Smoked Trout Salad Sandwiches ~ If You Know, You Know!

Consider this recipe your invitation to the Smoked Fish Club. My smoked trout salad sandwich is rich, smoky, and one of the absolute best-kept secrets in the sandwich world ~ once you try it, regular tuna salad will never be the same.

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➡ Chunky flakes of smoked trout with a little crunch of finely minced inner stalks of celery and red onion.

➡ A light but zippy dressing made with mayo, sour cream, lemon, and dill ~ nothing to steal the show from the fish.

➡ A dash of creamed horseradish ~ my secret ingredient.

You either love, hate, or haven’t tried smoked fish

Smoked fish is one of the most distinctly polarizing ingredients in culinary culture ~ it sits squarely in the “love it or hate it” category with foods like blue cheese, anchovies, and cilantro. 

If you’re drawn to big, savory flavors like aged parmesan, prosciutto, or salty olives, you’ll probably adore smoked fish. It brings that same deep, rich satisfaction and bold flavor to the table. Basically, if you love smoked fish you really love it.

Smoked fish has huge fan bases in places with serious smoking roots ~ like the Pacific Northwest, the Great Lakes (where lakeside smokehouses are everywhere), and East Coast delis with their incredible fish spreads. And if you’ve ever hung out in Florida, you’ve probably fallen for smoked fish dip served on Saltine crackers at a breezy beach bar. (Have you tried my Smoked Trout Dip or my Easy Smoked Whitefish Dip?)

What you need to know to make the ultimate smoked trout salad

FLAKE THE FISH INTO LARGE CHUNKS: remove the skin, debone, and flake the smoked trout into large chunks.

MINCE THE CRUNCHY VEGGIES: make sure you finely mince inner stalks of celery (mince those flavorful inner leaves too!) and red onion.

GENTLY TOSS WITH DRESSING: whisk the dressing together first, and then add to the salad. Toss it super gently so you don’t break up the delicate smoked trout.

How to flake smoked fish based on what you buy:

• Vac-Packed Fillets (Skin-On): Flip the fillet skin-side down, slide a butter knife or spatula between the skin and meat to lift it off, then use your fingers to gently pull the meat into large, chunky flakes.
• Whole Smoked Fish: Peel back the skin starting from the tail. Gently lift the top fillet off the spine, pull out any visible pin bones, and flake. Flip the fish over, lift off the spine, and flake the bottom fillet.
• Canned or Skinless Chunks: Drain any oil or liquid, transfer the fish into a bowl, and use a fork to break it apart gently.

I found the perfect bread for smoked trout sandwiches

I found Cristal sandwich rolls at Whole Foods and I discussed them in our Ham and Jam Sandwich post. It’s a super light Spanish bread that makes the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. While I normally don’t call out bread brands, this is truly special. It’s actually responsible for bringing sandwiches back to our dinner rotation.

Smoked Trout Salad Sandwich Questions

Can I serve this without the bread?

• Yes, it’s great scooped onto a salad, or spooned into endive or lettuce cups for a low carb option. It’s also great mounded on crackers.

Will canned smoked trout work?

• It will, but if yours is packed in oil it will be richer and heavier, so drain well and go easy on the dressing.

Can I substitute another fish if I can’t find smoked trout?

• For sure! Smoked salmon or smoked whitefish will work, just be sure you buy hot smoked fish rather than cold smoked fish. Hot smoked fish has the texture of cooked, flaky fish while cold smoked fish is raw-like, silky, and pliable (think lox or nova salmon.)

I don’t like mayo, what else can I use?

• Try all sour cream, Greek yogurt, or a blend of the two.

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Smoked Trout Salad Sandwich

5 from 1 vote

This easy smoked trout salad sandwich features flaky hot-smoked trout tossed with a creamy, fresh herb dressing on toasted bread. A quick lunch or light supper for smoked fish lovers.

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Prep Time:20 minutes minutes

Total Time:20 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

 

smoked trout salad

• 1/2 lb hot smoked trout, in large flakes. Weigh after removing the skin and bones.
• 1/4 cup celery, tender inner stalks, very finely minced
• 1/4 cup red onion, very finely minced
• 1 Tbsp celery leaves, finely minced
• 1 tsp fresh dill, minced. If you use dried dill use 1/2 teaspoon.

dressing

• 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
• 2 Tbsp sour cream
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp creamed horseradish, or more to taste, optional
• sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

sandwiches

• 4 small slender sandwich rolls, lightly toasted
• thinly sliced ripe tomato
• lettuce leaves
• thin slices of red onion

Instructions

• Put the 1/2 lb hot smoked trout, 1/4 cup celery, 1/4 cup red onion, 1 Tbsp celery leaves, and 1 tsp fresh dill in a bowl. Give everything a gentle toss to combine, but try not to break up the fish.
• Whisk together the 2 Tbsp mayonnaise, 2 Tbsp sour cream, 1 Tbsp lemon juice, and 1 tsp creamed horseradish, or more to taste (if using.) Give it a taste and add salt the pepper to your liking.
• Gently add the dressing to the bowl with fish and toss super gently to combine.
• Spoon a generous amount of salad over the bottom half of your lightly toasted sandwich rolls. Top with the lettuce, tomato, and onion. Slice the rolls on a diagonal and serve.

Notes

Look for hot smoked trout in the refrigerated section of your fish or deli counter, usually shrink wrapped or wrapped in plastic.

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You can use snipped chives in place of dill.

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Your smoked trout salad will keep for 3-4 days in the fridge.

NOTES ~ Click here to add your own private notes.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Author: Sue Moran

Keyword: dinner, fish, sandwich, smoked fish, smoked trout, summer

Nutrition

Serving: 1 sandwich · Calories: 309 kcal · Carbohydrates: 32 g · Protein: 18 g · Fat: 12 g · Saturated Fat: 3 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 5 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 3 g · Trans Fat: 0.01 g · Cholesterol: 67 mg · Sodium: 412 mg · Potassium: 366 mg · Fiber: 2 g · Sugar: 2 g · Vitamin A: 154 IU · Vitamin C: 3 mg · Calcium: 81 mg · Iron: 2 mg

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.

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