Smoked Salmon Cucumber Appetizer

Here’s an easy appetizer that looks stunning and relies on simple, spot-on flavors: Smoked Salmon Appetizer Bites! The classic combination of smoked salmon, dill, cucumber and cream cheese is a hit every time. Mix the cream cheese with fresh dill, green onion and Dijon for a rich, zingy pop. Make up this platter for a party, and people won’t be able to tear themselves away!

Ingredients for this smoked salmon appetizer

Smoked salmon is ideal for appetizer spreads: its bold, smoky and salty flavor and 0-minute prep time make it a favorite around here. Here you’ll simply place it on cucumber rounds with a flavored cream cheese. Here’s what you’ll need:

Smoked salmon: We prefer cold-smoked salmon here (with a soft texture), but hot-smoked salmon also works (flaky and more like cooked salmon). English cucumber: English cucumber is longer and thinner than a standard cucumber, and you don’t need to peel it! See below for more. Cream cheeseMayonnaise (or substitute plain or Greek yogurt)Dijon mustardFresh dillGreen onion

The basic idea: mix the cream cheese with mayo, Dijon, fresh dill and green onion. Dollop onto the cucumber slices and top with smoked salmon and a sprig of fresh dill. Jump to the recipe for the full details!

Why to look for English cucumber

This smoked salmon appetizer is great no matter what cucumber you find: but we highly recommend looking for an English cucumber. English cucumbers are long, thin cucumbers sold covered in plastic at the store. Why use it here?

English cucumbers are long and straight, with a thin skin with ridges. The seeds are so small they are almost imperceptible. The flavor of an English cucumber is sweeter than the standard cucumber, and it doesn’t need to be peeled or seeded before eating! Because the thin skin is so fragile, it’s sold with a plastic covering in the grocery store. No only does it taste better, it has a brighter green color and looks more festive. Standard slicing cucumbers are shorter, with thick, dark green skin and very large seeds. The thick skin and seeds can be bitter, so they’re often removed when cooking. You can substitute a standard cucumber here, but the flavor is much better with an English cucumber.

Serving for a party

This smoked salmon appetizer recipe makes about 20 slices. Depending on the party you’re making them for, this might be enough: it fills a large circular plate. But if you’re serving a big party, make a double recipe! You’ll need only 1 English cucumber for an entire recipe. If making for a party, you can make the smoked salmon appetizer bites in advance and refrigerate until serving. Refrigerate up to 1 day prior to serving. Anything beyond that and the cucumber slices can become dried out or mushy.

Other ways to serve it

You can serve these smoked salmon appetizer bites as a lunch idea, too! Make them up and use them for a healthy gluten-free lunch option, along with some additional vegetables and fruits. Go to Healthy Lunch Ideas or Gluten Free Lunch Ideas for more.

More easy appetizer recipes

These smoked salmon bites are the perfect easy appetizer for parties! Here are a few more of our party food favorites:

More fun smoked salmon recipes: Smoked Salmon Toast, Smoked Salmon Bagel, Smoked Salmon Dip or Smoked Salmon SpreadGo for Veggie Cream Cheese or Cottage Cheese Dip, or Ranch Dip with veggies to dipGrab Easy Black Bean HummusTry our top Top 15 Easy Cold Appetizers