If you have friends over for afternoon tea (or coffee), it’s common courtesy to serve some small bites along with the drinks. Now, if you are trying to go traditional English high tea, you would serve things like fancy biscuits and cakes (or my Coffee Bean Cookies if serving coffee). I however am a fan of the simple cream cheese sandwich. Of course, I do like to upgrade it a little more than a schmear on bread. Enter these cucumber and smoked salmon tea sandwiches.
For tea sandwiches you are looking for something that is light and refreshing, so cucumber makes a lot of sense. In fact, I’m pretty sure cucumber tea sandwiches are the most popular variation there is. But more importantly than what is in between the bread is the bread itself. You should use soft, fluffy white bread with the crust cut off. Don’t forget to cut the sandwich diagonally before serving.
Making Cucumber And Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches
Let’s start with the cucumber. I like to slice mine as thin as possible. You can do this with a knife or a mandolin, just be careful not to slice your fingers as well. For 4 sandwiches you’ll need about one English Cucumber.
On your slice of bread schmear on about a tablespoon of cream cheese. Then, layer the thin cucumber slices all over the surface, overlapping the edges, until you are satisfied with the amount of cucumber you have used.
Next, add a layer of your smoked salmon. Remember, as we are cutting off the crust you don’t need the fish to go all the way to the edge, focus more on layering around the middle. On the fish add a sprinkle of salt, and paprika and garlic powder to taste. Schmear another bit of cream cheese on the top slice of bread and close the sandwich.
Cut off the edges and then cut the sandwich diagonally. Serve your guests along with their tea so they have a nice snack with their drink. I recommend a nice Earl Grey or Orange Pekoe as the flavors pair well with these smoked salmon sandwiches, but you can even switch it up and serve a Thai style butterfly pea flower tea. Enjoy!
Here are some other things you might serve at an afternoon tea:
Earl Grey Victoria Sponge Mini Cakes
Cucumber And Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches
Equipment
- Knife
Ingredients
- 8 slices Bread white, soft
- 100 grams Cream Cheese
- 1 English Cucumber peeled and thinly sliced
- 100 grams Smoked Salmon
- Salt to taste
- Black Pepper freshly cracked, to taste
- Paprika to taste
- Garlic Powder to taste
Instructions
- Lay down your bread and schmear some cream cheese on every slice. On four of the slices lay down some of the thinly sliced cucumber, followed by the smoked salmon. Sprinkle with seasonings to taste. Cover with the top bread, cut of the crust, and slice the sandwich diagonally before plating and serving.
