This delicious smoked salmon and cucumber salad, with avocado and horseradish cream, is an easy to prepare cold starter. The smoked salmon is seasoned with Vodka and lime for an extra flavor boost. This dish is a great choice for Christmas, Easter, or a dinner party.
This is a delicious and surprisingly cold entrée. Smoked salmon, marinated in vodka with lime, fresh cucumber ribbons, and a creamy avocado paste combined with a zing in the horseradish cream. This will give you a taste explosion in your mouth!
Deconstructed smoked salman salad
This is a variation of the traditional smoked salmon salad. But then with a modern twist. The salmon salad tastes a bit salty, with a fresh flavor cucumber accent and a little spice. And then I forget to mention the Vodka tic. Because Vodka is a delicious combination with both salmon and cucumber.
And by draping the ingredients of this salmon salad in an elegant way on your plate (instead of putting everything together into a glass) you get an eye-catcher!
Jump to:
- Smoked salmon: Choose salmon sliced in thin strips.Cut the smoked salmon smaller, when necessary to drape it around the plate.
- Vodka: an alcoholic drink that is slightly sweat due to the wheat (from which it's made). It combines wonderful with both the salmon and cucumber. If you're serving dinner to children you of course can't use Vodka. In that case omit the Vodka.
- Lime: is a great combination with smoked salmon because of it's acidity. In addition, it ensures that the avocado won't brown.
- Cucumber: the salty smoked salmon is in need of a fresh counterpart. And of course you can cut your cucumber small cubes, but making ribbons just looks quite a bit nicer. You can easily make cucumber ribbons by using a cheese slicer or potato/vegetable peeler.
- Avocado: with it's creamy flavor and green color it's delicious for this elegant plate.
- Sour cream: For both creams, use sour cream to enhance the creaminess.
- Horseradish: The horseradish gives a nice zing. I use prepared horseradish.
- Dill, capers, caper apples and radishes: the garnish. And with this garnish you can vary. But these garnish gives a nice color palette and beautiful structure.
🔪 How do you prepare smoked salmon and cucumber salad
Step 1 Marinate the smoked salmon. Slice the smoked salmon into small strips. Make a marinate with 6 tablespoons Vodka, the juice of ½ lime, and 1 teaspoon lime grate. Marinate the smoked salmon for about 15 minutes.
Step 2 prepare the horseradish cream. In a bowl mix, 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish with 2 tablespoons sour cream. Put it into a piping bag.
Step 3 prepare the avocado cream. Slice the avocado in half and remove the stone. Spoon the avocado flesh with a spoon out of the skin. Put in a blender and add 2 teaspoons lime juice and 3 tablespoons sour cream. Blend until smooth. Put into a piping bag.
Step 4 prepare the cucumber ribbons and make your plate. Wash the cucumber and put it in front of you. With a cheese slicer or vegetable peeler make thin strips of the cucumber. When you get to the seeds, you can't make any more strips (they will fall apart).
Take your plate and spread 3 strips of salmon over the plate in a crescent moon shape. In between drape the cucumber strings. That's the beginning of your smoked salmon and cucumber salad.
Grab your piping bag with avocado cream and make a few piles between the cucumber. Take the piping bag with horseradish cream and pipe a few nice tufts. Dress up your plate with capers and dill.
- If minors are eating with you? Don't marinate the smoked salmon (with the Vodka). Alcohol and kids are a no go.
- Marinate the salmon for 10 to 15 minutes in the Vodka but not longer. Otherwise, the Vodka will take over the salmon flavor. Therefore make sure you dry the smoked salmon after marinating.
- If you don't have horseradish, you can replace it with 2 teaspoons of Wasabi.
- The easiest way to prepare this dish is by putting the cream into a piping bag. But if you don't have one, use a teaspoon to place the cream on the plate.
- Any smoked salmon and cucumber leftovers? You can store it for up to 1 day in the refrigerator (covered with plastic foil). Or you can freeze it for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
- You can marinate the smoked salmon in the morning and dry it. Put it on a clean plate covered with plastic foil and store it in the refrigerator.
