Welcome 2019 ~ Bulgogi Salmon and Scallion Ricotta Canapés

Happy New Year! To kick off the new year, I made a version of this appetizer for our New Year’s Eve party. Everyone seemed to like it, so I thought I’d share the recipe here!

I’ve made this recipe as a more rustic crostini on sliced and toasted pieces of baguette, but I thought I’d make it a little fancier for the occasion by cutting sliced artisan bread into different shapes (and calling them canapés! Doesn’t that sound fancier than crostini? 😉 ) The extra bits of bread can be popped under the broiler to make the odds and ends toasty. Perfect for dipping into a runny egg on New Year’s Day morning.

Bulgogi Salmon and Scallion Ricotta Canapés

Inspired by a recipe from Korean Bapsang

Makes approximately 15 appetizers

For the bread layer:

Sliced artisan bread

Olive oil

Salt to taste

For the cheese layer:

3 scallions, finely minced

1 cup part skim ricotta

Salt to taste

For the salmon layer:

1/3 pound of salmon, skin removed (I used a beautiful piece of trimmed sushi grade salmon from my local Japanese grocery store)

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 tablespoon mirin

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon grated ginger

To assemble:

More scallions, curled (For a tutorial on how to make pretty curls, you can find it here.)

For the bread layer:

Preheat broiler. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Cut the bread into the shapes you would like for the base of your canapés. Mine were about 1 1/2 inches long. On one side, brush the bread with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt. Broil until toasty and just beginning to brown. Set aside.

For the cheese layer:

Mix the ricotta with scallions. Salt to taste. Place the cheese mixture into a piping bag fitted with a large round tip.

For the salmon layer:

Lower the oven temperature to 325 F. Let the high heat from the broiler dissipate.

Line a quarter sheet pan with parchment paper.

Cut the salmon into approximately 1/4-inch thick slices.

In a small bowl, mix the remaining ingredients.

Marinate the salmon for 5 minutes in the soy sauce mixture.

Remove the salmon from the marinade and lay in a single layer on the prepared sheet pan.

Cook 3-5 minutes, until warmed through. If your salmon is not sushi grade, cook a little longer until just cooked through.

To assemble:

Pipe a dollop of the ricotta mixture onto each piece of bread. Top with salmon. Garnish with curled scallions.