Smoked Salmon Appetizer Plates

Smoked Salmon Appetizer Ideas For Every Occasion

Having friends over for dinner or even for a nice family event, you need to have a menu that will appeal to all tastes. Before you get to the main course, there should always be an appetizer. If you are looking to switch things up and ditch fried finger foods or premade cheese appetizer trays, going fancy on a budget is a great idea. Nothing comes off more sophisticated than a smoked trout appetizer or even a beautifully prepared smoked salmon dish. Salmon is not only perfect as a main dish, but it can also knock classic blini and galettes out of the water in the appetizer category.

If you are looking for some amazing appetizer plates and Amuse-bouche ideas to serve during your next event, we are here to help. Instead of catering appetizer plates at an outrageous price, try some of our smoked salmon appetizer recipes instead. They are easy to make, gentle on the wallet, and will leave your guest feeling pampered at the end of the night. Whether you're looking for a cold smoked salmon appetizer recipe or if you want to make a classic smoked salmon appetizer cream cheese you know everyone will love, we have you covered.

Master The Pre-Dinner Nibble With A Salmon Appetizer

One of the biggest challenges host and hostess's face during dinner or a luncheon is keeping people eating at the right place. If you give too much food at the wrong time, you will end up with wasted dishes at the end of the night and if you don’t serve enough, you will leave your guest feeling unsatisfied. One of the main areas that parties go wrong is during the appetizer portion of the meal. A lot of host and hostess serve double or triple the amount of food during this portion and then come to find that their guests are no longer hungry when the main meal is served.

To start, you need to know what is appetizer and what is a meal course. An appetizer is not meant to satiate, but rather to give your guest a taste of what is to come. This course also serves to help soak up any drinks from cocktails and to give something for your guests to nibble on while the rest of the visitors arrive. An appetizer sampler should merely take the edge off of your guest's hunger and stroke their taste buds into a frenzy for the full courses ahead.

Keep in mind that most of your guests will come prepared to eat, so that means they will be hungry when they arrive. It is not often that everyone will arrive on time or that a meal will be served at exactly the time you planned. To give your early guest something to curb their hunger but not fill their bellies, seafood is a great option. If you are looking for seafood appetizer ideas, we have plenty to offer, such as our classic smoked salmon appetizer cream cheese. Just remember, serve small portions for your pre-dinner nibbles so that you don’t spoil anyone’s appetite. Make small portions, one or two bites per portion at most.

How to Choose The Right Seafood Appetizers for a Party

Whether you're trying to plan the right Christmas appetizer plate to serve ahead of your sit-down dinner party or a few labor day appetizer nibbles before moving on to the barbecue, picking the right seafood can be difficult. Some main courses may pair well with crab, while others may find shrimp a perfect pairing. One thing is certain when you choose salmon or even smoked salmon, your appetizer party is guaranteed to be a success.

Before you can decide how much salmon to put on your appetizer tray, do a quick count of your invitation list to find out how many people you plan to feed. When preparing a baked salmon appetizer, you will need to know in advance exactly how much to prepare so you are not left with too much food or too little to offer your guests. Based on the number of guests, plan out your meal, dessert, and of course, the proper quantities for your smoked salmon appetizer platter.

A good rule of thumb is to offer three appetizer selections for 10 or fewer guests, five appetizer selections for 10 to 20 guests, and seven to ten appetizer selections for larger events that will have more than 20 people. Make sure your guests are aware of how many meal courses you plan to serve so they don’t overindulge on appetizers or eat before they arrive. While it can be tempting to serve salmon as your only appetizer option, make sure to have a balanced variety at your party. Any guests who are allergic to fish or vegan should have at least one option available during their visit.

Easy Recipes For Seafood Appetizers

Now that you know what you want to serve, you may be wondering how to serve smoked salmon appetizer for your guests. Don’t worry, we have you covered. There are so many ways to serve salmon as a full course, or as a pre-party snack that everyone will enjoy. If you are pressed for time, you will love our simple smoked salmon and crackers appetizer or our smoked salmon appetizer with cucumber. Both recipes take no more than 15 minutes to prepare and can be plated and served in no time flat.  

To make a simple smoked salmon and crackers appetizer,  all you need is a fillet of smoked salmon. If you are pressed for time, you can purchase thinly sliced smoked salmon from your local store. For both the recipes, you fill follow the same directions, simply substitute crackers with crisp slices of fresh cucumber instead.

Take your smoked salmon slices and cut them into strips that are about 2 ½ inches to 3 inches long each. One slice will go on top of each cracker or cucumber. Fold or roll each slice small enough to fit on top of the cracker or cucumber slices. Next, arrange your crackers or cucumber slices on your serving tray.

For spread, take a cup of plain cream cheese, a teaspoon of black pepper, two tablespoons of finely diced red or yellow bell peppers, and a pinch of salt and mix them together until they form a smooth, but thick paste. For a little twist, you can also add chili flakes, fresh dill, or cilantro to the mix. For a smoked salmon capers appetizer, just add capers to the mix as well.

