6 Ways to Serve Smoked Salmon

Whether it’s a quick, nutritious dinner you’re after or an impressive brunch, smoked salmon does it all. It’s time to learn how to serve this versatile, brain-boosting, and downright fancy ingredient! 

First to business – let’s define what we’re talking about when it comes to smoked salmon. As its name suggests, smoked salmon is fresh salmon that has been cured or brined, then smoked in one of two ways:

1. Hot Smoking: 6-12 hours at 50°C – 80°C
2. Cold Smoking: 1 day to 3 weeks at 20°C – 30°C

Although similar, smoked salmon and lox are not to be confused. Lox is only salt-cured or brined, never cooked or smoked. Got it? Good.

Consider the following our greatest hits of the best ways to serve smoked salmon, from the classic combos to a few little twists you may have never tried before.

1. Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce and Smoked Salmon

If you can find white asparagus, amazing! If not, the classic green variety would work perfectly. Serve as a simple, crowd-pleasing appetiser or a pescetarian side dish with a rather refined charm.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• For the Hollandaise:
• 1 Large Egg (or 2 small eggs)
• 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
• 1 Tablespoon Water
• 1/2 Stick (4 Tablespoons) Butter, melted
• Salt and Pepper
• Dash Cayenne Pepper, optional
• Everything else:
• 500g Asparagus, boiled or blanched
• 4 Slices Smoked Salmon
• Lemon Slices
• Dill

Instructions: 

1. To make the sauce, first separate egg white from yolk by carefully cracking egg, then passing yolk between eggshell halves (letting whites fall into a bowl). Place yolk in a saucepan.
2. Add lemon juice and water to saucepan with yolk and whisk over low heat to allow egg to slowly cook. Once it thickens and becomes slightly frothy, remove pan from heat.
3. Add butter in spoonfuls, whisking constantly until well combined. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper.
4. Top asparagus spears with hollandaise and smoked salmon. Serve with lemon wedges and freshly picked dill.

2. Smoked Salmon and Brie Cucumber Bites

Creamy cheese, crisp cucumbers, sharp dill — all rounded out by flavourful smoked salmon. A champ of an entrée if we’ve ever seen one.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 Wheel Brie, cut into small chunks
• 1 Tablespoon Capers, chopped
• 1/4 Cup Finely Diced Scallions
• 1 Clove Garlic, minced
• 3 Cucumbers, sliced into 1/4-inch thick rounds (about 24 pieces)
• 2 Slices Smoked Salmon, cut into small pieces
• Dill

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 180°C.
2. Layer brie chunks in the bottom of an oven-proof skillet or heavy bottomed pan. Bake 10-12 minutes, until cheese is almost bubbling.
3. Add capers, scallions, and garlic. Incorporate into brie, then return to oven another 2-3 minutes.
4. Top each cucumber round with cheese mixture, then add smoked salmon and dill.

3. Toast with Soft Scrambled Eggs and Smoked Salmon

Your tried-and-true eggs and toast gets a major, brain-boosting upgrade with the addition of a thin slice of smoked salmon and a generous flurry of flaky sea salt. We’ve opted for sourdough bread, but feel free to swap for multigrain or whole grain if you’d like.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 Slices Sourdough, toasted
• 4 Eggs
• Splash Milk
• 1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
• 1 Tablespoon Unsalted Butter
• 2 Slices Smoked Salmon
• Chives

Instructions:

1. Crack eggs into a bowl, then add a splash of milk (about 3 Tablespoons would work) and kosher salt. Use a whisk to whip eggs until well mixed, about 30 seconds.
2. Melt butter in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Once it begins to bubble, pour in egg mixture.
3. Let cook undisturbed until a thin layer of cooked egg appears along the edges, 30-60 seconds.
4. Use a rubber or silicone spatula to slowly stir, lifting and folding until eggs are just barely set but still moist and fluffy, about 2 minutes. (Residual heat will continue to cook eggs a bit, so don’t be afraid if they look a tad runny on top. It’s better to slightly undercook in order to avoid rubberyness in the finish.)
5. Remove from heat and immediately divide between 2 slices of toast. Top with smoked salmon, season to taste with salt and pepper, and garnish with chives.

4. Smoked Salmon Eggs Benedict

Don’t let the elegance of Eggs Benedict fool you — poached eggs and hollandaise sauce are both surprisingly simple to make from scratch for all the flavour and comfort of a late breakfast without the long lines or price tag. After all, you might want to enter the housing market just after brunch.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 English Muffins, toasted and separated into halves
• 2 Slices Smoked Salmon, cut in half
• 4 Eggs, poached
• Hollandaise Sauce (from recipe #1)
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

1. Top each English muffin half with smoked salmon, then carefully add a poached egg. Add a spoonful of hollandaise over each egg, season with salt and pepper, and garnish with dill.

 READ MORE: 4 Poached Egg Recipes to Knock Your Socks Off

5. Avocado Toast with Cucumber Ribbons and Smoked Salmon

Don’t get us wrong — the classic, no-frills, creamy avocado toast is good. But once you add cucumber ribbons, smoked salmon, a sprinkle of herbs, and maybe even a chilli or two? You may never go back.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 Slices Sourdough, toasted
• 1/2 Avocado
• 2 Slices Smoked Salmon
• 1 Teaspoon Sour Cream
• Thyme and Mint
• 1 Chilli, optional
• Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

1. Mash avocado in a small bowl. Divide between 2 slices of bread, then top with smoked salmon, a dollop of sour cream, herbs, and finely diced chilli, if desired. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Loaded Baked Potatoes with Tomatoes, Smoked Salmon, and Sour Cream

The world is your oyster baked potato. Just bake, stuff, and dig in.

Serves 2

Ingredients:

• 2 Baked Potatoes
• 2 Slices Smoked Salmon
• 2 Tomatoes, diced
• Sour Cream
• 1 tsp Lemon Zest
• Chives and Parsley

Instructions:

1. Split open baked potatoes by cutting from end to end. Fill each with a slice of smoked salmon, tomato, and a dollop of sour cream. Garnish with lemon zest and herbs.

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