- The horseradish cream can be made in the morning and stored in the piping bag in the refrigerator.
- The cucumber ribbons can also be prepared a few hours in advance. Bundle them and wrap in some wetted kitchen paper towel and then wrapped in plastic foil and store them in the refrigerator.
- The avocado cream CAN'T be made in advance, because it will brown.
- When you've put everything on the plate, serve immediately. Because you work with smoked salmon keep everything as cool as possible.
Can you eat smoked salmon when pregnant?
Don't eat smoked salmon when pregnant. Because it's wrapped in plastic foil, so it can be stored longer, Listeria bacteria can be present, which is dangerous when pregnant.
Did you make this recipe? Tag #byandreajanssen via Instagram. I enjoy seeing what your creation looks like. Video recipes can be found on my YouTube channel. And don't forget to save the recipes on Pinterest so you can easily find them next time!
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 100 grams smoked salmon
- 5 tablespoons Vodka
- ½ limes juice
- 1 teaspoon limes zest
- 1 cucumber English
Avocado lime cream
- 1 avocado
- 2 teaspoons lime juice
- 3 tablespoons sour cream
Horseradish cream
- 3 tablespoons prepared horseradish
- 2 tablespoons sour cream
Garnish
- dill
- capers
- apple capers
- radish
Ingredients you need per step are listed below the step in Italic
Instructions
Marinate smoked salmon in Vodka
- Mix in a bowl the vodka with the grate and juice of the lime.
- Cut the salmon, if necessary, into thin strips and put in the marinate.
- Let it marinate for 10-15 minutes, take it out and pat the salmon dry. Keep in the refrigerator until use.
Horseradish cream
- In a bowl, mix the prepared horseradish with the sour cream.
- Spoon into a piping bag and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Avocado lime cream
- Halve the avocado and remove the stone.
- Scoop the avocado out of the skin with a spoon and place the pulp into a blender.
- Add to the blender the lime juice and sour cream.
- Turn on the blender and puree until the avocado has turned into a cream.
- Put the cream into a piping bag.
Cucumber ribbons
- Wash the cucumber and put it in front of you.
- With a cheese slicer or vegetable peelers, slice strips of cucumber until you reach the seeds. You can't use the first ribbon.
Prepare your plate
- Divide 3 rolls of salmon on the plate so they form a half-moon.
- Curl the cucumber in between.
- Take the piping bag with avocado cream and pipe some tufts on the plate between the salmon and cucumber.
- Repeat with the piping bag with horseradish cream.
- Divide some dill, caper, apple capers, and radish on your plate.
- Serve!
Notes
- If minors are eating with you? Don't marinate the smoked salmon (with the Vodka). Alcohol and kids are a no go.
- Marinate the salmon for 10 to 15 minutes in the Vodka but not longer. Otherwise, the Vodka will take over the salmon flavor. Therefore make sure you dry the smoked salmon after marinating.
- If you don't have horseradish, you can replace it with 2 teaspoons of Wasabi.
- The easiest way to prepare this dish is by putting the cream into a piping bag. But if you don't have one, use a teaspoon to place the cream on the plate.
- Any smoked salmon leftovers? You can store it for up to 1 day in the refrigerator (covered with plastic foil). Or you can freeze it for up to 3 months in an airtight container.
Marlynn says
Love this elegant, delicious and easy salmon recipe!
Angela says
Beautiful dish!
Marcellina says
Stunning!
Lilly says
Such a delicious recipe!!
Andréa says
It was really delicious!
Andréa says
Thank you!
Andréa says
Thanks!
Andréa says
It really is!
Ramona says
What a pretty dish! I was planning on a sushi but will make this instead and I have the ingredients. This is on the make this pm 🤤. Beautiful presentation! 😍
Maur says
I would love a tray of this delicious looking salmon recipe for my weekend family brunch.
Jessica Formicola says
We love smoked salmon at our house, and this salad looks like the perfect way to enjoy it! I will definitely be making this asap!