Chive Cream Cheese Smoked Salmon Crostini Appetizer
Four ingredients, zero stress. This elegant smoked salmon crostini appetizer comes together in just 20 minutes, requires no cooking, and tastes like you hired a caterer for your party. Salty salmon, rich herb-filled cream cheese, and fresh crisp cucumber all on crostini bread with a little crunch. Your guests will think you’ve been planning for days when really you just maximized what grocery stores already did for you. This smoked salmon crostini recipe is easy, full of gourmet flavors, and looks like you ordered it at an upscale restaurant. Full recipe card below.
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Why This Recipe Works
This isn’t about following a complicated recipe. It’s about understanding balance, texture, and natural pairings. These simple ingredients all play a part to make a great appetizer. The salmon brings the saltiness. The cream cheese gives it richness and built-in seasoning. The little toasts bring the crunch and the cucumber brings freshness. The best flavor with only four ingredients! And the best part is, there is no cooking required!
Crostini Ingredients
This simple appetizer brings an explosion of flavor with store-bought ingredients! I have some options for alternatives but with only four components, each one is important.
- Smoked Salmon – Pre-sliced smoked salmon sold in neat little squares means no special knife skills or spending hours smoking your own salmon. Each piece is the same, just cut in half and place. It’s faster, neater, and it makes every crostini look identical, which is the secret to making a platter look professionally catered. I found these thin slices of cold-smoked salmon at Costco but you could also use leftover pieces of hot-smoked salmon. The Honey Smoked Fish Company also sells pre-smoked salmon, which I have used before but it flakes rather than slices.
- Bruschetta Toasts – For these crispy crostini toasts I used the olive oil version of Bruschetta toasts. They make for an easy appetizer and don’t require any prep work. Just open the bag and add the toppings. I found mine at Target in the deli section, but you can also make your own using French bread, a little olive oil, and a baking sheet.
- Cream Cheese – Chive cream cheese is a built-in seasoning layer. One package with the flavor of fresh herbs and no extra work. If you cannot find chive cream cheese you can also make your own with plain cream cheese, fresh chives, and some onion powder. But the extra seasonings definitely bring added flavor that regular cream cheese simply doesn’t have.
- Cucumber – This appetizer is full of rich flavors and needs a component of freshness. Cucumbers are the perfect addition because they provide extra crispness and freshness in one small piece.
- Garnish – Let’s be honest, these little bites are pretty and should be the star of the show. So if you are looking for a little something extra, garnish with a sprig of fresh dill, chives, or lemon zest.
- Serving Platter – Crostini are small and tippy. You need a flat surface with enough real estate to lay them out in a single layer so they don’t slide into each other. A charcuterie board, a ceramic platter, or slate tray works. Just avoid anything with a rim that’s going to crowd the edges.
Mixing Options
To create a thin enough cream cheese to pipe, I do recommend whipping with a handheld mixer and a little bit of water. Straight cream cheese out of the package is too thick to come out of a piping bag cleanly. This doesn’t take too much time and is definitely worth it for a more refined look.
How to Assemble
If you want the pretty factor, you will need to pipe on the cream cheese. But don’t worry, you can do this with a Ziplock bag! Simply place the bag inside a large cup like a beer stein and fold over the zipper edge. Then scoop the cream cheese mixture into the bag, get all the air out, and zip it closed. Then use a pair of scissors to cut off 3/4 inch of one corner of the Ziplock bag. To make the star shape, add a large star tip to the bottom of the bag before filling it.
The rest is easy. Create a simple stack of crostini, smoked salmon, cream cheese, and cucumber.
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Chive Cream Cheese Smoked Salmon Crostini Appetizer
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 20-32 pieces 1x
- Diet: Pescatarian
Description
The easy appetizer that looks catered. This smoked salmon crostini appetizer comes together with store-bought ingredients and tastes like you hired a chef. An elevated handheld bite with salty salmon, rich herb filled cream cheese, and fresh cucumber on a crispy crostini. A genius four ingredient party appetizer that looks elegant, tastes expensive, and no one will know you didn’t cook a thing!
Ingredients
- 4.23 oz bag Bruschetta Toasts
- 1 pkg Smoked Salmon
- 8 oz Chive Herbed Cream Cheese
- 2 tbsp Water
- 1/2 Cucumber sliced and quartered
- Lemon for garnish (optional)
- Dill for garnish dried or fresh (optional)
Instructions
- Wash and slice the cucumber into rounds and then quarter each round. Set aside.
- Cut each piece of salmon in half to fit the size of the crostini rounds. About 1 inch by 2 inch slices. Set aside.
- In a small bowl mix the cream cheese and two tablespoons of water. This will thin out the cream cheese mixture enough to pipe it on. If you do not thin it out it will be too thick to squeeze out.
- Then scoop the cream cheese mixture into a sandwich size Ziplock bag, get all the air out, and zip it closed. Then use a pair of scissors to cut off 3/4 inch of one corner of the Ziplock bag. If you want to achieve the star shape, add a large star shaped icing tip to the bottom of the bag before filling it.
- Arrange the crostini toasts into a single layer with a little breathing room between each piece to make assembly easier. Place a slice of salmon on top of each crostini toast.
- Using the homemade piping bag, add a dollop of the cream cheese mixture to the top of the salmon. About the size of a quarter.
- Top the cream cheese with a slice of cucumber.
- Garnish with dill and lemon.
Notes
Note, the number of appetizers will vary based on the size of bread slices used. If you make your own toasts from French bread you will not need to cut the salmon in half and will use the package up more quickly.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
More Crostini and Bruschetta Recipes to Try
- Crazy Feta Greek Tomato Cucumber Bruschetta Recipe
- Cranberry Goat Cheese Crostini Party Appetizer
- Fresh Blueberry Lemon Ricotta Bruschetta Recipe
More Salmon Recipes to Try
- Smoked Salmon and Chives Cream Cheese Spread Recipe
- Simple Fresh Homemade Salmon Cake Patties Recipe
- Fresh Salmon Smash Burger Tacos with Quick Slaw
- Teriyaki Salmon Bite Rice Bowl Recipe with Avocado
Storage Tips
Assembled crostini don’t store great. The cream cheese and salmon make the bruschetta toast soggy if they sit too long. If you absolutely have to make them ahead, assemble them no more than 2 hours before serving and keep them in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also prep the cream cheese and slice the cucumber and salmon ahead of time and keep unassembled until just before guests arrive.
When to Make Smoked Salmon Crostini
Smoked salmon crostini appetizers are perfect for your next celebration. They are elegant and look like you are a master in the kitchen. Make them for bridal showers, holiday parties, baby showers, or wine tasting nights. They are the perfect appetizer when you need something easy that looks like it was created for a cocktail party at a high-end hotel.
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