PNW summer dinner party recipe! Smoked salmon cucumber lettuce cups

PNW summer dinner party recipe! Smoked salmon cucumber lettuce cups

• 8.19.2015

I love summer, and cooking local food, and putting together pretty dinner parties. So the Pacific Northwest simple summer dinner party I did with Sam Rosen, Mary Bodyen, Stemm Floral, and Kelsey Malie Calligraphy (see more photos here) was a great opportunity for me to try out some great summer recipes, with two types of salmon from Kenai Red Fish Company. I put together quite a menu, so I'll share these recipes with you one by one as I get them typed up!

Let's start with the appetizer!

I know smoked salmon is delicious on its own or with simple flavors, so I wanted to use it in an appetizer. But I didn't know of many without dairy in them! So I came up with these tasty cucumber-filled lettuce boats that are perfect with this flavorful smoked salmon. And dairy-free, Paleo-friendly.

I used this delicious smoked salmon from Kenai Red Fish Company.

This recipe is perfect for summer--you can get delicious fresh cucumbers and tomatoes at your farmers' market, and probably the cilantro, too!

I got almost all the ingredients for this shoot from our CSA and the farmers' market! 

Smoked Salmon and Cucumber Lettuce Cups

Ingredients:

• 1 medium cucumber, peeled and chopped small
• 2 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2 tbsp chopped cilantro
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 filet (approx. 8-10 oz.) smoked salmon
• 12-20 medium-sized romaine lettuce leaves
• cherry tomatoes

Instructions:

1. Marinate first 4 ingredients at least 4 hours, or overnight.
2. Distribute cucumber mixture into lettuce leaves.
3. Break up salmon and distribute on top of cucumber mixture.
4. Chop cherry tomatoes in half and put 2-3 halves on each lettuce cup.

Eat with your fingers! The marinade drips onto your plate or napkin, so carry a cute cocktail napkin with you around the party as you eat these!

The flavors are so simple and fresh. Perfect for showing off the high quality smoked salmon. And a great light appetizer, lots of veggies and tanginess before a big meal!

The party shoot was featured on Glitter Guide here. The recipes are on Glitter Guide here and individually on my blog - see my Real Food Recipes page.