Spread half of teaspoon of the cream cheese herb mixture on each cracker or cumber slice. Next, take your folded or rolled smoked salmon slices and place them on top of each cracker or cucumber slice. With a shaker or sifter, lightly dust paprika powder over the top of the appetizer bites to complete your presentation.

Make Your Party Perfect With Salmon Appetizers And Proper Planning

A lot goes into planning a party, especially when cooking is involved. A great way to add a bit of buffer time into your afternoon or evening is to set aside time for pre-meal drinks and snacks. The cocktail time is the window that your guests need to arrive, settle, and move their mindset into party mode. While it might be tempting to offer a giant smoked salmon appetizer platter and heat back to the kitchen, a successful party requires a little more planning.

The cocktail hour before your dinner or luncheon is a chance to nibble on a smoked salmon appetizer and talk with other attendees. Plan for this time to be rather short to prevent overeating. One way to limit the amount of snacking that goes on is by using mini appetizer plates that can only hold a small amount of food. Instead of passing out cutlery, set out appetizer toothpicks to further reinforce that this portion of the party is intended for light snacks only.

After your smoked salmon appetizer bites and your canapé appetizer, you will next move onto your main meal. Your menu should reflect your guest count and all of your dishes should complement each other. Consider your guest list and choose a mouthwatering main course to fit the personality of your party. Next, build the rest of your meal around your main dish. Your appetizer course will also need to be prepared with your main dish in mind.

Try to keep things as simple as possible even if you are going for a luxury meal. Consider pairing a hot smoked salmon appetizer with a nice steak or lobster main course followed by a cool dessert. New recipes are always fun, but try to limit them to two per party to avoid any unwanted surprises. Rich food paired with simple fresh ingredients will have more of an impact than a full night of overly flavored dishes.

Try to avoid making your meal all one flavor. If you plan to serve grilled salmon with vegetables as your main dish, it might be a bit of overkill to also serve a smoked salmon capers red onion appetizer. While you can use the same ingredients in more than one dish, using the same thing in all of your dishes would be overkill.

Great Ways To Serve Salmon Finger Food With Delicious Spreads

If you are looking for new salmon appetizer ideas to serve at your upcoming event, you will love this salmon appetizer recipe. Slicing up a smoked fillet and putting on a cracker is a no brainer, but you can transform this boring idea into a fabulous treat for the senses with a unique spread. Serving a salmon cracker appetizer doesn’t have to be boring when you use our easy to prepare salmon spread or salmon mousse recipe.

Making a salmon spread appetizer at home is really easy. All you need is smoked salmon, cream cheese, and your favorite herbs. The easy to follow recipe is below:

What you need:

• 8 ounces of softened cream cheese
• 6 ounces of chopped smoked salmon
• 1/4 cup of capers
• 2 tablespoons of chopped green onion
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of chopped fresh dill
• 1/4 cup of heavy whipping cream
• A dash of Worcestershire sauce
• Fresh lemon juice from ½ of a lemon

You can whip the cream cheese by hand to soften it completely, or you can use a food processor. Once the cream cheese is whipped, add all of your ingredients and incorporate well. If using a food processor, make sure not to over mix or your salmon bits will turn to mush. You can use the spread on top of crackers, fresh vegetables, or even on sliced cucumbers.

Creating a salmon mousse appetizer is also a quick and simple affair. Follow the recipe below and wow your guests with a mouth-watering delight.

What you need:

• 1 lb of boneless salmon (cooked)
• 8 ounces of puréed tomato
• 1/2 cup of fresh diced celery
• 3 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
• ¾ of cup cold water
• 4 teaspoons of unflavored and unsweetened gelatin
• 1/2 cup of fresh diced green pepper
• 1/2 cup of fresh plain yogurt
• 8 oz package of softened cream cheese
• 1/4 cup of fresh finely chopped onion
• 3 Tablespoons of chopped fresh dill
• 1/2 cup of mayonnaise

To prepare, add your salmon, celery, onion, green pepper, mayonnaise, dill, yogurt, and lemon juice. Mix it together well until there are no lumps and everything is incorporated. Set aside and let’s make the sauce for smoked salmon appetizer.

Take a saucepan, and melt the cream cheese over a medium flame. Add in your tomato puree and stir until the mixture has a thick, soup-like consistency. For a bit of a kick, you can add a dash of Tabasco sauce or chili flakes. Once it is creamy, remove from the flame and add the salmon mixture. Stir well and set aside.

To make the gelatin, add cold water and gelatin into a pot and stir until the granules are dispersed. Place the pot over a low flame and keep stirring until all of the gelatin is dissolved. Add to the salmon mix and incorporate completely. Pour the mix into serving bowls and then place inside of the refrigerator for at least six hours. Once it is firm, you are ready to serve smoked salmon appetizer to your friends and family!