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Smoked Salmon Starter Recipe
Remember the Chargrilled Marinated Artichokes we did a couple of posts ago? I used those artichokes for this Starter of Smoked Salmon, Marinated Artichokes and Blood Orange for a business lunch I catered to yesterday. Business lunches tend to be light, the clients aren’t usually fans of carb heavy meals in the middle of the day, understandably so, I would say.
The whole ensemble packs a punch with its bold flavours. The smoky, woody aroma of the smoked salmon, the sharp, piquant taste of the marinated artichokes, the sweet and sour, citrusy, almost raspberry-like temperament of the blood orange – so much going on in just one bite.
A bite of Zingy Nirvana
You really have to take your time with this starter and savour the explosion of flavours taking place with each bite. None wants to play second fiddle, so you’ll just have to take it all in; bit by bit, and all at once!
But wait, before you get a sensory overload, don’t forget the parmesan shavings! The parmesan is just what you need to make all the flavours play nice with its calm, tangy creaminess. Just what’s needed to bring you back down to earth, to a place of zen-like contentment. Only to have you dying for the next mouthful!
Turn it into a Smoked Salmon Salad
This starter of smoked salmon, marinated artichokes and blood orange, can easily be turned into a salad, by increasing the number of orange slices and artichokes, and by adding some salad leaves.
Not only are the colours a feast for your eyes but all your senses are going to be paying attention to every single bite you take. Just what my clients need to stay awake for lunch meetings!
As my kids would say, you really need this in your life! Your guests will thank you for it, trust me! It is a fantastic recipe to entertain with, perfect for Valentine’s Day, for Christmas and even a summer party, when any old orange will do just as nicely. So if you can’t get blood oranges, you can use any type of orange, the recipe will still work.
I’m giving you the recipe to serve up exactly what you see in the images here. But as mentioned above, you can easily increase the portions accordingly to turn it into a bigger serving, whether still as a starter or a side salad. You can, of course, use shop bought marinated artichokes, sold as antipasto ingredients.
Can’t get Blood Oranges?
Use firm, ordinary oranges, or even grapefruit. You could even use clementines, and decorate the plate with the segments, instead of using them as a base.
For more classy entertaining ideas, check out my Amuse Bouche and Starter page, for recipes like:
Roasted Butternut Squash with Burrata and Spicy Basil Oil
If you like the recipe, don’t forget to leave me a comment and that all important, 5-star rating! Thank you!
And if you make the recipe, share it on any platform and tag me @azlinbloor, and hashtag it #linsfood
Lin xx
Smoked Salmon Starter with Marinated Artichokes and Blood Orange
Ingredients
- 1 blood orange the largest you can get
- 12 marinated artichoke heart slices
- 4 generous slices of smoked salmon
- some parmesan shavings
- some small baby leaves or herbs in the picture, I've used watercress
- balsamic vinegar optional
Instructions
- Peel the blood oranges.
- Slice them up into rounds, not too thinly. You need 4 slices.
On each salad plate:
- Place each slice of orange.
- Follow this by 2 – 3 slices of artichokes, depending on their size.
- Top with a slice of smoked salmon, rolled and pinched slightly to fit the size of the blood orange base, and to look pretty.
- Shave some parmesan haphazardly.
- Drizzle just a small amount of the marinating liquid from the artichokes, and 3 drops of balsamic vinegar, if using, on each plate.
- Top with some freshly ground black pepper.
- Can be made up to 1 hour ahead and kept, covered, in the fridge.
Absolutely looks yummy and amazing, Looks like I want to try this
Thank you!
Omg can We say yum?!?! I just love salmon. I must give your recipe a try!
Thank you!
I’ve never tried artichokes before. They do look really good. I need to pick some up and give them a try.
I have never tried salmon! I have always wondered what it tastes like. I should really give it a try.
These look so good and what is even better- I have a whole jar of artichokes in the cupboard that I have no idea what to do with! Looking forward to trying this recipe.
I have to try the marinated artichoke. Looks and sounds delicious. I am however not a fan of Salmon.
This looks amazing. I have to try it!
The marinated artichoke sounds like a spoonful of lovely flavors coming together. It’s definitely perfect with salmon!
I love all these ingredients! It’s simple and looks amazingly delicious will have to try it soon!
This is impressive! I always wanted to try it, it looks really delish and fantastic.
Oh my goodness! This is really good at all, I’ve never tried to make it at home but I’m going to make sure to try it.
This looks so good! I love smoked salmon and this starter dish is awesome. I can only imagine the different flavors in each bite. Yummy.
This is such a beautiful starter! I’m curious as to whether I would like this as I’m not much of a smoked salmon person, but I love artichoke hearts and your description of this just sounds so good.
This looks so good, I really like the addition of the blood orange, great twist. Yum.
Yum. I LOVE artichokes so much. I might have to make this.
The presentation was amazingly done and I will definitely want this for a starter.
This might be my dish for Easter Sunday 🙂
Because of this post, I’ve just discovered your amuse-bouche page and I must say, I love it! My boyfriend and I love to have our friends over for dinner and we love stylish and classy dishes. I’ve bookmarked the page and I am going to be “studying” it! But I think this smoked salmon starter is a definite winner! I want to make it for Valentine’s Day!
Wow, this is simply outstanding! I love how simple, yet how beautiful it looks! Your description of the dish is first class, I was right there with you wih all the flavours as you were describing them!
This fine dining recipe I am going to make to impress!