Salmon Cucumber Rolls

Salmon Cucumber Rolls - Eat Spin Run Repeat

As someone who works for a social media management company, I was asked the other day about which social media platform is my favourite. It boggles my mind that when I was 8, Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Snapchat, and all the rest of them didn’t even exist yet, and yet the 8 year olds of today will grow up not knowing what life was like without them.

Salmon Cucumber Rolls Ingredients

Thinking about the question, I did a quick evaluation of each of the platforms I’m active on in my head and decided that the one that reigns supreme for me is Pinterest, closely followed by Instagram. Sure, Facebook can be great for staying connected with friends (although I have a large number of Facebook friends that I barely know), and yes, Twitter enables you to start a conversation with virtually anybody, whether it’s your best friend or Beyonce (but with over 5,700 tweets being sent every second), it’s hard to be heard.

mashed pink wild caught salmon

Pinterest however, is a place I know I can find endless amounts of inspiration, whether I’m in the mood for cheffing something up in the kitchen, planting a garden, a new hairstyle, a challenging workout, or tackling a DIY project. It’s one of the most visual social media platforms out there, and that’s great because we’re visual beings. I don’t know about you but I have to read a lot of text on my screen at work every day, so scrolling through an endless stream of images can be a nice change of pace.

Salmon Cucumber Rolls Ingredients

When it comes to DIY projects, what would you rather do: Read through an instruction manual, or look at a simple step by step visual tutorial? I’m guessing the latter, and that’s what I’d pick too. And let’s be honest, it’s not a list of ingredients or instructions that gets your mouth salivating over a recipe, it’s the photos. Am I right?

Salmon Cucumber Rolls Ingredients 2

The cruel thing about Pinterest though (aside from the obvious ability for it to suck ALL of your time, making you feel ultra productive even though you haven’t done anything more than clicking the mouse button with your finger), is that sometimes it makes things look a lot easier than they really are. I once decided to use Pinterest to teach myself how to do a fishtail braid. That decision ended up turning into about 1 hour in the bathroom, a head of messy tangled hair and two very sore arms. It was a task we can safely file under the category of #pinterestfail.

sprouts and lemon

In my opinion, the food-related Pinterest fails are by far the most entertaining. In fact, there’s a entire site dedicated to user-generated disasters and Buzzfeed once showcased 31 particularly epic monstrosities – seriously, these are guaranteed to make you laugh.

So what does all of this have to do with today’s recipe? Well, the first time I made it, it was a major fail. Once upon a time I stumbled across cucumber rolls of some sort on Pinterest. I can’t remember what was inside, but ever since I’ve had ‘cucumber rolls’ scribbled down on my ongoing list of recipe ideas. Last week I decided to make them happen, but unfortunately at the time I was missing a crucial ‘ingredient’.

toothpicks

Question: Do you EVER use wooden toothpicks to pick your teeth? Have you ever used the last one in the little clear container and thought “Oh my, I guess we’re out of toothpicks again. Better put them on the shopping list!” Do you actually remember buying that (now empty) container of toothpicks?

My answer to all of the above is a big fat NO. I don’t think I’ve ever used a wooden toothpick to get gunk out of my teeth (because isn’t that what floss is for?) and despite being a non-user, for as long as I can remember there has ALWAYS been a little jar of toothpicks in the junk miscellaneous items drawer in my kitchen. I have no idea who bought those toothpicks but it definitely wasn’t me.

When I moved across the country with limited space in the back of my SUV, I spent exactly zero seconds stressing over how I was going to fit the 5+ year-old jar of toothpicks in. I also spent zero dollars re-stocking when I moved into my new place… until last week. Therein lies my mistake.

cucumber strips

Let me warn you right now, speaking from experience, that cucumber rolls will. not. work without toothpicks or some sort of skewering mechanism. On the first attempt, there was salmon errrrrywhere. What seemed like a very simple 7-ingredient recipe in my head turned into a complete mess and eventually got tossed into a bowl with some lettuce for lunch.

But because I’m stubborn about seeing recipes through to the end, I splurged on a container of otherwise useless toothpicks at the grocery store – none of which will be used to pick at any teeth, and will probably outlive me.

Attempt 2, you will be thrilled to know, went a million times more smoothly.

Salmon Cucumber Rolls - Eat Spin Run Repeat

Despite my struggle, these Salmon Cucumber Rolls really are a simple appetizer for summer, perfect for days when you don’t feel like cooking anything (which for me is starting to become every day). I used canned wild pink salmon which is a great source of omega-3 healthy fats and protein, plus some carrots, fresh dill and lemon to pump up the flavour.

If you have one you can use a mandoline to cut your cucumber slices, but I found a sharp knife worked just as well. Just be sure you’ve got the toothpicks ready before you start!

Salmon Cucumber Rolls - Eat Spin Run Repeat

Salmon Cucumber Rolls

by Angela Simpson

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients (10-12 rolls)

  • 3 large English cucumbers
  • 2 cans (213g each) wild caught salmon, drained
  • 1 small carrot, grated
  • 1/4 cup loosely packed dill
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper (or to taste)
  • sunflower sprouts, to garnish
  • toothpicks, to secure the rolls

Instructions

Using a sharp knife, trim the ends off of the cucumbers.

Starting at one end cut a thin strip off of the cucumber, trying to keep the thickness even. It might take a few slices until you start to get them right, but it’s not difficult. Alternatively, you can use a mandoline slicer. You’ll need about 10-12 strips.

Drain the salmon and in a bowl, mash it with the back of a fork. Add the grated carrot, dill, lemon juice and black pepper. Stir until incorporated.

Using a spoon, scoop up about 2 tbsp of the salmon mixture and pack it into a ball. Place it at one end of a cucumber strip, then roll the cucumber up as shown in the recipe photo.

Secure the roll with a toothpick, then place a few sunflower sprouts in the top.

Repeat for all remaining rolls and salmon.

Click here to print the recipe

Salmon Cucumber Rolls - Eat Spin Run Repeat

[Tweet “No-cook summer appetizer #recipe: Salmon Cucumber Rolls”]

Salmon Cucumber Rolls - Eat Spin Run Repeat

So tell me…

  • Have you had any spectacular Pinterest fails recently?
  • What’s your favourite social media network?

The winner of my Vega giveaway was Uana – Congratulations! Thank you so much to all of you who entered, and for all of your fabulous photos on Instagram. Don’t you worry – there are plenty more giveaways coming soon, so stay tuned!

19 thoughts on “Salmon Cucumber Rolls

  1. Love the sushi-esque kick you are on right now. Taking full advantage of the fresh fish, I see! 🙂

    Most things I make are a pinterest fail, let’s be honest. And my absolutely favourite social media platform is Instagram. A picture IS worth a thousand words.

  2. I mainly use toothpicks to check the doneness on baked goods when taking them out of the oven. Other than that, I probably don’t use them for anything else. I bake quite a bit, though, so they’re a “must have” in my kitchen. 😉

  3. These look so delish! I love cooling down with cucumbers in the Summer time.. pairing it with salmon seems like the perfect idea!

    1. Hehe funny you should mention that because I used to hate dill and I still can’t stand dill pickles. Maybe it’s an acquired taste? If you like, you could totally skip the dill and just season with black pepper, or a salt-free seasoning like the Kirkland Organic Salt-Free Seasoning that I always buy from Costco. (Seriously, it’s good on just about everything!)

  4. if you spread the salmon all the way down the cucumber strip then roll it up it all stays in there without falling out.

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