By: Author Kate
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What can be better than crispy, baked tater tot cups filled with delicious smoked salmon (lox) and a drizzle of sour cream and squeeze of lemon juice?!? Nothing, that's what.
These EASY and elegant Smoked Salmon Potato Bites are the perfect finger food party appetizer for when you want to serve some smoked salmon and feel FANCY!
Just look at those crispy little cups to hold the delicious smoked salmon filling!
These smoked salmon cups make a great party appetizer and are always the first to disappear because they're just so perfectly snackable. They happen to be gluten-free, too, if you make sure to use gluten-free tater tots.
Related recipe: Smoked Salmon and Egg Tartine (great brunch, light lunch, or appetizer idea!)
Secret ingredient for these smoked salmon cups: tater tots!
Tater tots make the perfect little cup to hold all the smoked salmon goodness, and they're so easy too! The crispy baked warm tater tots pair perfectly with tender smoked salmon.
All you need to do is press some thawed tater tots into a mini muffin tin, press down using a rounded spoon to make a little "bowl" shape (see photos below in the step-by-step instructions), and bake until crisp.
Related recipe: Cheesy Jalapeno Tater Tots
Ingredients
- 48 tater tots, thawed - I recommend spreading them out one a large plate or cutting board, if they're not all frozen together, so they can thaw faster and not get stuck together further
- 4 oz smoked salmon
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice (from ½ lemon)
- 1-2 green onions (scallions), diced (or use chives)
- 2 tablespoons capers, drained (see notes, I recommend tiny little capers so the don't overpower the flavor!)
- Sour cream or plain Greek yogurt, for drizzling
- Baking spray or olive oil spray for greasing the pan
You'll also need:
Ingredient notes
Smoked salmon: For this recipe, you need uncooked, cured smoked salmon, also known as lox or gravlax. This is not salmon cooked in a smoker (although, that would be delicious too, so don't let me stop you!!). You can make your own smoked salmon at home with just 3 ingredients (YESS!!!) for half the price, just make sure to plan ahead because it takes 2 days to cure.
Capers: These are optional, feel free to skip them if you don't like the briny salty flavor. I love capers, and recommend using mini capers (such as these) so they don't overpower the flavor with their saltiness. If you like capers but don't want too much of a caper flavor, you can also rinse the capers before mixing them with the smoked salmon.
Lemon juice: I really recommend using freshly squeezed lemon juice instead of bottled lemon juice. It gives this dish such a nice flavor! I love this lemon squeezer when I need to squeeze only ½ lemon for a recipe.
Herbs and garnish: Use as much or as little green onion (or chives) as you like! You can also use fresh dill, either in place of the green onion or for garnish on top.
Related recipe:Smoked Salmon Puff Pastry Appetizer
Instructions
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure your tater tots are thawed enough that they can be squished.
Step 2: Lightly grease the cups of a mini muffin tin. Press two tater tots into each cup. This works best if you use a round spoon or another object to smush the tater tots into the tin.
Step 3: Bake according to package instructions, or until the tater tots are golden brown and crispy around the edges.
Remove the tater tots from the oven, and use the spoon to push into the center of the cooked tater tots once again, creating a cup shape. Be careful not to touch the hot tater tots.
Step 4: Shred the smoked salmon with a fork, or chop into small pieces. Combine the salmon in a bowl with lemon juice, diced green onion, and capers. Set aside.
Step 5: Top each cup with the salmon mixture and a small dollop of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. Serve immediately.
This smoked salmon appetizer pairs well with...
These little salmon potato cups are GREAT with champagne! Something about the salty, crispy, smoke flavors and the refreshing bubbles...
And if you want more appetizer ideas to serve alongside these, then I recommend something with the complete opposite texture. For example, a creamy baked goat cheese dip, or a spicy cheesy crab dip.
If you enjoyed this recipe, let me know with a comment and a star rating below. And don't forget to share it on Facebook and save it on Pinterest for later!
Easy Smoked Salmon Appetizer: Potato Bites
This is a favorite appetizer of ours, where the little cups to hold the smoked salmon are made from baked tater tots! Such a delicious combination of flavors and textures.
4.91 from 11 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Diet: Gluten Free
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
Servings: 24
Calories: 43kcal
Author: Kate
Ingredients
- 48 tater tots thawed
- Baking spray or olive oil spray for greasing the muffin pan
- 4 oz smoked salmon (aka lox or gravlax)
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice from ½ lemon
- 1-2 scallions (green onions), chopped, or use chives
- 2 tablespoons capers drained
- Sour cream or Greek yogurt for drizzling
Special equipment
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (or according to package instructions). Lightly grease the cups of a mini muffin tin.
Press two tater tots into each cup. This works best if you use a round spoon or another object to smush the tater tots into the tin.
Bake according to package instructions (typically 20-25 minutes), or until the tater tots are golden brown and crispy around the edges.
Remove the tater tots from the oven, and use the spoon to push into the center of the cooked tater tots once again, creating a "cup" shape.
In a bowl, shred the smoked salmon with a fork. Add the lemon juice, green onion, and capers.
Top each cup with the salmon mixture and a small dollop of sour cream or plain Greek yogurt. Serve immediately.
Notes
- If your tater tots are not frozen together, I recommend thawing them on a large plate so they thaw faster and don't get broken up during thawing. Don't throw our the packaging from the tater tots, you'll follow the instructions on the packaging for baking!
- If you want to reduce the caper flavor, you can rinse them.
- You can garnish these with fresh dill, or swap dill for some (or all) of the diced scallion/chives.
Nutrition
Serving: 1tater tot cup | Calories: 43kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 1mg | Sodium: 177mg | Potassium: 35mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 10IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 2mg | Iron: 1mg
