Smoked Salmon Recipe

Bring ingredients to room temperature

Remove smoked salmon and cream cheese from the refrigerator 15–20 minutes before assembling so flavors are best and cream cheese is spreadable.

Thinly slice cucumber into rounds, dice tomato into small cubes, and finely slice the red onion. Roughly chop the dill and snip the chives with kitchen scissors.

Toast bread

Lightly toast the 4 slices of rye or multigrain bread until just golden and crisp at the edges. This takes about 3–4 minutes in a toaster or under a broiler; set aside on a rack so they don’t steam and go soggy.

Cook eggs (soft scramble)

Crack the 4 eggs into a bowl, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and whisk until homogenous. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-low heat and add 2 tbsp unsalted butter. When butter is foamy but not brown, pour in eggs and stir gently with a spatula, scraping the bottom continuously until curds form and eggs are still slightly creamy — about 3–4 minutes. Remove pan from heat just before fully set (carryover heat finishes them).

Dress vegetables

In a small bowl combine 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, 1 tbsp drained capers, 0.5 tsp sea salt, and 0.25 tsp black pepper. Stir in half of the chopped dill and half of the chopped chives. Toss the cucumber rounds, diced tomato, and sliced red onion in this dressing until evenly coated.

Spread and layer

Spread approximately 1 oz (about 1 tbsp) of softened cream cheese on each toasted bread slice. Divide the warm soft-scrambled eggs evenly among the four slices, layering the eggs on top of the cream cheese.

Add smoked salmon

Tear or fold the smoked salmon slices into pieces and arrange roughly 2 oz of salmon on top of the eggs on each toast slice so it covers evenly.

Top with vegetables and herbs

Spoon the dressed cucumber, tomato and onion mixture over the smoked salmon, distributing evenly. Sprinkle the remaining dill and chives over each toast for freshness.

Finish with optional garnishes: add a small handful (about 2 tbsp) of microgreens or baby arugula on each toast if using, and serve lemon wedges on the side for guests to squeeze.

Serve the smoked salmon toasts immediately while the eggs are warm and the toast is crisp. Adjust seasoning with extra salt or pepper to taste and offer additional lemon wedges for brightness.