A simple Smoked Salmon Sandwich recipe featuring homemade roasted garlic pesto and sumac pickled onions. The pesto and pickled onions take a little time to prepare, but can be made in advance for an even faster sandwich making process.

Sandwiches are arguably the simplest and best meal. A yummy sauce, vegetables, and protein all held together by some sort of fluffy delicious bread, no forks or spoons required. Sandwiches are easily one of the best ways to get a well rounded meal that requires very little effort. The components of this smoked salmon sandwich are all simple, but deliciously balanced to make the perfect bite.

Making the Smoked Salmon Sandwich

Bread: This recipe uses bagel thins, the slices are thin enough to not overpower the other flavors with too much bread and to keep the sandwich light. Any bread can be substituted, anything homemade and freshly baked is always the best option.

Roasted Garlic Pesto: Homemade pesto is not only much more delicious than the store-bought version, it’s simple and fairly quick to make. With the addition of roasted garlic the process takes about 25-35 minutes. The pesto can be stored for about a week in the fridge, or 6 months in the freezer. For a dairy free pesto switch out the cheese for a vegan cheese, or omit the cheese altogether and add more pine nuts to achieve the desired consistency.

Arugula: Arugula adds a nice peppery bite, but really any greens can be used in this sandwich.

Sumac Pickled Onion: Can be omitted, but these onions add the perfect tangy bite. When not using the onions a little fresh squeezed lemon on the salmon is recommended. Although this is a quick pickle, they take a little time to prepare, you will want to prepare the onion at least 30 minutes to an hour before eating. These will last about 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge and can be used in many applications.

Smoked Salmon: Smoked salmon is the star of this sandwich. There are countless types of smoked salmon, red wine marinated, peppered, herb smoked salmon, the list goes on. Any type will work here, try out different flavors until you find your favorite!

Smoked Salmon Sandwich

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour

Servings: 1 sandwich

A simple Smoked Salmon Sandwich recipe featuring homemade roasted garlic pesto and sumac pickled onions. The pesto and pickled onions take a little time to prepare, but can be made in advance for an even faster sandwich making process. Makes a great breakfast, snack, or light lunch.

Pin Recipe Print Recipe

Equipment

• Food Processor
• Aluminum Foil

Ingredients

Roasted Garlic Pesto

• 5 cloves Garlic peeled
• 2 cups Basil packed
• ¼ cup Pecorino Romano Cheese
• ¼ cup Pine Nuts
• ¼ cup + 1 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2-3 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
• Salt to taste

Sumac Onions

• 1 Medium Red Onion thinly sliced
• 4 tsp Sumac
• 3 tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
• 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt to taste

Smoked Salmon Sandwich

• 1 Bagel Thin
• 2-3 slices Smoked Salmon see notes
• 1 handful Arugula

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 420°
• Place 5 peeled cloves of garlic in the center of a square of aluminum foil, drizzle with 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil. Lift the edges of the foil to form a ball around the garlic, pinching the edges together at the top. Place garlic in the middle rack of the preheated oven and roast for 20-30 minutes until golden.
• While the garlic is roasting prepare the Sumac Onions. Begin by halving and then thinly slicing the red onion.
• Add onion, sumac, lemon juice, and extra virgin olive oil to a medium sized bowl. Mix thoroughly with your hand making sure all the onion slices are separated. Add salt to taste. Place the onions in an airtight container and set aside in the fridge.
• Once the garlic is done roasting, place the basil, Pecorino Romano cheese, pine nuts, ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, 2 cloves of roasted garlic and 1 tbsp of lemon juice into a food processor.
• Pulse the food processor until a creamy but chunky consistency is achieved, gradually add garlic, lemon juice, and salt until the desired taste is achieved.
• Toast a bagel thin.
• Add a layer of pesto to both pieces of bread, add a handful of arugula, 2 slices of smoked salmon, and a spoonful of sumac onions, and enjoy!

Notes

Any smoked salmon will do for this recipe, but any plain or garlic herb marinated variety is delicious.