Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches

Smoked salmon tea sandwiches have been a part of my Afternoon Tea menu for years. But, having recently returned from Scotland where I spent 12 days with family, I realized, they aren’t just for tea! I saw them pre-made in bakeries and convenience store refrigerators all over Edinburgh.

I love smoked salmon, and took every opportunity to order it whenever it was on the menu. While we in the US tend to eat smoked salmon for special occasions, in the UK and Scandinavian countries it’s on most menus all the time, including pubs. 

I’m going to share three options for sandwiches with you. First, the classic smoked salmon tea sandwich. I like to make these open faced, as they add variety to tea tray, and are pretty garnished with dill and capers. Next, smoked salmon sandwiches with dill sauce, which would typically be served in Denmark as part of a smørrebrød.

And lastly, a basic sandwich which I spotted in bakeries and shops in Scotland. 

When I make tea sandwiches, I like to have different types of bread. I use a light white sandwich bread for Egg Salad or Cucumber Sandwiches, a whole wheat bread for Chicken Salad with Apricots and Tarragon and a darker rye bread for the smoked salmon sandwiches. 

But tea sandwiches are not just for Afternoon Tea Party, sometimes when I have a little leftover smoked salmon, ham or hard boiled eggs, I’ll make finger sandwiches so everyone can have one of each. Kids love little sandwiches as well, and it’s a great way to accommodate a variety of diets when entertaining. I love this tiered Tea Stand because it unscrews and stacks to the size of one plate for easy storage.

What’s the best kind of smoked salmon to use?

For a delicate tea sandwiches, I prefer Cold-Smoked Salmon which is thinly sliced and has that pretty translucent pink color we’re all used to seeing on Lox and Bagels. Whereas Hot Smoked Salmon is chunkier, more opaque in color, and has a smokier taste. I would use hot smoked salmon in this Smoked Salmon Pasta or Smoked Salmon Spread.

How to make smoked salmon tea sandwiches

While smoked salmon is quite pricy, in this case a little goes a long way! For these sandwiches, you can save a bit by buying the “ends and pieces” of smoked salmon. (I know Trader Joe’s sells end pieces).

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces of smoked salmon will make several tea sandwiches.
• Bread of choice. I like a whole wheat or rye bread.
• Fresh dill
• Cream cheese
• Squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
• Skip the salt as smoked salmon tends to be salty on its own.

Method:

• Soften cream cheese and mix with fresh chopped dill and lemon juice to taste. 

• Lay out the number of bread slices you will need. Four slices of bread will make 12 fingers, or 16 triangles.

• Spread the cream cheese mixture on the bread.
• Lay thin slices of smoked salmon over the cream cheese layer.

• If you’re making the sandwiches ahead of time, wrap them well with plastic wrap and then a damp paper towel, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until tea time.

• When ready to serve, use a serrated knife to carefully trim the crusts and cut into 3 or 4 fingers. You can also use a cookie cutter to make cute shapes, but I find that it wastes too much of the delicious smoked salmon filling.
• Garnish each sandwich with a tiny sprig of dill and a caper.

Open faced Danish sandwiches

If you’ve been to Denmark, you’ll see beautiful open faced sandwich in nearly every cafe. Similar to English tea sandwiches, the Danes have perfected the tiny sandwich, which is referred to as “smørrebrød” which literally means, “buttered bread”. They use a variety of fillings from herbed cream cheese, to thinly sliced roast beef, red onion and mustard. These Danish smoked salmon sandwiches get a Scandinavian twist with dill sauce and dill sprigs. Open faced sandwiches are also ideal for a cocktail party, where they could be considered “canapés”.

Ingredients

• The most popular bread for a smørrebrød is a dark rye bread.
• Dill sauce
• Thin slices of smoked salmon 
• Butter for the bread
• Cream cheese
• Capers and fresh dill for garnish.

How to make the dill sauce

The sweet and tangly dill sauce has lots of flavor and gives the sandwiches that Scandinavian twist. This recipe is from the Time-Life cookbook series, The Cooking of Scandinavia, 1969.

Ingredients:

These ingredients are a guideline. You might prefer a sweeter or tangier sauce Adjust the ingredients to your tastes. Any leftover dill sauce is delicious on a cold Roast Beef or lamb sandwich.

• ​Brown mustard, like Dijon.
• 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 to 2 teaspoons vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon avocado or mild olive oil

Mix all ingredients until smooth. Chill until ready to use. 

Assembling the sandwiches

• Add a thin layer of cream cheese. I make the cream cheese layer much thinner than I would for a tea sandwich. 
• Add a thin layer of the dill sauce.

• Add thin slices of smoked salmon, just one layer.
• Use a sharp knife to trim into triangles, or rectangles. 
• Garnish with a small amount of dill sauce and a sprig of dill and a caper.

To make the sandwiches ahead, stop before cutting and garnishing and wrap well. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish just before serving.

​Lastly there is the smoked salmon sandwich

I assemble these just as I do tea sandwiches, but add micro greens or thin cucumber slices.

I also skip the trimming of the crusts.