Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches
These smoked salmon tea sandwiches are elegant, savoury, and easy to prepare. Made with a lemon-dill cream cheese filling and layered with cold-smoked salmon on soft bread, they’re great for brunches, showers, or afternoon tea. You can make them ahead and cut them into neat shapes just before serving for a polished, party-ready bite.
Servings: 24 finger sandwiches
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Offset spatula for even spreading
- Sharp Bread Knife
- Cutting Board
Ingredients
- 1 cup plain cream cheese softened at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons capers drained and chopped
- 2 tablespoon fresh dill finely chopped (or 2 teaspoons dried dill)
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper (adjust to taste)
- 1 pinch salt (adjust to taste, smoked salmon can vary in saltiness)
- 16 slices Pumpernickel bread or rye bread
- 400 grams smoked salmon
Instructions
Make the Flavoured Cream Cheese
- In a mixing bowl, combine the softened cream cheese with the mayonnaise. Stir until smooth.
- Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, chopped capers, fresh dill, black pepper, and salt. Mix well to combine.
Assemble the Sandwiches
- Spread about 1 tablespoon of the flavoured cream cheese evenly over two slices of bread.
- Top one slice with two pieces of smoked salmon.
- Place the second slice of bread on top and press down gently.
- Trim the crusts with a sharp bread knife, then cut the sandwich into rectangles or any other shape.
Notes
Yield:
This recipe makes about 24 one-inch-wide finger sandwiches when each whole sandwich is cut into 3 rectangular pieces. The exact yield may vary depending on the width of your bread. I recommend planning for two finger sandwiches (per type of sandwich), per person, when hosting a tea party or brunch. Softening the Cream Cheese:
If you don't have time for the cream cheese to come to room temperature, use a hand mixer to help you blend the cheese with the mayonnaise. Using the Lemon: It's easier to zest the lemon before squeezing the juice out of it! To Make Lemon Zest: Gently remove the yellow skin of a lemon using a citrus zester, Microplane, or the fine side of a box grater. Avoid the bitter white pith underneath. Substitutions:
You can use Nova salmon, lox, or gravlax instead of cold-smoked salmon. Avoid hot-smoked salmon, which has a flaky texture that doesn’t work well in tea sandwiches. Fresh dill can be swapped for dried. Full fat mayonnaise can be substituted with lighter mayonnaise. Sour cream or Greek yogurt may also work, but they will taste tangier. Make-Ahead Tips:
• The cream cheese spread can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
• Assembled sandwiches can be made the day before. Wrap in wax paper and store in the fridge under a damp tea towel (don't let the wet towel touch the sandwiches directly).
• Wait to trim and slice the sandwiches until just before serving for the cleanest presentation. Food Safety:
Keep smoked salmon refrigerated and serve sandwiches within 2 hours of removing from the fridge. Avoid serving to pregnant people, young children, or anyone with a weakened immune system, as cold-smoked salmon is not cooked.
This recipe makes about 24 one-inch-wide finger sandwiches when each whole sandwich is cut into 3 rectangular pieces. The exact yield may vary depending on the width of your bread. I recommend planning for two finger sandwiches (per type of sandwich), per person, when hosting a tea party or brunch. Softening the Cream Cheese:
If you don't have time for the cream cheese to come to room temperature, use a hand mixer to help you blend the cheese with the mayonnaise. Using the Lemon: It's easier to zest the lemon before squeezing the juice out of it! To Make Lemon Zest: Gently remove the yellow skin of a lemon using a citrus zester, Microplane, or the fine side of a box grater. Avoid the bitter white pith underneath. Substitutions:
You can use Nova salmon, lox, or gravlax instead of cold-smoked salmon. Avoid hot-smoked salmon, which has a flaky texture that doesn’t work well in tea sandwiches. Fresh dill can be swapped for dried. Full fat mayonnaise can be substituted with lighter mayonnaise. Sour cream or Greek yogurt may also work, but they will taste tangier. Make-Ahead Tips:
• The cream cheese spread can be made up to 2 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
• Assembled sandwiches can be made the day before. Wrap in wax paper and store in the fridge under a damp tea towel (don't let the wet towel touch the sandwiches directly).
• Wait to trim and slice the sandwiches until just before serving for the cleanest presentation. Food Safety:
Keep smoked salmon refrigerated and serve sandwiches within 2 hours of removing from the fridge. Avoid serving to pregnant people, young children, or anyone with a weakened immune system, as cold-smoked salmon is not cooked.
