Smoked Salmon Platter

recipe photo

This deceptively simple dish will seem like it took hours to prepare. Look for pastrami-cured salmon in the deli section of your grocery store. Its peppery flavor adds unforgettable nuance to the traditional smoked salmon platter.

Serves 8–10

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup honey mustard
  • ¼ cup sour cream
  • 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill, or ½ teaspoon dried dill weed
  • ½ cup dried capers
  • ½ cup finely chopped red onions
  • 1 pound pre-sliced smoked salmon, preferably pastrami-cured, cut into two-inch pieces
  • 16 cocktail-sized pumpernickel bread slices
  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges, seeds removed
  • fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs for garnish

Preparation:

  • Mix together the mustard, sour cream and dill in a small bowl.
  • Select three demitasse cups. Fill one cup with the capers, the other with the red onion and the last with the mustard-dill sauce. Place the cups on a medium platter and arrange the smoked salmon around them.
  • Stack the pumpernickel slices and cut on the diagonal, creating triangles. Artfully arrange the bread slices and the lemon wedge on the outer edge of the platter. Garnish with parsley.
  • Place a spoon in each of the condiments and present the salmon a small serving fork, preferably a three-pronged one.

Presentation Tip:

Cut a lemon in half horizontally, creating a straight or a zigzag edge. Then cut a thin slice off the bottom of each half so that the halves sit upright on a surface without tipping. Use each lemon half as the base for a small flower arrangement, inserting the stems of sturdy, attractive herbs and flowers like rosemary, thyme, lavender, parsley and any small flowers like nasturtiums, baby roses or pansies.