Smoked Salmon Tostadas

👩🏻‍🍳 Tamara Talks – About Smoked Salmon Tostadas

A couple of weeks ago, Mark and I went out for brunch after church (which we rarely do!). It was his first trip to a new restaurant in McAllen – Santo Pecado – and my second. Both visits, I had the smoked salmon tostadas. They’re amazing! So these smoked salmon tostadas were inspired by their tostadas, but I put my own creative twist on them.

This tostada recipe is definitely a fusion of Mexican and a New York-style lox and bagels. Lox and bagels are a classic combination, especially popular in Jewish-American cuisine (and brunch menus everywhere!).

When we’re together with our adult kids, we love to make lox and bagels from scratch. Lox is salt-cured salmon, usually silky and thinly sliced. It’s not smoked like traditional smoked salmon (though the two are often confused or used interchangeably).

In an effort to keep this simple, I chose smoked salmon because it’s widely available, it’s healthy protein, and requires no prep! The base is an air-fryer corn tortilla, but the toppings are mostly traditional to lox and bagels. For the sake of ease-of-eating, the dill, lemon zest, and capers are chopped and incorporated into whipped cream cheese. I added traditional cucumbers and tomatoes, but quick-pickled onions and micro greens are mine. I hope you’ll love them as much as we do!

📋 Ingredients Notes

Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.

• smoked salmon – Smoked salmon is salmon that has been cured and then smoked to preserve it and add flavor. It’s super popular for its rich, savory, slightly smoky taste and velvety texture (depending on the type). For this tostada recipe, we’re using cold smoked salmon rather than hot smoked salmon because its milder smoky flavor and silky texture works better. Lox is another option. I think the strong smoky flavor, and meatier texture of hot smoked salmon would overpower the more refined flavor of the toppings.
• tortillas – On photo day, I did air-fryer blue corn tortillas. Corn tortillas are best IMHO. You can use pre-made tostada shells, or you can fry them.
• caper cream cheese – The caper cream cheese only takes about 5 minutes to make, and it’s so good! Lemon zest, dill, and rough-chopped capers hold together, and the capers don’t roll off the tostada as you pick it up!
• red onions – Many traditional lox and bagels have just thin-sliced red onion. I think the quick pickled red onions are more interesting. However, you can stick with thin-sliced red onions if you prefer. See NOTES in the recipe card.
• tomatoes – Tostadas are more easily eaten when the toppings are small. I use tiny tomatoes, and chop them into a few pieces according to size. A big tomato is fine, but you’ll want to do a fairly small dice.
• fresh dill – Fresh dill sings in this recipe, but you can use dried. You’ll want to reduce the quantity, and not use it as a garnish.
• cucumbers – I thin-sliced baby cucumbers. This is not necessary. However, the small pieces do make tostadas easier to consume!
• lemon(s) – The zest goes in the cream cheese, and wedges are great as garnishes.
• micro greens – Our local Sprouts market has cilantro micro greens, and they were LOVELY! You can use any micro greens, and they are super easy to eat on a tostada!

🔪 Corn Tortillas

Air Fryer

• Preheat the air fryer – Set to 375℉/190℃ for about 3 minutes.
• Prep the tortillas – Lightly spray both sides of each tortilla with cooking spray or brush with a bit of oil. Salt lightly as desired.
• Air fry – Lay them flat in the air fryer basket. NOTE: To keep them from flying around, place a small wire rack or trivet to weight them down. Cook at 375℉/190℃ for 4 to 6 minutes, flipping halfway through. NOTE: Keep an eye on them starting around 3-minute mark – they can go from perfect to burnt quickly! Cool on a wire rack.

Bake

• Preheat your oven – Set it to 400°F (200°C).
• Prep the tortillas – Lightly brush or spray both sides with oil (optional but helps them crisp up). Sprinkle with salt if desired.
• Bake the tortillas – Arrange on a baking sheet. For best crispiness, place tortillas directly on the oven rack or use a wire rack on a baking sheet so air circulates. NOTE: If you don’t have a rack, use a parchment-lined baking sheet and flip them halfway through. Bake for 8–10 minutes, flipping halfway. NOTE: Keep an eye on them in the last few minutes — they can crisp up quickly depending on your oven. Cool on a wire rack.

❓FAQ

💡 Tips

Quick pickled onions are so easy to make, and will keep in the refrigerator for several days. Try them on your favorite tacos or sandwiches!

The caper cream cheese will keep well for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. You can spread it on a bagel (of course!), or enjoy it with fresh veggies.