Smoked salmon is one of those things nobody ever told me about until I was grown up. I mean, I guess I heard about it, but it was food beyond my reach. It never appeared in our kitchen; in small-town Illinois, it seemed exotic.
Other things I didn’t see much of included calves’ liver and oysters but when I tasted them for the first time, I knew it would be the last. I had quite a different reaction to silky, seductive smoked salmon.
I’ve never been able to convince my children of the virtues of smoked salmon: they have thus far refused to taste it. If you have a more open-minded group at your house, try this sandwich—it’s pretty great.
Smokin’ Salmon Sandwiches
Serves 4
1 cup crème fraîche
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
8 slices dark pumpernickel or whole wheat bread
8 ounces smoked salmon, thinly sliced
2 plum tomatoes, seeded and diced
Red-leaf or other lettuce, or arugula
1. Mix the crème fraîche, parsley, dill, lemon juice, and salt and pepper together in a bowl.
2. Smear one side of a slice of bread with some of the crème fraîche mixture. Cover it with about 2 ounces of the salmon, then a sprinkling of tomato, and then a lettuce leaf. Smear another slice of bread with the crème fraîche and put it on top to make a sandwich. Make 3 more sandwiches this way, cut them in half, and serve.