Smoked Trout Tartines with Crispy Capers

This recipe for Smoked Trout Tartines with Crispy Capers is a simple and delicious way to elevate your appetizer game for a holiday meal or dinner party. You can also enjoy it for a quick lunch or afternoon snack, or serve with a crisp salad for a light and tasty dinner.

Every time I host a holiday or dinner party, I'm always looking for ways to relieve some pressure. That is why I always make at least one component ahead of time (realistically, I make most of the meal as far ahead as possible to cut back on mealtime stress!). Recipes like this smoked trout salad on toast is a perfect example of how to cut back dinnertime stress! Here is why I love to make this appetizer for dinner parties.

First, the smoked trout salad can be made a day or two in advance. Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and the flavors of the salad meld together for a lovely smoked fish salad. Second, the crispy capers and toast can also be made ahead, though I recommend making it a day or less ahead for optimal crispiness for both the capers and toast. Then, an hour before you want to serve these tartines, you can assemble them and store in the refrigerator and pull them out when it's appetizer time (and the assembly is a perfect task for that family or friend who wants to help!).

If you are looking for more appetizer ideas, try our Burrata Bruschetta or our Chicken Bacon Ranch Sliders.

Jump to:

• Ingredients that Matter
• Instructions
• Substitutions
• Serving & Storage
• Equipment
• Crispy Capers
• FAQ
• Appetizers
• Dinner Ideas
• Recipe

Ingredients that Matter

The ingredients for this smoked trout tartine should be available at most grocery stores. Here are the ingredients you'll need for this recipe:

• Smoked Trout. This recipe calls for an 8 ounce package of smoked trout, which you will find in the fish section, typically in a side refrigerator case. Smoked trout, like other smoked fish or meats, is ready to eat and there is no need to cook it (but it needs to be refrigerated).
• Capers. These small caper buds (from the caper shrub) are a staple in many Mediterranean cuisines. They are full of briny flavor and a little goes a long way. Instead of simply mixing some capers into the smoked trout salad, this recipe calls for gently frying rinsed and drained capers in olive oil until crispy. Crispy capers provide a salty, crispy bite that is divine!
• Olive Oil. Once the capers fry in the olive oil, use the caper-flavored oil to brush onto slices of pumpernickel bread to impart a gentle caper flavor to the toast.
• Pumpernickel. You can use any bread you prefer, but I recommend pumpernickel for it's strong flavor that compliments the saltiness of the smoked trout salad.
• Mayonnaise and Sour Cream. The smoked trout salad gets its creaminess from a combination of mayonnaise and sour cream. Use full fat or low fat, depending on your preference.
• Mustard. Adding a bit of whole grain mustard to the smoked trout salad adds a pop of flavor from each bite of mustard seed, plus just a bit of spice.
• Lemon. To balance out the richness and saltiness of the smoked trout and crispy capers, a splash of lemon juice helps to brighten up the appetizer.
• Dill. Smoked trout and dill go together vey well. I recommend using fresh dill but you can use dry dill weed in a pinch.
• Shallot. Minced shallot is added to the smoked trout salad for a gentle onion flavor.
• Peppadews. These little pickled peppers are sweet and spicy and wonderfully delicious! If you've never had a Peppadew and you like pickles and peppers, you need to give these sweet, juicy peppers a try!

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

This recipe comes together very easily, plus you can make most of it ahead of time. Here is how the recipe comes together:

To assemble, scoop a few tablespoons of the smoked trout salad onto the toast then top with more dill, thinly sliced peppadews and crispy capers and serve.

Hint: You can assemble the tartines ahead of time, though the longer they sit the more likely the toast will get soggy. I suggest assembling about 1 hour ahead of time and storing in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Substitutions

This recipe is easy to adjust based on your dietary restrictions or preferences:

• Gluten-Free - Make this recipe gluten-free simply by swapping out the pumpernickel bread for a gluten-free bread. In a pinch, you can also use a gluten-free cracker.
• Dairy-Free - If you need to make this recipe dairy-free, swap out the sour cream for a more mayonnaise or a plant-based plain yogurt.
• Smoked Trout - You will likely find other smoked fish besides smoked trout at your local grocery store. If you'd prefer to try a different option, try smoked mackerel, sablefish or even salmon, though note all these fish will provide a different variation on this recipe.

Serving & Storage

While this recipe makes a delicious smoked trout appetizer, you can also use the smoked fish salad as a spread for bagels, on a green salad or served with crackers.

The salad may be made up to two days ahead of time and the longer it sits the more pronounced the flavors become. Be sure to store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Store leftover pumpernickel toast in an airtight container at room temperature (you can re-toast in the oven as needed). The crispy capers may also be made up to 1 day ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. They will, however, lose their crispiness over time, but you can re-toast in a skillet with a bit of oil.

Equipment

You don't need any special equipment to make this recipe but I suggest serving the tartines on a platter like this this 3 Tier Serving Platter or these Vancasso Stern Serving Platters.

FAQ

Appetizers

Looking for more appetizer recipes like this? Try these:

Dinner Ideas

Looking for dinner ideas? Try these:

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