Smoked Salmon-Egg Salad Sandwiches

2.3 from 3 ratings

I love how this grown-up egg salad is beautifully contained by the Scottish smoked salmon wrapper and sandwiched with pumpernickel on the top and bottom. Cold-smoked salmon makes an excellent substitute for the Scottish and is available in most supermarkets. Both of these are a good choice because of their mild fish flavor. Also note that no salt is needed, as the salmon already has plenty to share. These mini meals are remarkably adaptable, delicious for breakfast, lunch, or as part of a buffet. Serve with a green salad and a light dressing for a refreshingly complete meal. Click here to see more recipes for your cupcake pan.

Servings

servings

Ingredients

8 large eggs
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon chopped capers plus one tablespoon caper brine
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
1 tablespoon chopped dill
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 packet unflavored gelatin
12 thin slices pumpernickel bread
2 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
12 sprigs dill
16 ounce scottish or cold-smoked salmon, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped dill, for garnish

Directions

In a medium saucepan, cover the eggs by 2 inches with cold water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, cover, and let rest for 10 minutes. Drain and rinse the eggs in cool water. Peel the eggs under running cool water.
Place the peeled eggs in a medium bowl along with the mayonnaise, mustard, capers and brine, shallots, dill, and pepper to taste. Whisk to bring all of the flavors together, mashing the eggs so they remain textured, not smooth. Sprinkle the gelatin over the egg salad and mix thoroughly.
Using a 2-inch round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut each slice of bread into 2 circles, for a total of 24. Butter 12 of the circles, on 1 side only, with a layer of butter. Place 1 sprig of dill on each buttered slice and press it so it sticks.
Line a 12-well classic cupcake pan with plastic wrap by overlapping 2 long pieces of plastic wrap along the center of the pan, leaving a 3-inch border of plastic wrap overhanging all sides of the pan. Line the wells with the smoked salmon, allowing the salmon to hang over the edges of the pan by 2 inches. I use 1 ½ slices per well, but the quantity will vary depending on the size of the slices and what size muffin pan you are using. If the bottoms of the well are not completely covered, cut smaller pieces of the salmon to fill them in. Add 1 round of bread, buttered side down, to each well.
Distribute the egg salad among the wells and top with the second piece of bread. Fold the salmon over the bread, and then wrap the pan in another layer of plastic wrap, pressing down on each well to compact the contents. Chill for 2 hours or up to 2 days. Remove the top layer of plastic wrap, then lift up on the edges of the plastic wrap lining the wells of the pan to remove the mini sandwiches. To serve, invert the sandwiches and garnish with a pinch of fresh dill, if desired.