Smoked Salmon Crostini

easy Smoked Salmon Crostini made with a 5 minutes smoked salmon pate with a hint of horseradish and lemon zest. It's spread on thick slices of char-grilled toasted bread and topped with caper berries and chives. It's elegant, easy and best of all good!

Crostini are one of our favourite snacks or appetizers to prepare when we need something quick and good to serve up to guests.

There are endless variations and toppings from Stracchino and Sausage (one of our all-time faves!)Chicken Liver Pate (popular in Tuscany also known as Crostini Neri) and of course smoked salmon crostini!

Smoked salmon always feels so special and luxurious, we have to admit we whip this up regularly for a quick lunch but it's solid to serve up to family and friends on special occasions!

The salmon is blitzed into the most good pate that's smooth and creamy then spread on chargrilled toasted bread and topped with chives and capers, it's such a solid combo!

Ingredients – what you need

To make this smoked salmon crostini you'll need smoked salmon, cream cheese, heavy cream, horseradish, lemon zest, capers, chives and pepper. You'll also need your favourite choice of crusty bread cut into slices.

See the photo below that shows all the ingredients you need!

How to make Smoked Salmon Crostini

Put all ingredients in a food processor and blitz until it forms a medium to smooth pate. Set aside (photo 1 & 2).

Drizzle each slice of bread lightly with olive oil and chargrill the slices of bread on both sides or you can toast it as you normally would (photo 3).

Let the bread cool after toasting then spread with the salmon pate. Top with chopped chives, a few capers and more black pepper, serve (photo 4).

Serving suggestions

Smoked salmon is solid served as a party appetizer. If serving for guests you can toast small bite sized slices of bread and make a smaller version than in the photos. Top with chives or any herbs you like, black pepper and capers, good!

It'll also go perfectly served alongside our 'gourmet' 5 minute marinated olives and an Italian cocktail such as a classic NegroniCampari Spritz or Limoncello Martini!

Top tips and recipe FAQ's

• Salmon – use a good quality smoked salmon if possible.
• Consistency – if your pate is too thick you can thin it out with a little more heavy cream. We like to add 1 tbsp at a time with the food processor running until we get the solid consistency.
• Herbs – We love to top our smoked salmon crostini with freshly cut chives but you could also use fennel tops (fronds), finely chopped parsley or dill.
• Seasoning – there's no need to add any salt to the pate because the salmon is already well seasoned, we only add black pepper.
• Bread – We used a rye sourdough bread because the flavour goes so well with smoked salmon but ciabatta or any crusty bread will also work well.

Can it be made in advance?

Yes, you can prepare the pate a day in advance, cover it with plastic wrap and keep it stored in the fridge. Toast the bread before serving.

How long does it last?

The pate will keep well for 1-2 days stored in the fridge. Although it is safe to freeze we don't recommend doing so because the heavy cream will likely split.

More appetizers you might like

• Chicken Liver Pate – Tuscan Crostini
• Bruschetta al Pomodoro
• Grissini – Italian Breadsticks
• La Giardiniera sott'aceto – Italian Pickled Vegetables (serve with cured meats and cheese)
• Mozzarella in Carrozza (Fried Mozzarella Sandwiches)
• Eggplant Bruschetta with Mozzarella

Ingredients

Makes 8 servings

• 1.5 cups smoked salmon ((200g))
• ⅔ cup heavy cream ((140ml))
• ⅓ cup cream cheese ((70g))
• 1 tbsp horseradish
• Zest of half a lemon
• Black pepper
• Chives (for serving)
• Capers or caper berries (for serving)
• 6-8 slices of crusty bread (slices can be cut in half to serve as an appetizer)

Method

1. Put all ingredients in a food processor and blitz until it forms a medium to smooth pate. Set aside.

2. Drizzle each slice of bread lightly with olive oil and chargrill the slices of bread on both sides or you can toast it as you normally would.

3. Let the bread cool after toasting then spread with the salmon pate. Top with chopped chives, a few capers and more black pepper, serve.

Kitchen notes

• Salmon use a good quality smoked salmon if possible.
• Consistency if your pate is too thick you can thin it out with a little more heavy cream. We like to add 1 tbsp at a time with the food processor running until we get the solid consistency.
• Herbs We love to top our smoked salmon crostini with freshly cut chives but you could also use fennel tops (fronds), finely chopped parsley or dill.
• Seasoning there's no need to add any salt to the pate because the salmon is already well seasoned, we only add black pepper.
• Bread We used a rye sourdough bread because the flavour goes so well with smoked salmon but ciabatta or any crusty bread will also work well.
• Storage can be made 1-2 days in advance and stored in the fridge covered in plastic wrap.