Description
Delight your guests with these elegant Christmas Smoked Salmon Crostini featuring crispy baguette slices topped with a creamy dill and lemon-infused cream cheese, cold smoked salmon, capers, and fresh dill garnishes—perfect as a festive appetizer or party snack.
Ingredients
Scale
Bread
- 1-2 baguettes, enough to get about 30-35 ¼ inch slices
- Olive oil spray
Cream Cheese Mixture
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened (not melted)
- 1 small lemon, juiced
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
- 1 fresh garlic clove, crushed
- Salt, to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Topping
- 8 oz cold smoked salmon
Garnish
- Capers
- Fresh dill sprigs
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit to prepare for toasting the baguette slices.
- Prepare Bread Slices: Cut the baguette into ¼th to ½ inch slices to yield 30 to 35 slices. Arrange them in a single layer on a baking sheet.
- Toast Bread: Spray both sides of the baguette slices lightly with olive oil. Bake at 350 degrees for about 9 minutes, flipping halfway through until the slices are golden and crisp.
- Cool Bread: Remove the toasted baguette slices from the oven and allow them to cool completely on a wire rack or plate.
- Make Cream Cheese Mixture: In a medium mixing bowl, combine softened cream cheese, chopped dill, lemon juice, crushed garlic, salt, and freshly cracked black pepper. Mix until smooth and well combined.
- Optional – Pipe Cream Cheese: Spoon the cream cheese mixture into a piping bag and set aside for easy application.
- Assemble Crostini: Arrange the cooled crostini slices on a serving platter. Place one slice of cold smoked salmon on each crostini.
- Add Cream Cheese Dollop: Using the piping bag or a small spoon, add a small dollop of the cream cheese mixture on top of each salmon slice.
- Garnish and Serve: Garnish each crostini with a few capers and a fresh dill sprig. Serve immediately and enjoy your festive appetizer.
Notes
- You can pre-slice the baguette beforehand or buy pre-sliced baguette for convenience.
- Ensure the cream cheese is softened but not melted to achieve a smooth consistency for easy spreading or piping.
- Adjust lemon juice and garlic amount to your taste preferences.
- If you prefer a stronger garlic flavor, consider roasting the garlic before crushing it.
- This recipe can be doubled easily for larger gatherings.
- Use gluten-free baguette if you need this recipe to be gluten free.
- Serve crostini immediately after assembly to maintain crispness of the bread.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 crostini
- Calories: 90 kcal
- Sugar: 1 g
- Sodium: 250 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 6 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 20 mg
