Ina Garten Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches

Ina Garten smoked salmon tea sandwiches take 30 minutes and just dense seven-grain bread, herb butter and smoked salmon to make a dainty chilled finger sandwich. Save this easy party appetizer for cocktail parties, afternoon tea or baby showers, because it's a make-ahead batch recipe that feeds a crowd.

Chill the assembled sandwiches until the herb butter is very cold before you cut anything. Skip that and the bread squishes under the knife, so the salmon slides out and the triangles lose their clean edges.

Ina Garten says these are always the first to go when she sets out a platter of several tea sandwiches. Her version uses a garlicky herb butter spread thin on dense seven-grain bread, which tastes far more interesting than plain cream cheese on white.

Source: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (1999)

Ina Garten Smoked Salmon Tea Sandwiches

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Course: AppetizerCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Servings

8

servings

Prep time

30

minutes

Cooking timeminutes

Calories

290

kcal

Thin slices of nutty seven-grain bread are spread with a soft herb butter and layered with silky smoked salmon. Once chilled, the crusts come off and each sandwich is cut into neat little triangles that stay moist and hold together.

Ingredients

• HERB BUTTER:
  

• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, room temperature
  

• 1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
  

• 1 tablespoon minced scallions (white and green parts)
  

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
  

• 1 tablespoon minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
  

• 1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
  

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  

• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  

• SANDWICHES:
  

• 1 loaf dense 7-grain or health bread, unsliced
  

• 8 slices smoked salmon
  

Directions

• Mix the herb butter: Combine the butter, garlic, scallions, dill, parsley, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a mixer fitted with the paddle. Beat until just mixed, because whipping makes the butter too airy to spread thin.
• Slice the bread: Ask the store to slice the unsliced loaf lengthwise on a meat slicer into 1/4-inch-thick slices. If that isn't possible, slice it crosswise with a very sharp knife, which gives you smaller sandwiches.
• Spread the butter: Lay out 8 slices of bread and spread each with a thin layer of herb butter. Then place the smoked salmon on 4 of the slices, using 8 slices of salmon in total.
• Assemble and wrap: Top the salmon with the other 4 slices of bread, butter side down. Set the sandwiches on a baking sheet and wrap them in plastic wrap.
• Chill the sandwiches: Refrigerate until the butter is very cold. This firms everything up so the sandwiches cut cleanly.
• Trim and cut: Move the sandwiches to a cutting board and cut off the crusts with a very sharp knife. Then cut each large sandwich in half crosswise, and cut each half diagonally twice to make 8 small triangles.
• Serve chilled: Arrange the triangles on a platter and serve them cold. If you sliced the bread crosswise, you will get 4 small triangles per sandwich instead.

Tools for this recipe

• KitchenAid Artisan 5-quart stand mixer, Nordic Ware half sheet pan, Victorinox Fibrox 8-inch chef's knife, Diamond Crystal kosher salt, 3 lb. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

FAQs

Can I make smoked salmon tea sandwiches ahead of time?

Yes, they can be made a day ahead and kept in the fridge. Cover them with damp paper towels and wrap them in plastic so the bread stays moist.

What bread works best for tea sandwiches?

A dense 7-grain or health bread works best, because it holds up to slicing 1/4 inch thin without tearing. Ina Garten uses Health Bread from Eli's Bread, and any firm, tight-crumbed loaf is a good swap.

Why do my sandwiches fall apart when I cut them?

Usually the butter was not cold enough or the salmon was layered too thick. Chill the sandwiches until the butter is very cold, and use a single layer of salmon so they hold together.

Can I use cream cheese instead of herb butter?

You can, though the sandwiches will taste different from this version. Herb butter spreads thin and firms up in the fridge, which helps the triangles stay neat when you cut them.

What if I can't get the bread sliced lengthwise?

Slice the loaf crosswise with a very sharp knife instead. Then assemble the sandwiches the same way, trim the crusts and cut them diagonally twice to make 4 small triangles each.