The Briny Lemon: Smoked Salmon Rolls with Oven-Dried Tomatoes

Smoked salmon sandwiches with a creamy spread are often served on tiny bread triangles at afternoon teas—thus, the name “tea sandwiches.” Skip the daintiness and turn these treats into a light but satisfying dinner with toasted sandwich buns, sweet, caramelized dried tomatoes, and a bold, tangy—still light—spread of creamy Greek yogurt and horseradish. Nothing dainty about that.

Yes, you could top the sandwiches with simple tomato slices, but drying them first brings out their rich, sweet flavor and adds extra depth to the dish’s overall appeal. The preparation couldn’t be simpler, and you can make them a couple days ahead of time.

Note: Prepared pure horseradish is sold in jars in the refrigerated section of your supermarket. (It’s not the creamy white “sauce” sold in jars in the condiment aisle.)

Serves 2

Ingredients

2 medium roma tomatoes, cut into 1/10-inch-thick slices
olive oil, for drizzling (plus more, for storing, if needed)
sea salt
3 tbsp plain Greek yogurt
1 tbsp prepared pure horseradish
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper
2 sandwich buns, lightly toasted
4 oz thinly sliced smoked salmon (sold packaged in fresh seafood sections of many supermarkets)
baby lettuce leaves, for serving

Romas

Smoked Salmon

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 225° F. Line a shallow baking pan with parchment paper.
Lay the tomato slices in a single layer on the pan. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake until the tomatoes begin to dry and caramelize, 45-50 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let cool to room temperature. (At this point, you can place the tomatoes in a sealable container and drizzle generously with more oil. Refrigerate up to 2 days. Bring to room temperature before using.)

Ready to Dry

Dried Tomatoes

Drizzle with oil and store for 2 days

In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, horseradish, mustard, and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate 20 minutes.
Lay the toasted buns on a work surface and divide the yogurt spread on all 4 cut sides. Divide the salmon on the 2 bottom halves and divide the dried tomatoes on top of the salmon. Top the tomatoes with baby lettuce leaves.