Filled with an amazing assortment of crackers, smoked salmon, seasonal produce, pickled vegetables, and Tillamook Farmstyle chive & onion cream cheese spread, this delicious smoked salmon grazing board will be the highlight of your next brunch. This post is sponsored by Tillamook. All opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Beyond Sweet and Savory possible.
Sunday brunch is our favorite part of the weekend! We love nothing more than a delicious spread with all the fixings--smoked salmon, soft boiled eggs, seasonal produce, pickled vegetables, condiments, and a savory cream cheese spread to tie it all together. I’m excited to partner with Tillamook to share the essential tips for how to put together an epic smoked salmon grazing board.
Things You Need:
- Serving board: is essential for bringing everything together. Use the largest board or platter you have. You can use a round board or a square board. The shape does not matter as long as you have enough room to arrange everything. If you don’t have a large board, use a few smaller plates together to create the feeling of one big spread.
- Smoked salmon: I like to use a variety of smoked salmon. Pick 2-3 quality ones. Let them come to room temperature for ten minutes before serving.
- Crackers: Choose a variety of crackers with different flavors and textures. Look for ones with herbs and nuts. Make sure to have a plain option.
- Spread: my favorite spread for a grazing board is Tillamook Farmstyle chive and onion cream cheese spread.
- Herb: dill and smoked salmon make the perfect combination. Chive is another great option.
- Capers: They add texture, brininess, and tanginess to the smoked salmon. Caper berry is another delicious option for the grazing board.
- Pickled veggies: pickled onion and pickled radish are essential to this grazing board. They are easy to make and taste better than the store bought ones.
- Seasonal produce: add some seasonal fruits and vegetables for nibbling. French radishes and endive go great with the Tillamook cream cheese spread. Sweet summer tomatoes and avocado make another great pairing with the spread.
Cream Cheese Spread
To bring everything together, you need a quality cream cheese spread. My go to is the Tillamook Farmstyle chive & onion cream cheese spread. It is made from premium ingredients without any artificial flavors or preservatives with a richer taste and creamier texture. The savory chive and onion flavor pairs perfectly with all the ingredients on the smoked salmon grazing board. You can find the Tillamook Farmstyle chive & onion cream cheese spread at your local Walmart in the dairy section.
How to Pickle the Vegetables
Make the pickled watermelon radish and pickled onion the day before. They lend a tangy kick to the smoked salmon. A simple mixture of red vinegar, water, and sugar is all you need for the pickling juice. I like to use a sharp knife to slice the onion and radish razor thin. You can also use a mandoline for this job.
How to Build a Grazing Board
This grazing board uses smoked salmon as the starting point, bringing in other ingredients such as a savory cream cheese spread, crackers, pickled vegetables, alongside seasonal produce to make the spread more substantial. Put the salmon at different points on the board so everyone can taste a little bit of everything.
Balance is essential to the grazing board. Salty fish need accompaniments that are fresh, sweet, and tangy. Arrange the cream cheese spread, pickled onion, and pickled radish near the salmon. Place the crackers, vegetables, and fruits around the salmon. When it comes to produce, keep them fresh and seasonal. Last but not least, have utensils available wherever they will be needed on the board: a spreader for the cream cheese, forks and prongs to pick up the pickled vegetables and salmon. Replenish when something is gone and tidy things up when the board starts to look messy.
Spread the Tillamook Farmstyle cream cheese on a French radish for a refreshing crunchy bite. Slather the cracker with cream cheese, top it with slices of salmon, cucumber, dill, and capers for a classic Scandi flavor combination. Sweet summer tomatoes and creamy avocado make a great pairing with the cream cheese and crackers.
This smoked salmon grazing board requires little effort but the spread makes a lasting impression. Everything chosen for the grazing board adds texture and flavor to the smoked salmon but feel free to add some of your favorite produce or condiments. It’s filled with delicious savory options that can be tailored to anyone’s taste.
Smoked Salmon Grazing Board
Ingredients
- 3 different types of smoked salmon, about 1 pound each
- 3 different types of crackers
- 2 7-ounce Tillamook Farmstyle Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread
- 6 large eggs
- 2 medium avocados, thinly sliced
- 2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced lengthwise
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1 bunch of French radishes
- 1 small red Belgian endive heads, leaves separated
- 2 ounces capers
- ½ cup chopped dill
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 medium lemons, quartered
- Pickled onion for serving
- Pickled radish for serving
Pickled Onion
- 1 medium red onion for pickling (you can also use 4 small shallots)
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
Pickled Radish
- 1 bunch of watermelon radishes for pickling, about 4
- ¼ cup red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
Pickled onion
- Thinly slice onion using a sharp knife or mandoline.
- To make the pickle juice, whisk together vinegar, water, and sugar.
- Place sliced onion and pickle juice in a glass jar or stainless steel bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Pickled radish
- Thinly slice watermelon radishes using a sharp knife or mandoline.
- To make the pickle juice, whisk together vinegar, water, and sugar.
- Place sliced onion and pickle juice in a glass jar or stainless steel bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Grazing Board
- To cook the eggs, bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Carefully lower eggs into water using a slotted spoon. Set your alarm for 7 minutes and maintain a gentle boil. Once the alarm goes off, transfer the eggs to an ice bath and let them chill until they are just slightly warm, about 2 minutes. Gently crack eggs all over and peel, starting from the fattest end containing the air pocket. Set them aside until ready to use.
- Arrange the smoked salmon in three different sections of the board. Garnish the sliced smoked salmon with fresh dill and drained capers. Sprinkle salt and pepper over the salmon.
- Place the cream cheese spread, pickled onion, pickled radish, and caper on the board using the picture as a guide.
- Position crackers, eggs, cucumber, endive, French radishes, tomatoes, and lemon near the smoked salmon as desired.
- Place utensils where needed on the board. Serve immediately and replenish ingredients when something is low.
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