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Wednesday 23 January 2013

smoked salmon sandwiches + jalapeno sour cream

jalapeno sour cream, smoked salmon, and cucumber sandwiches for a picnic in summer.

There aren't many things better than a potluck picnic on a lovely summer's day, wouldn't you agree?

I've never been much of a social butterfly, however, so I thank my housemate, Kathy, for initiating this idea and making it happen.

January has been, for me, a month of working 11-hour days, so when I knew I could be free for this picnic on a Saturday forecast to be slightly cloudy, mostly sunny, and intermittently breezy, I jumped at the chance.

It was a glorious day, filled with good food, drinks, and company. An array of dishes were sampled. New friends were made. It was joyous. It was therapeutic. It was just what I needed.

smoked salmon sandwiches with cucumber and jalapeno sour cream.

This was what I brought to the party. A refreshingly tangy, spicy, savoury combination of light rye sour dough, chive-jalapeno sour cream spread, smoked salmon, and cucumber. Embrace the flavour.

smoked salmon sandwiches with cucumber and jalapeno sour cream

for the jalapeno sour cream:

250ml sour cream or light sour cream (8oz)
10g chives, chopped (2 tablespoons) - optional, or substitute with another seafood-friendly herb like dill
1 jalapeno pepper (5cm / 2 inches), chopped into rings, then quartered, seeds included if you like it spicy
15ml lime juice (1 tablespoon, or half a lime's worth)

Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container. This may be made the night before and kept chilled in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Tip: This jalapeno sour cream can be used not only as a spread, but also a dip or a salad dressing!
P.S. If not complementing it with a salty ingredient (as I did with smoked salmon here), you may want to add a pinch of salt.

other ingredients for the sandwiches:

200g smoked salmon (7oz), roughly torn
1 continental cucumber or other cucumber (go with 2 if using small cucumbers), sliced
1 loaf bread (I used a light rye sourdough)

to assemble a sandwich:

Spread sour cream mixture on each slice of bread. Top with pieces of smoked salmon and cucumber, then another slice of bread. Slice into triangles, to easily share amongst a crowd, or for a smaller gathering, forget about daintiness and tuck into a full-sized sandwich.
Also: I don't remove the bread crusts, because I LOVE them.
And if you're using a fairly soft bread, don't assemble too early in advance, lest they become soggy.

Note: Ingredients may not match up exactly for a precise number of sandwiches - it depends on how generously you allocate the individual elements. However, each of the ingredients are so versatile in their own right, it doesn't matter if you have leftovers.

39 comments:

  1. That looks like a perfect sandwich to me!

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  2. yes - must try it though it's winter here,
    looks fantastic!

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  3. Lately, I've been adding jalapeno -- a little -- to a lot. My new favorite is a creamy jalapeno and lemon salad dressing. This I could go for, even in the middle of my very frigid winter.

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    1. Jalapeno is so great, isn't it? Your jalapeno salad dressing sounds beautiful.

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  4. Even we introverts needs days of sunshine, laughter, and friendship :) Glad to see you're creating golden time for yourself amidst the work craziness!

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    1. So true! I don't get out much but it usually turns out nice when I do. I'm glad this picnic happened. :)

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  5. Oooo, that jalapeno sour cream definitely sounds worth trying!

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  6. i love sour cream, so i must try your version - looks like a perfect hit of heat and creaminess. i can just imagine it over steamed vegies or boiled potatoes. thanks for the idea!

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    1. Sour cream is just so tasty. And it is indeed quite magical with jalapeno, lime, chives etc. :D

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  7. I love jalapeno and sour cream so this will be a winner for me! Sandwich looks delicious and I have all the ingredients at home :)

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  8. The jalapeño and sour cream is what really thrills me about this sandwich.. have been missing these little buggers here. can find different peppers, though.

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    1. Jalapeño just goes so well with dairy products, doesn't it? But I can imagine other peppers working nicely too. :)

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  9. The very idea of jalapeno spread has me reaching for a spoon - how delicious!

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    1. Totally! The partner isn't a fan of smoked salmon, but he enjoyed dipping slices of cucumbers into the jalapeno sour cream. :D

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  10. What a cool mix of flavours :) It looks really yummy. I would swap our the salmon for capers and red onion... weird? :)

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    1. That should work nicely, and turn it into a great vegetarian alternative! :)

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  11. Ooh I want to make this for my work lunches next week!

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  12. I have grown, and picked this past week, my very first jalapeno chilli. It took pride of place in a barbecue sauce that was smeared over pork ribs for the Australia Day BBQ. There are blossoms on my jalapeno chilli plant, which means more of these jewels heading my way. And now i know what i'm going to do with the next one. Thanks for the inspiration. Can't wait to try out this sambo!

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    1. How wonderful! They are such delicious chillies. Happy jalapeno eating. :)

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  13. That does sound like a wonderful day. I can't wait for the weather to be nice again over here. We're going to be teased with a 60 degree day tomorrow, only to go back down to the "teens" two days later. I'll dream of a picnic, though. And YUM on this sammie, I can think of so many things that I want to slather that sour cream onto!

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    1. Ah yes, your days are going to get warmer just as it gets colder over here! And indeed, the jalapeno sour cream really completes this smoked salmon sandwich. :D

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  14. Your smoked salmon sandwiches with cucumber and jalapeno sour cream ;ppls and sounds perfect for a gorgeous weather picnic. :) What a treat.

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    1. The sandwiches and the weather did indeed go really well together. :D

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  15. Oh wow, that is such a delicious combination - I could SO have that for lunch today! It would be such a lovely partner with some Pimm's....so good Leaf!

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    1. You could try it with the Pimm's cocktail I posted not too long ago! ;)

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  16. Love LOVE sour cream, love love jalapenos, and love x 10000 smoked salmon. Winner!

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    1. Yay for my sandwiches having all the things you love! :D

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  17. Yummy, just yesterday I was given something similar for lunch! Love your recipe.

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