herb garlic whipped feta and smoked salmon toasts

My plan is to turn FMG into a garden with all of these super colorful springtime dishes.

These toasts gave me a fit for three trials. For whatever reason something was compositionally wrong with each attempt: lighting, backdrop, arrangement, etc. Granted, smoked salmon isn’t the prettiest thing to work with as a rule, and I’m picky as all fuck so that doesn’t help matters either. I kinda think the bread was part of the problem, too. It was a bit too fluffy and squish, and less sturdy.

The good news, though, is that I love smoked salmon, so eating this dish three times over wasn’t an issue. Mom adored the portion I gave her and J did as well with his toasts. So, at least I knew the recipe itself was far from a dud. I’m simply a photographic dud sometimes. Having lox in the fridge is a big luxury – you bet all that shit was consumed with gusto.

These toasts are quick, tasty, and gorgeous for a springtime gathering. The perfect centerpiece for a garden party. Do people have garden parties anymore? I don’t even know what a garden party is – I always assume just a party, well, in a garden, but maybe there’s more to it than that.

Clearly, this ragtag post mimics how frazzled my brain is today. I seem to have forgotten how to get proper rest. I’ll save you the babbles and let you look at the foods. Much more exciting.

Lox the Kasbah

Does anyone remember that random commercial, I couldn’t even tell you what it was, where the dude thought the “lock the Kasbah” song said “stop the cat box?” Always made me chuckle as a wee lass.

These crostini (well, guess they aren’t crostini, they’re fairly large) are so fast to make, you wouldn’t guess it by their lovely arrangement. You only need to fire up your choice toasting mechanism to crisp up the bread, otherwise we’ve got no cooking involved. Ideal for these warm days when the heat from an oven might not feel so great.

I like to grill my bread, personally, with a grill pan on the stove. Slice up your baguette into 4-6 large toasts – I cut the length into thirds, then slice each third in half. Brush each with olive oil and set onto the grill pan for a couple minutes until nice and charred. Alternatively, you can do this on a hot cast iron skillet, or under the broiler.

What’s Betta than Feta?

Whipped feta.

This particular rendition is more like a whipped cream cheese, but it’s equal parts CC and feta, so let’s go with whipped feta. Sounds nicer.

Combine the two amigos with some plain whole milk Greek yogurt, fresh chives and dill, and some garlic. Process until very smooth. I didn’t need to add any salt since the feta contains enough, but I do like a touch of black pepper.

Now, slice up some cucumber and break the lox into pieces. Spread that whipped shit over each toast and arrange cucumbers and lox overtop. Drizzle with good-quality olive oil, sprinkle with sprouts, and throw a few pickled onions on top for good measure. I serve mine up with some dill and basil, too. Extra herbs for extra happy.

These will keep alright for a couple days so long as you don’t mind eating them cold. I think they’re quite good that way, but some might be pickier than me.

Can you turn these into tiny crostini? You bet. Just make bite-sized slices of your bread and proceed with the recipe as written, just adding fewer toppings to each piece. A good glass of champagne is a swell addition to any size of these toasts!

Tried this recipe out? Leave a rating and comment below with your thoughts, and don’t forget to come say hi on Instagram and show me what you made!

Apps for days:

Roasted Garlic Whipped Ricotta Toasts with Avocado and Herbs

“BLT” Dip

Cheesy Pizza Stuffed Poblanos

Spicy Buffalo Chickpea Sliders

herb garlic whipped feta and smoked salmon toasts

My goal is to turn FMG into a virtual garden with all the color.

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Appetizer

Servings 6 large toasts

Ingredients

  

• 1 demi-baguette or demi-ciabatta
• 2 Persian cucumbers, sliced
• 8 oz smoked salmon
• 1/2 cup broccoli sprouts, or another sprout
• fresh herbs, pickled onions, and olive oil, for serving

herb garlic whipped feta

• 4 oz cream cheese, softened
• 4 oz feta cheese
• 1/4 cup plain whole milk Greek yogurt
• 2 tbsp fresh dill
• 1 tbsp fresh chives
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled

Instructions

 

• In the bowl of a food processor, combine the cream cheese, feta, Greek yogurt, dill, chives, garlic cloves, and a pinch of black pepper. Whip until very smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Transfer to a bowl or jar.
• Slice the baguette into 4-6 large toasts. Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium heat, or the broiler to high. Brush the cut sides of the toasts with olive oil. Toast for 1-2 minutes until crisp to your liking.
• Spread each toast with the whipped feta, then top with a few cucumber slices and a piece of two of smoked salmon. Drizzle with olive oil and top with broccoli sprouts, pickled onions, and fresh herbs.

Keyword appetizer, cream cheese, crostini, feta, lox, pescatarian, smoked salmon, spring, toast, whipped feta