How beautiful is this smoked salmon dish? It makes my mouth water!

I must be honest; I used to hate smoked salmon! But this preparation changed my opinion forever. Why? How could this be?

The citrusy sweetness of segmented naval oranges with the white membrane, the crunch of freshly shaved cucumber, the bursts of heat from peppercorns, the tender saltiness of good-quality smoked salmon…all topped with extra virgin olive oil and chives. You won’t need a bagel and cream cheese to mask these flavors!

Impress in just a few steps! I promise. It’s easy!

 

Makes: 2 appetizer-sized portions

The Ingredients

1 packet citrus peppercorn smoked salmon (my favorite brand by far: Charlie Trotter!)

*Note: if you can’t find citrus peppercorn smoked salmon, no worries! Choose a good-quality non-flavored smoked salmon and just add 4-5 peppercorns to the top of your dish and a sprinkle of the zest of the oranges you use!

2 ripe naval or cara cara oranges (orange should have some “give” when you squeeze them to know they’re ripe!)

2 pickling cucumbers (or substitute one regular cucumber), skins partially removed for extra color/texture

Small handful of chives

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

 

The Steps

Peel back smoked salmon packaging, and slice salmon into 2-3 inch pieces. Roll pieces in spirals and place in center of plate.

Peel oranges and remove white membrane with a paring knife. Then cut out the orange segments so there is no membrane on slices. Place the slices of one orange per plate around the outside of the smoked salmon spirals. Squeeze the juice of the remainder of the orange on smoked salmon.

Make approximately one inch slices of cucumber, and place a small handful of these slices on top of the plated smoked salmon.

Snip chives over plate. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Serve right away (with a nice glass of rosé).

Click here for a tutorial on “How to Make Baby Oranges!” AKA…these delicious, membrane-free orange segments!

 

The Steps with Pictures

Peel back smoked salmon packaging, and slice salmon into 2-3 inch pieces. Roll pieces in spirals and place in center of plate.

Peel oranges and remove white membrane with a paring knife. Then cut out the orange segments so there is no membrane on slices. Place the slices of one orange per plate around the outside of the smoked salmon spirals. Squeeze the juice of the remainder of the orange on smoked salmon.

Make approximately one inch slices of cucumber, and place a small handful of these slices on top of the plated smoked salmon.

Snip chives over plate. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Serve right away (with a nice glass of rosé).

Click here for a tutorial on “How to Make Baby Oranges!” AKA…these delicious, membrane-free orange segments!