Salmon toasts recipe

Keeping the food simple when you’re having a party is one of the secrets of staying calm and stress-free. These salmon toasts are easy to make and perfect to hand round with drinks. There’s no last minute baking or faffing, just lay them out on trays as you add the topping and sprinkle with a little parsley. The quantity is easily doubled if you’ve got lots of hungry guests to feed. You can bake the toast bases the day before if liked and keep in an airtight container and the topping can also be made in advance and kept in the fridge overnight so all you have to do is assemble on the day.

Ingredients

• 300g piece salmon fillet
• 1 lemon
• 1 small baguette, cut into 20 slices
• 2tbsp olive oil
• 250g pot ricotta cheese
• 75g smoked salmon, chopped
• 2tbsp chopped fresh parsley plus extra to garnish

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Fan 180°C/Gas Mark 6. Place the salmon on a large square of foil. Top with 2 lemon slices cut from the whole lemon, season with salt and freshly ground pepper and scrunch up the foil to make a parcel. Place on a baking tray and bake in the oven for 20 mins until the salmon is opaque and flakes easily.
2. While the salmon is cooking. Lay the bread slices out on a baking tray and brush with the olive oil. Place in the oven and cook alongside the salmon for 10 mins until golden and crisp.
3. Using a fork, break the salmon into flakes and allow to cool. Place the ricotta cheese in a bowl and grate in some zest from the lemon. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and add the parsley. Stir together then lightly fold in the poached salmon and the smoked salmon.
4. Spoon the salmon mixture onto the toasts. Sprinkle with parsley and a grinding of black pepper to serve.