These smoked salmon crostini are simple to make, but complex in taste and texture. Quick and impressive appetizer in less than 30 minutes!
Boy, do I love smoked salmon!
If you’ve been reading my blog for a bit, you know how much I adore smoked salmon. Seriously, type in smoked salmon in the search box up on top, and see for yourself. I love it because 1. it’s simply delicious! 2. They add a fancy touch to just about any dish.
Today, we’re dressing up delightful little bites of toasted baguette topped with zesty herby cream cheese and fresh tomato relish. Everything in this recipe compliments each other. Crispy crostini pair beautifully with buttery texture of salmon. Creamy filling infused with capers and dill is soft and doesn’t overpower the delicate salmon flavor. And tomato relish adds freshness to every bite!
These smoked salmon crostini are by far one of the best crostini recipes!
But what is crostini, you ask? They are basically small slices of bread, usually baguette, toasted with some olive oil and topped with different veggies, meats, or whatever you heart desires. Actually, topping is optional! Seasoned with simple salt and pepper, plain crostini are just as good. Basically, crostini = small Italian toasts.
What’s bruschetta then? Well, bruschetta is also a toast, but bigger in size. Think rustic Italian bread, sliced into large toasts. Crostini, on other hand, are made of small, thin slices of fine-textured bread, like baguette.
Dressed up with various toppings, crostini are an absolutely perfect appetizer for any occasion! The best part is you can make everything in advance, and put them together right before serving. Or better yet, let your guests assemble their own crostini.
And here are the step-by-step photos how to make crostini.
As I mentioned earlier, you can prepare everything a day in advance. Assemble the crostini right before serving, or lay out everything on a platter for your guests to assemble it themselves.
Bon Appetite!

Smoked Salmon Crostini
Ingredients
For tomato/red onion relish:
- 2 medium tomato chopped
- ½ red onion finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
For cream cheese filling:
- 8 oz 230gr cream cheese, softened
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon capers finely minced
- 1 teaspoon dill paste or chopped fresh dill
For crostini:
- 1 white baguette
- Olive oil
- 10 oz 300gr cold-smoked salmon, thinly sliced
Instructions
- To make tomato relish, in a medium bowl, mix together chopped tomatoes, chopped red onion, salt and pepper. Let stand for at least 15 minutes to marinate.
- To make filling, in a separate bowl, combine cream cheese, lemon juice, capers and dill paste and mix until well combined.
- To prepare the toasts, slice the baguette into thin slices and drizzle with olive oil.
- Warm up a large skillet and toast the bread slices on each side until nice and toasty, about 2 minutes on each side.
- To assemble, spread the cream cheese filling on toasts, and then top with tomato relish and smoked salmon. OR you can serve toasts, tomato relish, cream cheese filling and smoked salmon separately on a platter.
Tips & Notes:
This recipe was originally published on October 13th, 2014.
Natashka Cheburashka says
Easy recipe, delicious results. Made this for the first time today, was a hit! Will definitely be making again.
Shinee says
So happy you enjoyed it, Natashka!! Spasibo za otzyv!!!
Vickie says
I’m on my way to the store right now! How can you go wrong with these ingredients. I made fresh bruschetta yesterday I have fresh tomatoes and green onions from my garden. I always have fresh lemons and capers. All I need is the cream cheese and smoked salmon.
I’ll let you know soon!
louise moore says
wonderful..a big hit
Shinee says
Awesome, so glad you enjoyed it, Louise. Thank you for your feedback!!
Jeanne Sperry says
This was delicious!!
It took longer to make than anticipated.
Definitely prep everything the day before!
It is so neat to serve and eat, as everyone
does not need to touch and dig in to everything to
assemble. It’s done! Thank you!!!
Shinee says
Hi, Jeanne. So glad to hear you loved these crostini! Thank you for your feedback!
Janet Baker says
Thank you for sharing the recipe! It is amazing! My entire family loved it! Easy and quick to pull together at the last minute for an appetizer. Will be making this again
Shinee says
Yay, thank you for your feedback, Janet. So glad you love it.
Shelia Agnew says
I know this may be a silly question, but I’ve got to ask… I’m trying this for our tea at church, is the salmon raw or cooked?
Shinee says
Hi, Shelia. No such a thing as a silly question. 😉 Smoked salmon is basically cured fish, so it’s not really cooked. Hope that helps, and sorry for late response.
Cindy says
Can I use fresh dill instead of dill paste. I cannot find dill paste in the grocery stores. If so how much fresh dill would I need for the recipe ?
Shinee says
HI, Cindy. Yes, you can definitely use fresh dill. 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill. Hope you’ll enjoy.
christi says
This might be a silly question but if you make the bread a day in advance, do you heat it up again before serving? And wouldn’t it be really hard? They look delicious so I would love to make this in advance.
Shinee says
Hi, Christi. I don’t heat up the bread again the next day, they aren’t very hard, just crunchy. But if you want, you probably can pop them in the hot oven for a couple minutes to warm it up. If you make these crostini, let me know how did you like them. 🙂 Merry Christmas!
Pat says
Just beautiful! And I know they are delicious. I was wondering what the dif was between a crostini and a bruschetta, thanks for the info. Pinned 🙂
Shinee says
Hi, Pat! Basically, the main difference is the size and type of bread. Bruschetta is typically made with a big slice of bread, like sourdough. Crostini, on other hand, made with small, thin slices of baguette.
Jess @ whatjessicabakednext says
Love crostini! One my favourite appetisers! So good, loving all the flavours!
Shinee says
Thank you, Jess!
Thalia @ butter and brioche says
I could definitely devour a couple of these smoked salmon crostini’s right now..they look so delicious! Lucky that I have all the ingredients on hand to make them!
Shinee says
Thank you, Thalia! They are flavor bomb! I hope you get a chance to make these. 🙂