I’m not a freezer hoarder, but I do keep Stonefire naan and pizza crusts in there for last-minute dinners like barbecue chicken pizza. But the convenience of these quick-to-reheat breads doesn’t mean they’re limited to desperate weeknights. On special occasions, the naan and the crusts come in handy too. This dish makes the most of two particularly special ingredients, smoked salmon and salmon roe, to turn mini naan into gorgeous, fancy bases for a Mother’s Day lunch or appetizer.
Growing up, Mother’s Day wasn’t a huge holiday for us (every day is mother’s day, says my mom), but if we did end up seeing my grandma, we probably ate smoked salmon, as we did on almost any holiday. While my grandma picked out only the best nova-thinly sliced, not too salty-she was agnostic about the vessel we ate it on. We had bagels, pumpernickel slices, and flatbread crackers.
That’s why I don’t feel even a little weird that I’ve stretched salmon’s traditional bagel and cream cheese pairing here using inspiration from Indian cuisine. Instead of bagel or pumpernickel, we’ve got warm naan. In place of cream cheese, a thick raita tweaked with horseradish. And to finish things off so this is fancy enough for a Mother’s Day celebration or a cocktail party anytime, I garnished with salmon roe, dill, and chives. This should all be close enough to the classic for you to imagine, easily, how good everything tastes together.
This post was sponsored by Stonefire. Thanks for supporting the sponsors that keep Big Girls, Small Kitchen delicious!
**Recipe**
Smoked Salmon Mini Naan with Horseradish Raita
Makes 16 bites or 4 main course servings
Ingredients
7 ounces whole milk Greek yogurt
1/3 cup grated cucumber (seeds removed, from 1 peeled Kirby cuke)
1/2 teaspoon prepared horseradish
Salt
Pepper
2 teaspoons minced chives, plus more for garnish
4 Stonefire mini naan
About 3 ounces smoked salmon (around 8 slices, the thinner the slices, the less weight you’ll need)
4 sprigs fresh dill
About 1/4 ounce salmon roe (totally optional!)
Make the raita. Blot any moisture from the yogurt. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, horseradish, grated cucumber, chives, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Taste for salt, adding more as needed. You can make the raita in advance. Store in the fridge. If it seems watery, just stir back together.
Bake the naan at 400°F for 2 minutes. Cool slightly, then cut into four wedges each, but keep the rounds together and arrange the four on a serving platter. Spread each naan generously with the raita, leaving a small crust. You’ll have a little extra to eat later or serve on the side. Cut the salmon into bite-sized ribbons and put one on each wedge. Garnish with the minced chives, dill sprigs, and salmon roe. These will hold up for a while if you need them for a cocktail party, but they are most delicious within 30 minutes or so, while the naan is still a little warm.
