Smoked Salmon with Cream Cheese on Crackers

Salmon is fairly new to me, within the past year or so.  I had it years before at Scott's Restaurant (Salmon Alabella) and it was excellent but every time there after it was always too fishy for me so I gave up.  I started back with smoked salmon and found out I like it and the more I had it the more I liked it. 

The first place I had it was Johnny Foley's in SF, CA.  It's an Irish pub and restaurant that serves an appetizer of smoked salmon on a boxty pancake with dill cream and scallion sauce.  It was great and put me back on the salmon trail.  Ever since then I've been trying to recreate it at home.  I have purchased smoked salmon at the grocery store (Lucky's) both the kind that looks like lox (maybe that's cold smoked but it appears to be more raw) and another kind that seems more cooked because it's flaky and seasoned (maybe that's hot smoked).

Last week I purchased some cold smoked salmon from the Creekside Smokehouse next to Half Moon Bay in Granada.  It was the best I have ever had.  Today I made a horseradish cream cheese sauce to serve on crackers with my salmon.  It was a winner (pictured below on World Classic Gourmet Multigrain crackers).  If you live close to Half Moon bay you must give this smoke house a try.  It's off the main road so you may have never even seen it but add it to your GPS for you next visit to Half Moon Bay.  I also tried the Smoked Salmon Salad which was even better and I can't wait to try their seasonal Christmas Crab dip.  I gave it a 5 star on YELP.

SMOKED SALMON PIZZA
3 oz. cream cheese
2 t. prepared horseradish
¼ t. coarse ground black pepper
2 T. greek yogurt
3-4 oz. pkg. smoked salmon
4 flour tortillas
-Cilantro

Mix cream cheese, horseradish, greek yogurt and pepper. Set aside. Pan fry tortillas till golden brown, let cool. Spread with cream cheese mixture, top with salmon. Sprinkle with cilantro. Cut in wedges.

Note: I’ve tried using biscuits but it was too much bread. Naan was better but it needed a bit more crunch so make it toasty.

Variations:

• Use thin crackers instead of flour tortillas. I like World Classics Gourmet Multigrain crackers.
• Use potato pancakes instead of flour tortillas and top with a caper dressing.
• Use Naan instead of flour tortillas.
• Use a cucumber slice instead of flour tortillas for a healthier choice.
• Instead of the cream cheese sauce use a 4 oz. tub spreadable Herb and Chive cream cheese
• Spread cream cheese directly on salmon and roll up.