These smoked salmon canapés are such an easy, elegant appetizer for entertaining that come together with just a handful of ingredients. I use smoked salmon in the filling too here, along with sour cream, for a more tangy and lighter filling that’s full of flavor!
Topped with capers (or something pickled) that cut through the creaminess of the filling for a perfectly balanced flavor profile! And I show how to serve these with phyllo pastry or puff pastry or several other options as well.
These smoked salmon canapés first came to be when I was thinking of an appetizer to make for guests (this was around last Christmas) when I had gravlax in my fridge!
I paired it with phyllo pastry and voilà… perfect smoked salmon appetizers! We loved these so much, I knew I had to share the recipe.
I love anything smoked salmon AND bite-sized party starters. These are a combination of both, and they’re super versatile.
I love the creamy, bright, zesty salmon filling and the crisp pastry. And I show you how to make these with phyllo pastry as well as puff pastry. These really are such a fun and easy, crowd-favorite appetizer!
Why this recipe works
- There’s no cooking with these super easy to assemble appetizers.
- Delicious, impressive, crowd-favorite recipe!
- Simple ingredients AND they’re adjustable too.
- I provide ingredient substitutions that don’t compromise on the flavor profile of these canapes.
- You can make the components a little ahead of time, so you can save some time too.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Smoked salmon – You can use smoked salmon or gravlax for this. You can also use cold smoked trout too. I use half of the salmon for the filling, and half to top the canapes (garnish).
- Cream cheese – I use cream cheese blocks (not spreadable cream cheese tubs).
- Sour cream
- Whole grain mustard – Or Dijon mustard.
- Lemon juice and zest
- Herbs – I use chives and dill here.
- Salt and black pepper
- Capers – To top. Pan-frying the capers can make them crispy too!
- Phyllo or puff pastry mini tarts – I use homemade phyllo cups here, but you can use store-bought too.
- Store-bought melba toast or crostini
Ingredient substitutions
- I prefer to use cold smoked salmon or trout. You could use hot smoked salmon as well, but the texture will be different, which will affect the overall texture of the salmon canape filling too.
- In these pictures, I used the salmon from my gravlax recipe, which is cured salmon, without smoking it.
- BUT, these canapés are NOT limited to just salmon either. You can use cooked chicken, ham, or even imitation crab. You could even go fancier and use cooked lobster too!
- Instead of cream cheese and sour cream, you can use labneh OR strained Greek yogurt. You can easily make strained Greek yogurt by placing the yogurt in 2 – 3 layers of cheesecloth and then in a sieve over a bowl to drain excess water. I like to let the Greek yogurt drain for about 2 days to really thicken it.
- You can also substitute the herbs with other herbs. Parsley can be used with chives or dill. You can use thyme instead of chives and dill. Rosemary is a good option too, but make sure the rosemary doesn’t overpower the flavor of salmon. In my opinion, chives, dill, and parsley are the best options for this recipe.
- Instead of capers, you can use cornichons (i.e. gherkins or baby pickles). Or your favorite chopped pickles. I also love pickled onion.
- While I use homemade phyllo cups and vol-au-vent shells made using homemade puff pastry here, you can use store-bought ones as a shortcut. You can also use crackers as the base. Blinis or mini crepes are a great option as well. If you’d like to, you can even use choux pastry and fill them with the salmon filling for savory puffs like these chicken puffs.
- Other popular veggie options for the base are cucumber slices, roasted potato, or sweet potato slices.
How to make smoked salmon canapés
Step 1 – Divide the salmon
Divide the salmon in half and keep one portion in the fridge until the end. The remaining half is used for the filling.
Alternatively, you can skip using salmon for the topping as well if you prefer, and only use half of the salmon quantity indicated in the recipe for just the filling.
Step 2 – Chop and prep the ingredients
Finely chop the smoked salmon with a knife (image 1). You could also use a small blender to blitz the salmon into a fine mince as well, but not a paste.
Finely chop the chives and dill. Zest the lemons, and strain the lemon juice. Set aside.
Make sure the cream cheese is softened, so that it’s easier to mix.
Step 3 – Make the filling
In a large bowl, place the cream cheese and finely chopped salmon (image 2).
Then add the chopped herbs, lemon zest, and pepper (image 3).
Mix the ingredients together with a spatula until mixed through and smooth (image 4). Add some lemon juice to taste and mix it in (image 5).
Then, add about 1/3 of the sour cream and fold it in (image 6). The sour cream will make the filling more loose and easier to mix.
Finally, add the remaining sour cream and fold it in to mix with the filling (images 7 – 8). Taste and season with salt and lemon juice if needed.
