Today, the Light and Tasty column features recipes with “spring colors,” and for the occasion, I thought of offering you these salmon canapés with arugula cream and mixed sprouts.

They have a colorful look that, to me, speaks of a spring recipe, don’t you agree? 😊

I had prepared these three salmon canapés, one for each of us, as a mini-Sunday appetizer (one of those Sundays when one of the kids is home with us. Ahhh, how hard it is to get used to not having them here every day!).

As always, it was a spur-of-the-moment recipe, and I hadn’t weighed anything, so I’ll provide more accurate ingredient weights when I repeat the recipe with a scale in hand, but all the step-by-step photos are there, so you can see how simple it is to prepare these spring salmon canapés. 😊

And why not, they’re also an appetizer idea for the upcoming holidays, Easter is near! 🌸

Here are some other ideas with salmon and sprouts. Get creative! 😉👇

salmon canapés with arugula cream and sprouts

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Medium
Preparation time: 15 Minutes
Portions: 3 canapés
Cooking methods: No cooking
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

Ingredients

multigrain bread
arugula
salmon
sprouts (mixed of alfalfa, radish, and beetroot)
cream cheese (quark or robiola)
green peppercorns
garlic

Tools

Cookie cutter
Chopper

Steps

Prepare the arugula cream by chopping the arugula with some cream cheese (I used quark, but any spreadable cheese like robiola or goat cheese works) and a small piece of garlic, no more than half a clove.
Cut the bread (I used thick-sliced multigrain bread) using a cookie cutter. Alternatively, cut it into your preferred shape, such as classic triangles or squares.
I like round canapés. 😊
Spread the arugula cream on the bread.
Add a piece of salmon.
Decorate with the sprouts, previously washed and dried.
👉 I used a trio of sprouts (a package easily found in supermarkets). They are radish sprouts, alfalfa sprouts, and red beet sprouts.
Colored sprouts are very decorative and can be used in many different recipes. Do you remember the delicious stuffed sandwich? There, I used radish sprouts, and they were perfect in a sandwich like that!
Adding some green peppercorns is optional. I add them to almost every recipe with smoked salmon, as I really like pairing green (or pink) pepper with salmon. Alternatively, you can substitute them with a pinch of chili pepper.

Salt-Free Tips

Salt-Free Smoked salmon is very salty, containing 784 mg of sodium per 100 g of product. However, the amount of salmon used on a canapé is small (and can obviously be reduced), so a single canapé as a starter or entrée can be allowed even in a low-sodium diet, while also checking the values of the entire meal.

Even packaged sandwich bread contains salt (about 450 mg of sodium per 100 g of product), but it can easily be replaced with unsalted bread, like Tuscan bread or better yet, homemade bread. 😉

If you are interested in reducing or eliminating salt, always remember to:
▫ Gradually reduce salt, as the palate needs to get used to it slowly without noticing the progressive reduction.
▫ Use spices. Chili, pepper, curry, nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cumin…
▫ Use aromatic herbs. Basil, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, mint…
▫ Use seeds. Sesame, pine nuts, almonds, walnuts…
▫ Use spicy vegetables or fruit. Garlic, onion, lemon, orange…
▫ Use my salt-free vegetable granules and gomasio.
▫ Prefer fresh foods.
▫ Avoid boiling, prefer cooking methods that do not lose flavors (grilled, foil, steam, microwave)
▫ Avoid having a salt shaker on the table!
▫ Occasionally treat yourself to breaking the rule. It boosts morale and helps perseverance.

If you do not want, or cannot, give up salt:
▫ You can still try my recipes by salting according to your habits.

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Light and Tasty:

For you, the other spring recipes from my colleagues in the Light and Tasty Team:

Carla Emilia: Risotto with Bruscandoli
Cinzia: Nettle Omelette
Claudia: Zucchini Spaghetti with Pesto
Daniela: Flat Bean Parmigiana
Elena: Broad Bean Soup
Milena: Casarecce with Zucchini and Slow-Roasted Tomatoes

Delicious Recipes

Salmon Canapés with Arugula Cream and Sprouts