Smoked Salmon and Dill Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches
Delicate finger sandwiches with cream cheese, dill, smoked salmon, and a hint of lemon—the classic afternoon-tea bite, designed for a pot of Cream Earl Grey.
Tea sandwiches are an art form of restraint. Thin, soft bread; a generous but tidy filling; crusts off; cut into neat fingers or triangles. The point is delicacy, and that is exactly what Cream Earl Grey wants on its plate.
This version pairs smoked salmon with a dill-and-lemon cream cheese. The salmon's smoky richness meets the bergamot in the tea, the dill mirrors the tea's floral notes, and the lemon ties everything together with a quiet brightness.
Use a soft, fine-crumbed white bread. Pre-sliced sandwich loaf works perfectly. Soften the butter so it spreads without tearing the bread, and chill the cream cheese mixture briefly to make it easier to spread.
Cut the crusts off with a sharp serrated knife and slice each sandwich into three neat fingers. Assemble close to serving time and keep covered with a damp cloth so the bread does not dry out. Serve with a freshly brewed pot of Cream Earl Grey.
Ingredients
- 8 slices soft white sandwich bread
- 150g cream cheese, softened
- 30g unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tbsp fresh dill, finely chopped
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 200g cold-smoked salmon, sliced
- Freshly ground black pepper
- A pinch of salt
- Extra dill sprigs for garnish (optional)
How to make it
- 1In a bowl, mash cream cheese with a fork until smooth. Stir in chopped dill, lemon zest, lemon juice, a pinch of salt, and several grinds of pepper.
- 2Lay out 4 slices of bread. Spread a thin even layer of softened butter on each (the butter acts as a moisture barrier so the bread doesn't go soggy).
- 3Spread a generous layer of the dill cream cheese over the butter.
- 4Lay slices of smoked salmon evenly across the cream cheese, trimming to fit edge to edge.
- 5Top with the remaining 4 slices of bread. Press lightly to seal.
- 6Using a sharp serrated knife, trim the crusts off cleanly. Slice each sandwich into 3 neat fingers (12 total).
- 7Arrange on a plate, cover with a slightly damp clean cloth, and refrigerate until serving (no more than 1 hour). Garnish with dill sprigs and serve with a hot pot of Cream Earl Grey.
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