You can use a spoon to divide the filling into individual portions, or use a mini cookie scoop. Here, I placed the filling in a large piping bag so I can pipe it into the shells (image 9).
Keep the filling covered and in the fridge to chill. You can store the filling in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Step 4 – Prepare the canapé bases
I use mini phyllo tart shells and mini vol-au vents for these canapes (image 10). But to keep this recipe truly no-cook or no-bake, you can use store-bought tart shells, or mini crostini or blinis.
Step 5 – Prepare canapes before serving
These can be piped a couple of hours before serving.
Fill or pipe the salmon filling onto canape tarts or crostini or cucumber slices (image 11). Top each canape with a small piece of smoked salmon (image 12) and 1 – 2 capers OR sliced baby pickles / cornichons (my favorite are Maille cornichons!) (image 13).
To add some extra crunch, you can pan fry the capers, but this is totally optional.
Step 6 – Serve
Plate the canapés and serve (image 14)! They don’t need any sauces or anything else on the side!
Storage tips
You can make the smoked salmon filling up to 2 days ahead, provided the ingredients are fresh.
Once you’ve made the canapes, you can store them in the fridge for a further 3 days or so. Collectively, the salmon filling should be good for about 5 days in the fridge, but the sooner you serve them, the fresher they will taste!
I don’t recommend freezing this filling, because the texture can change as it thaws out, especially the sour cream.
Important recipe tips
- This is such a simple recipe, so use fresh ingredients, so that the filling tastes amazing!
- If smoked salmon is not available, use smoked trout instead.
- The filling is where all the flavor is, so make sure to taste and adjust the seasoning and herbs to your liking!
- The canape base is just a vehicle for the filling, so you can use whatever is most convenient to you.
- Remember to top the canapes with something pickled. The pickled flavor cuts through the creaminess and richness of the salmon filling. Whether it’s capers (that are also extra salty), or cornichons, or pickled onions, these will really round out the flavors!
Recipe
Smoked Salmon Canapés
US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Weight measurements are recommended for accurate results whenever available.
Common Measurement ConversionsIngredients:
- 100 g smoked salmon for the filling
- 100 g smoked salmon to garnish
- 115 g cream cheese softened (use block cream cheese, not spreadable)
- 240 g sour cream about 1 cup
- 1 ½ tbsp chives finely chopped
- 2 tbsp dill chopped
- 1 ¼ tbsp whole grain mustard or dijon mustard
- 2 tsp lemon zest from 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp lemon juice or more to taste
- salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 30 mini phyllo tart shells see recipe notes for other alternatives
- Capers to garnish
Instructions:
Make the filling
- Finely chop the salmon for the filling. I chop the salmon with a knife, but you can use a small food processor too. But make sure not to turn the salmon into a puree.100 g smoked salmon
- Chop and prepare the other ingredients and make sure the cream cheese is at room temperature.
- In a bowl, place the cream cheese, finely chopped salmon, chives, dill, mustard, and lemon zest. Use a spatula to mix all the ingredients together. The mixture should be dense and spreadable.115 g cream cheese, 1 ½ tbsp chives, 2 tbsp dill, 1 ¼ tbsp whole grain mustard or dijon mustard, 2 tsp lemon zest
- Add the lemon juice, and salt, and pepper to taste and mix it all in well.1 tbsp lemon juice, salt, black pepper
- Add about ⅓ of the sour cream and mix it into the cream cheese mix. Then add the remaining sour cream and fold it in to combine.240 g sour cream
- Once the filling is well mixed, cover and keep it in the fridge to chill. If you’re piping the filling into cases, transfer the mixture into a piping bag (without cutting a hole) and twist the bag to close and keep the filling in the fridge.
Make the canape base (optional)
- Make the phyllo cases. You can make homemade phyllo tart shells as I have here, or buy from the store. You can also use puff pastry vol-au-vents or even choux pastry cases. Check recipe notes below for more easy options.30 mini phyllo tart shells
Assemble the canapes
- Cut a hole in the piping bag that's about ½ – ¾ inch wide. Alternatively, you can use a small spoon to spoon the filling into the cases, OR use a small cookie scoop.
- Add about 15 g of the filling per canape (which is about 1 tbsp).
- Top each canape with a piece of smoked salmon (if using), and 2 – 3 pieces of capers or sliced cornichon or pickle, and serve.100 g smoked salmon, Capers
Recipe Notes
Easy substitutions for the mini tart shells
- Melba toast
- Crostini
- Crackers
- Roasted potato slices
- Roasted sweet potato slices
- Cucumber slices
Nutrition Information:
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
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