites

Name: Cucumber and smoked salmon bites
Prep time: 15 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Irish
Ingredients: 2 firm large cucumbers; 200g full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature; 2 tsp lemon juice; 1 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill, plus 24 small fronds to top; 200g WOH sliced smoked salmon, cut into 24 small pieces; 1 tsp pink peppercorns, lightly crushed; Freshly ground black pepper

Prep15minServes8LevelEasy

The summer-garden canapé. Cucumber instead of bread, which means it holds together on a hot day where blinis would have wilted by the time everyone arrived. Naturally gluten-free, naturally low-carb, naturally photogenic. Three ingredients matter: a firm cucumber, soft cream cheese, and properly fresh dill.

Ingredients

2 firm large cucumbers
200g full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill, plus 24 small fronds to top
200g WOH sliced smoked salmon, cut into 24 small pieces
1 tsp pink peppercorns, lightly crushed
Freshly ground black pepper

Method

Trim the ends of the cucumbers. Slice into rounds about 1.5cm thick. Lay the rounds on a piece of kitchen paper for 10 minutes to drain off any surface water.
In a bowl, beat the cream cheese with the lemon juice, chopped dill, and black pepper until smooth.
Pipe or spoon a small mound of the cream cheese onto each cucumber round. A piping bag with a star nozzle looks lovely but a teaspoon does the job.
Fold each piece of salmon loosely and place on top of the cream cheese.
Top with a dill frond and a pinch of crushed pink peppercorn.

Tips from our kitchen

Drain the cucumber rounds on kitchen paper for 10 minutes before building. Stops the platter going watery.
Use a firm cucumber, not a soft one. Press the skin: if it gives, it'll be watery inside.
A piping bag turns these from "homemade" to "looks expensive". Worth a fiver from any kitchen shop.

Cucumber and smoked salmon bites

Ingredients

Method

Tips from our kitchen

Irish Organic Oak Smoked Salmon by Wrights of Howth

Irish Organic Oak Smoked Salmon 900g with Wooden Serving Platter

Wrights of Howth Smoke House Box

More smoked salmon recipes

Smoked salmon Christmas wreath platter

Smoked salmon fishcakes with caper mayonnaise

10-minute lemon and dill smoked salmon pasta

Smoked salmon tartines

Smoked salmon pinwheels

Smoked salmon frittata