Tea Sandwiches
Updated May 8, 2024
- Total Time
- 1 hour 20 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1½ hours
- Rating
- 4(175)
- Comments
- Read comments
These have the transformative power to turn snack time into something far fancier. The two easy classics are building blocks for afternoon tea or a baby shower, but also work just as easily for lunch. It’s the little things that make these sandwiches feel special: slicing the cucumbers thin, salting and patting the slices dry and making sure the herbs get evenly distributed in the compound butter. Soft bread is key here, as are the generous amounts of butter — both elements give these sandwiches their delightful texture. Make one version or both, and scale the recipe up or down as needed. These sandwiches are best served immediately, but can sit out for about an hour.
Featured in:I Didn’t Truly Know My Mother Until I Cooked With Her
or to save this recipe.
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 1English cucumber, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
- Salt
- 32slices soft white sandwich bread
- ¾cup unsalted butter, softened but not melty
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ½cup unsalted butter, softened but not melty
- 1tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1tablespoon chopped fresh chives
- 1tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Salt
- 14slices brown bread, like pumpernickel
- 8ounces smoked salmon
For Traditional Cucumber Sandwiches
For Smoked Salmon Sandwiches
Nutritional analysis per serving (46 servings)
112 calories; 6 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 3 grams protein; 142 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Make the cucumber tea sandwiches: Place the cucumber rounds in a colander. Lightly salt them and let sit until water droplets form on the slices, 15 to 20 minutes. Lay out some paper towels or a clean kitchen towel, place the cucumber slices on top and pat them dry.
- Step 2
Stack slices of white bread and cut off the crusts. Slather each slice with butter. Put the cucumber rounds on half the slices of bread, overlapping the rounds slightly. Grind pepper on top and sandwich with the remaining slices of bread. Cut in half to make rectangles.
- Step 3
Make the smoked salmon tea sandwiches: Mix the butter, dill, chives, parsley and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Season with salt to taste.
- Step 4
Stack slices of brown bread and cut off the crusts. Slather each slice with the herb butter. Put smoked salmon on half the slices of bread. Top with the remaining slices of bread and cut in half to make rectangles.
Private Notes
Similar Recipes
Smoked Salmon Sandwiches With Cucumber, Radish and Herbs
David Tanis
Cucumber Sandwiches
Priya Krishna
Smoked Salmon Sandwich With Goat Cheese
Martha Rose Shulman
One-Pot Salmon, Spinach and Lentil Salad
Kay Chun
Chile-Garlic Salmon With Mango and Cucumber Salad
Ifrah F. Ahmed
Smoked Trout Salad, Cucumber and Roasted Pepper Sandwich
Martha Rose Shulman
Salmon Sandwiches
Nigella Lawson
Spinach Egg Bites
Eric Kim
Mustardy Sheet-Pan Salmon With Greens
Sohla El-Waylly
Cucumber and Radish Salad With Yogurt and Cumin
Martha Rose Shulman
Sesame Salmon Bowls
Kay Chun
Everyday Salmon With Tangy Cucumbers and Fried Shallots
Alison Roman
Salmon With Mustard Piccata Sauce
Kay Chun
Spinach and Sardine Sandwich
Martha Rose Shulman
Baked Salmon Meatballs
Dan Pelosi
Salty-Sweet Salmon With Ginger and Spicy Cucumber Salad
Amanda Hesser
Salmon and Cucumber Tartare With Wasabi Sauce
Martha Rose Shulman
One-Pot Miso-Turmeric Salmon and Coconut Rice
Yasmin Fahr
Deeply Roasted Cabbage With Peanut Crunch
Nisha Vora
Quick Fish Chowder With Hot Butter Crackers
Sue Li
Ratings
or to rate this recipe.
or to mark this recipe as cooked.
Comments
As a cook in Main Line Philadelphia, many years ago, I worked in a kitchen that produced thousands of tea sandwiches every year, for Tuesday afternoon clubs, Thursday afternoon clubs, and any other club that met on some day of the week. We used cookie cutters to make the sandwiches into little flower shapes or circles (as alternative to rigid squares or triangles) and filled them with finely chopped tuna or chicken salad. Another, with watercress and cream cheese was rolled.
For afternoon tea last summer I used the original Boursin cheese with thin English cucumber slices...they didn't last long.
My mother and I used to help make many trays of these tea sandwiches for the Ladies Auxiliary of the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, back in the 70’s. The secret to perfectly sliced sandwiches was to use an electric carving knife to remove the crusts. Never failed, no sawing or tearing of the bread (Pepperidge Farm thin bread was preferred). I still have my decades old electric knife ready any time tea sandwiches are required!
Wife writing here. I learned how to make canapés from my mother, and being Eastern European, she never cut off the crusts. I still don’t do it and don’t understand why you would. And also - never use butter for smoked salmon sandwiches/canapes - always cream cheese softened with a bit of mayo and often mix in grated horseradish for a little kick!
Tea sandwiches, though moderately tasty, are a lot of finicky work.
These things dry out in 30 minutes. I once made and subsquently tossed hundreds of them for a doomed "English tea" type event. Never again.
Credits
Adapted from "Priya’s Kitchen Adventures" by Priya Krishna (William Morrow, 2024)
or to save this recipe.
More FromIdeas for Mother’s Day Breakfast and Brunch
Huevos Rancheros
Kay Chun
1847 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars1,847
45 minutes
or to save this recipe.
Breakfast Enchiladas
Genevieve Ko
150 ratings with an average rating of 4 out of 5 stars150
1 hour
or to save this recipe.
