These hot smoked salmon and cucumber sandwiches really knock it out of the park when made with cream cheese and capers or aoili.
These go perfectly with refrigerator dill pickles.
Hot smoked salmon is different than cured salmon which you may know as lox. It is usually found packaged in the deli section and labeled as smoked salmon.
The key to making a great sandwich is to place the ingredients so that you get them in every bite.
The second thing is to arrange them so they don’t squirt out the other side. Place slippery ingredients such as tomato, cucumber, and avocado between others that create friction, like shredded lettuce, meats, or sprouts.
You can make wonderful, buttery toast in a cast iron skillet. No need to clutter your counter with a toaster surrounded by crumbs. This is especially handy in a tiny kitchen. If you pay attention you’ll never have burned toast again. And no more scraping.
EQUIPMENT: 12″ cast iron skillet, fish flipper, wooden cutting board, chef’s knife.
Stacked Smoked Salmon and Crunchy Cucumber Sandwiches, Two Ways
Cuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy2
servings15
minutes5
minutesHot smoked salmon and cucumbers are a marriage made in heaven.
Ingredients
- Aoili
2 tablespoons Kewpie mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic from a jar
1/4 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Toast
2 tablespoons organic unsalted butter, softened
4 slices of your favorite sturdy bread
- Sandwiches
4 tablespoons softened organic cream cheese
1 teaspoon drained no-pareil capers, chopped
freshly ground black peppercorns
5 ounces hot smoked salmon, flaked; divided
2 sprigs fresh dill, very coarsely chopped; divided
handful of arugula leaves, divided
sea salt
8 thin slices peeled cucumber, divided
4 thin slices red onion, divided
aoili
Directions
- Aoili
- Combine the mayonnaise, garlic, and lemon juice. Set aside.
- Toast
- Spread butter on both sides of each slice of bread.
- Place a 12″ cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add two slices of bread. Watch them carefully, flip over using a fish flipper when nicely browned, and brown the other side. Set aside on a paper towel.
- Repeat with the remaining bread slices. Place all four pieces of toast on a wood cutting board.
- Smoked salmon and cucumber with cream cheese sandwich
- Spread cream cheese over each of the halves. Sprinkle capers over one of the halves and gently press into cream cheese. Grind a little black pepper over.
- Arrange half of the salmon and top with half of the dill. Place 4 cucumber slices, half of the arugula leaves, a sprinkle of salt, and 2 red onion slices on top; in that order.
- Carefully place the other half of the bread over and press gently. Slice in half diagonally.
- Smoked salmon and cucumber with aioli sandwich
- Spread aoili over each of the halves. Grind a little black pepper over.
- Arrange the remaining salmon over one slice of toast and top with dill. Place remaining cucumber, arugula leaves, a sprinkle of salt, and red onion slices on top; in that order. Next, carefully place the other half of the bread over and press gently. Slice in half diagonally.
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