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These 4-Ingredient Smoked Salmon Squares Are Effortlessly Elegant

Name: These 4-Ingredient Smoked Salmon Squares Are Effortlessly Elegant
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 20 serving(s)
Ingredients: 5 thin white-bread slices; 1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened; 3 oz. sliced smoked salmon; Strips of peel cut from 2 large lemons

Need a last-minute appetizer? These vintage cocktail-party bites look impressive but come together with just four ingredients.

By Good Housekeeping EditorsPublished: Sep 12, 2026

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canapes martinisgood housekeeping illustrated cookbook

Mike Garten

Yields:

20 serving(s)

Total Time:

30 mins

These retro cocktail-party bites prove you don't need a long ingredient list to impress. They're quick to assemble, easy to pass around, and feel effortlessly elegant.

This timeless recipe comes from the newly rereleased The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook. First published nearly 50 years ago and with more than 1 million copies sold, the beloved kitchen staple features 1,400 Test Kitchen–approved recipes and step-by-step illustrated techniques that have inspired generations of home cooks.

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Ingredients

5 thin white-bread slices
1 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened
3 oz. sliced smoked salmon
Strips of peel cut from 2 large lemons

Directions

1. Step 1Toast bread; trim crusts. Spread bread with cream cheese; cut each slice into quarters
2. Step 2Cut salmon slices to fit on toast; top toast with slices. Garnish with strips of lemon peel.