More delicious sandwich fillings for your amazing Afternoon Tea! Have you decided what kind of tea you’ll make? I often forego the more traditional tray of small treats for a Victoria Sponge, either filled with jam and dusted with icing sugar, or the best, in my opinion, is to fill the cake with whipped cream that has a some lemon curd folded in and then adding fresh berries.
Open Faced Smoked Salmon Rounds
These ones look beautiful and add a nice “pop” to a sandwich tray.
Approximately 18 – 24 open faced sandwiches
1 loaf of square bread, sliced horizontally
8 oz. of cold smoked sockeye salmon (Nanuk brand is very good)
1 4 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature
1 – 2 tsp. fresh dill, chopped fine
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
Unsalted butter, softened, so that it spreads very easily
Garnish: Fresh dill sprigs. rinsed capers & small paper-thin slices red onion
Make the Sandwiches:
Combine the cream cheese, dill, green onions and lemon juice; set aside.
Butter the bread, using a 2” round biscuit cutter, cut out rounds from the slices of bread and place on a wax paper lined tray. Spread a teaspoon or so of the cream cheese mixture on each round; remove a piece of the smoked salmon from the package, forming the slice into a rosette shape; place on top of the cream cheese, continue making the sandwiches in the same manner. At this point you can chill the sandwiches until ready to assemble your tray; at that time garnish the sandwiches with a slice or two of the onion, a few capers and spring of fresh dill.
Salmon Sandwich Filling
Mostly, I made up these using two rounds per sandwich. I cut a little round circle out of the top one, place it over the filling and garnish with a sprig of watercress or dill tucked into the little hole. They are so pretty ndeveryone seems to really like them! However, they can made into regular sandwiches, then cut into four triangles. The rounds take a bit more time but I think it’s worth it.
Helpful tip: The rounds can be buttered, cut out and placed in a container with wax paper dividing the layers and frozen. It only takes a few minutes for the bread to thaw and you are good to go!
Makes Approximately 4 Regular Sandwiches or 18 – 24 Double Decker Rounds
8 slices of square bread, sliced regular, or for the double decker rounds,
1 double loaf or 2 single loaves of square bread, sliced horizontally
1 tin sockeye salmon
Mayonnaise (lite or regular)
1 Tbsp. minced green onion
2Tbsp. minced finely chopped celery
½ tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 – 2 tsp. fresh dill, finely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Unsalted butter, softened so that it spreads very easily
Make the Filling:
Remove the skin and any dark flesh from the salmon. With a fork, mash up the salmon with the bones; mix in the green onion, celery, lemon juice, pepper and dill; add enough mayonnaise to bring the ingredients together but not enough to make the mixture sloppy, otherwise it will ooze out of the sandwich when eaten. Cover, chilling until ready to assemble the sandwiches.
To Make Triangles:
Butter the bread slices, then divide the salmon mixture between them; cover with the second slice of bread, place on a wax paper lined rimmed baking sheet; cover with plastic wrap, then with a damp tea towel; chill for at least one hour before trimming the crusts and cutting into triangles.
To Make Double Decker Rounds:
Butter the horizontally sliced bread slices, then cut into 2” rounds with a biscuit cutte. Place the rounds on a wax paper lined rimmed baking sheet. With a small, approximately ½” round cutter (I use the other end of a piping tip), cut little rounds out of half the 2” rounds. Spread a generous tablespoon of salmon filling on the rounds without holes; top with the cut-out rounds; cover with, plastic wrap then with a damp tea towel, chilling for at least one hour. When ready to assemble your sandwich tray, place a sprig of dill or watercress in the middle of the hole…so cute!
Tuna Sandwich Filling
I always try and include a few things for vegetarians or people who eat fish but not meat and a good tuna sandwich is a delicious addition to a sandwich tray. A slightly different, but very tasty take on tuna sandwich filling!
Makes Enough Filling For 3 or 4 Sandwiches
8 slices square bread, cut regular
1 tin tuna, either packed in oil or water, drained (Italian tinned tuna would be nice)
Mayonnaise to moisten
2 Tbsp. chopped olives
1 tsp. rinsed capers, chopped fine
2 – 3 Tbsp. finely chopped red bell peppers
½ tsp. finely grated lemon zest (a microplane works great)
Unsalted butter
Make the Filling:
Place the tuna in a glass pie plate or a bowl with a flat bottom; mash with a fork. Mix in the olives, capers, red peppers and lemon zest; moisten the mixture with the mayonnaise until creamy but not sloppy. Cover, chilling until ready to assemble the sandwiches
Make the Sandwiches:
Butter the bread, divide the mixture between four slices of bread; cover with remaining bread slices and place on a wax paper lined rimmed baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap and a damp tea towel, chilling for at least 1 hour. Remove from the fridge when ready to assemble your sandwich trays; trim the crusts, cutting each sandwich into rectangles.
Click here for Cheese & Egg, Ham, Corned Beef & Roast Beef & Chicken fillings.
