Lox & Cucumber Crostini

Lox, nova, smoked salmon, whatever you like to call it is fine, just call it delicious. I love the flavor and the texture and the smell and the color; it's a treat for all of the senses.

Over the weekend, I had a sudden craving for lox so I bought a little packet at the grocery store, along with some great crusty bread and cucumbers and put together some cute open-faced sandwiches. I felt super Barefoot Contessa-y as I was making these because they're just so visually appealing. Ina Garten is my hero when it comes to making food that looks fresh and colorful and beautiful.

Ugh, I'm seriously in love with my own photography in this post. And not because I'm some narcissist who's in love with my own photography skills (which are totally amateur and riddled with flaws) but because the food itself just photographs so well. Note to self: eat (and blog) more colorful foods.

Ingredients:

bread - something delicious and crusty like french bread or ciabatta, sliced (and toasted gently, if desired)
lox / nova / smoked salmon (I believe there are v. slight differences between each of these but I'm unfamiliar with the details)

cream cheese (I used vegetable cream cheese but plain, chive, sundried tomato, whatever you like is good)

baby seedless cucumber, thinly sliced

red onion, thinly sliced

capers, drained

There isn't much to say about the assembly. I mean, I think it's pretty self-explanatory, right? Just grab a slice of bread, slap on some cream cheese, lay down a few cucumber slices, a little red onion, a few strips of lox, and sprinkle on some capers. The capers are quite salty, as is the salmon, so I'd say use no more than 2 or 3 capers per crostini, just for a bite of pickled flavor.

Here's the gif version, because gifs are fun.

How easy is that? (Ugh, channeling my inner Ina again with that sentence right there). Salty, fresh, crisp, delicious, and perfect for serving at your next brunch or with afternoon tea or as the fanciest dish at this weekend's Super Bowl festivities. By the way, after I took these photos and started eating these cuties, I noticed an avocado on my counter. Sliced avocado would have been phenomenal on these sandwiches. Shoulda, woulda, coulda - I guess I'll try and remember next time.

Here's the recipe page (as if you need it for something so simple):