Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches

Good afternoon (tea).

Afternoon tea is one of life’s great pleasures. Adding this savory, authentic smoked salmon tea sandwich recipe to the experience makes it even better. 

The afternoon tea sandwich

I love afternoon tea, in all of its iterations: a simple, hot cup of tea to revive me in the afternoon at my desk, my morning green tea to wake me up in the morning (I’m not a coffee drinker), you name it.

But my favorite tea of all is a formal afternoon tea: that special-occasion treat — usually at a fancy hotel — with the graceful tinkling of china, a menu of fine teas, and most of all, the tea sandwiches.

Formal afternoon tea food is usually divided into tiered goodies: 1) scones, 2) small savory dishes like tea sandwiches, and 3) petite desserts. Personally, I could do away with the desserts — I do love a scone, though — and double up on the savory tea sandwiches, especially salmon tea sandwiches.

Salmon tea sandwiches are at once elegant but satisfying. This recipe, adapted from the Ritz London book of afternoon tea, combines a few ingredients to make a perfect little tea sandwich.

Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches: Ingredients

These salmon sandwiches are simple to make. Other than soft sandwich bread, you will need the filling or spread.

Here are the salmon tea sandwich ingredients:

• Softened cream cheese
• Smoked salmon pieces
• Lemon juice
• Minced chives
• Minced dill or parsley

What kind of bread to use for tea sandwiches

Choose a soft, not-too-thick sandwich bread for tea sandwiches. The filling is soft, so you do want the bread to match. You can choose white or whole wheat. Whole grain seeded bread would be too aggressive here. You will also cut off the crusts.

How to keep salmon tea sandwiches fresh for afternoon tea

Tea sandwiches are best made the same day, preferably within a few hours before eating them. The main concern of keeping an afternoon tea sandwich fresh is avoiding stale bread. No one wants dry, slightly-hardened bread.

To keep your tea sandwiches fresh for afternoon tea, be sure to cover them with a clean, lightly dampened tea towel, or loosely cover in plastic wrap.

How to Make Salmon Tea Sandwiches

Here are the steps to make this salmon tea sandwich recipe:

1. Pulse the cream cheese, smoked salmon, and lemon juice until mixed. It’s ok to have small chunks of salmon.
2. Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and stir in the herbs.
3. Divide the salmon cream cheese between two of the four bread slices, reserving about 1 teaspoon.
4. Sandwich the bread together. Trim the crusts, then cut each sandwich into three “fingers.”
5. Dot the top of each smoked salmon tea sandwich finger with the remaining cream cheese and a sprig of fresh parsley or dill to garnish.

Enjoy this savory, perfect little salmon tea sandwich for lunch, or as a mid-afternoon snack with a cup of tea.

If you like this salmon tea sandwich recipe, you will also like:

• Cucumber Tea Sandwiches
• Smoked Salmon Sandwiches
• Creamy Smoked Salmon Pasta
• Southern Tomato Sandwiches

Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches

These lovely little salmon tea sandwiches make a perfect accompaniment to afternoon tea, or an elegant lunch. Adapted from the Ritz London recipe.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time0 minutes mins

Course: lunch, Snack, tea

Cuisine: english

Keywords:: afternoon tea recipe, cream cheese, creamy salmon pasta, easy, lox, no-cook, sandwich, smoked salmon, tea sandwich

Servings: 6 to 8 finger sandwiches

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Ingredients

• 4 slices soft whole wheat or rye sandwich bread
• 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 1 ounce smoked salmon pieces
• Squirt of fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill or parsley

Instructions

• Pulse the cream cheese, smoked salmon, and lemon juice in a food processor until mixed. It's best to have small chunks of salmon; do not over-mix.
• Transfer the mixture to a small bowl and stir in the minced herbs.
• Spread the salmon cream cheese on two of the four bread slices, reserving about 1 teaspoon of salmon cream cheese filling. Sandwich the bread together. Trim the crusts, then cut each sandwich into three or four "fingers."
• Dot the top of each smoked salmon tea sandwich finger with remaining cream cheese and a sprig of fresh parsley or dill to garnish.

Notes

These smoked salmon tea sandwiches are best served fresh, and can be made up to several hours in advance.

To keep your tea sandwiches fresh and to prevent the bread from staling, gently cover the sandwiches with a clean, lightly-dampened tea towel or plastic wrap.