Use Leftover Grilled Salmon For an Easy Delicious Tartine

Have leftover salmon from last night and don’t know what to do with it? Then try this salmon mousse with cream cheese, cucumbers, and spicy mayo. You will not be disappointed.

We love grilled salmon fillets and have them quite often – especially during the summer. It’s one of our favorite dishes, and it goes with so many different vegetables and spices. Salmon, on the grill or in the oven, always feels fresh, light, and savory and is packed with great nutrients. 

But it’s hard to buy and cook the exact right amount. And it doesn’t seem to matter whether you buy for one, two, or more people. Since we never want to run short on servings, we seem to always err on the side of more than we actually need. 

Sometimes we would use the leftovers but more often than not we ended up throwing them away. And who doesn’t always feel guilty doing that?

Then, a few years back, we had the idea of making salmon mousse or salmon dip with the leftovers and had that with some fun crackers. It was a delicious way to use the leftovers the next day. Our rule of thumb is that you have to use fish the next day.

We grilled salmon one-night last week and, of course, had more than we could eat. The next morning while brainstorming about what Tuesday’s tartine would be, I remembered the salmon mousse and wondered out loud if it would work as a tartine. So for lunch, I grabbed some cream cheese, a cucumber from the garden and decided to give it a try. It’s now one of my favorite salmon recipes and the bonus, it’s super easy!

The ingredients:

• Whatever amount of salmon you have left over (I estimated we had between 1/3 and 1/2 lb.)
• Cream cheese
• Cucumber
• Mayonnaise
• Sriracha sauce
• Salt and pepper to flavor
• Slices of your choice of bread
• Toasted sesame seeds (I prefer to use black sesame seeds)

How to make the salmon mousse

• Place the cooked salmon in the bowl of a food processor
• Add mayonnaise (approximately 3 tablespoons for every 1/2 pound of salmon) or mix half mayonnaise and half olive oil
• Pulse until smooth, pausing and scraping down the sides during the process
• Add some sea salt and black pepper to taste
• Transfer to a bowl, stir to make sure everything is combined and set aside

How to make the sauce

There is no real secret to making the sauce. And I don’t follow a recipe. I simply mix mayonnaise, sometimes a little bit of olive oil, and depending on the amount of heat I want, the sriracha sauce. I then put it in a squirt bottle and place it back in the fridge until I’m ready to use it.

How to make the tartine

• Thinly slice the cucumbers and add a little bit of salt and pepper
• ​Butter one side of the bread slices
• Toast the sliced bread in a frying pan (butter side down), cast iron skillet, or panini maker on high heat or under the broiler until it has a nice golden brown crisp
• Spread a thin layer of cream cheese on the toast
• Spread the salmon mousse on top of the cream cheese
• Top with the cucumbers
• Drizzle a small amount of the mayo/sriracha sauce combo on top of the cucumbers.
• Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and serve

Some potential swaps or additions

• If you’re not a fan of mayonnaise, you could substitute olive oil for the salmon mousse
• Green onions or chives would be good sprinkled on top
• You could also garnish the tartine with your favorite fresh herbs (think fresh dill, basil, parsley, etc.)
• While I haven’t tried it, you could use smoked salmon from the store rather than leftovers (think bagels, cream cheese and lox)

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