Canapé
- Difficulty: Easy
- Prep time: 60 min
- Cook time: 5 min
- Makes: pieces
- Cost: Low
PRESENTATION
Canapé recipes? They're all about fun and elegance at the table, especially when friends are over or you’re celebrating something special. These bite-sized appetizers start with soft bread—usually crusts off for that neat look. After a bit of butter or a swipe of sauce, you can really go wild. Some folks stick to classics like smoked salmon for a touch of fancy. Others? They pile on veggies, cured meats, or maybe something tangy like herby cream cheese. Really, the goal is to keep them small and tender enough to pop in your mouth, so you can try a bunch without feeling stuffed. What sets these apart from other party appetizers? It's how they get dressed up—think colorful herbs, little sprigs, or a sprinkle of seeds. Super tasty.
When there’s a festive gathering, the atmosphere feels more special with a plate of easy canapé ideas ready to go. Each one looks like a tiny piece of art. Picture them all lined up, inviting people to grab their favorites, chatting and laughing while sampling different flavors. So here's the thing: with so many ways to mix and match toppings, quick canapé recipes never get boring. Whether you’re into the classic smoked salmon tartine or trying some wild combos, there's room for plenty of creamy spreads, crispy bread, or even a bit of sweet to balance out the savory. People just love how these simple canapés bring style to cocktail parties or family events. They’re easy to make ahead, look awesome on the table, and always get folks talking. For sure.
Thing is, with just a bit of care and a splash of color, these finger foods go from basic snacks to something that really surprises and delights every guest. So, next time you plan a gathering, remember these little bites—they pack a punch in taste and presentation. Really really good, you know?
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INGREDIENTS
- for the shrimp cream
- Shrimps 4.5 oz (130 g)
- Garlic 1 clove
- Extra virgin olive oil to taste
- Cream cheese 1.75 oz (50 g)
- Black pepper to taste
- Basil to taste - (optional)
- Fine salt to taste
- for the herb cream
- Chives to taste
- Cream cheese 2.1 oz (60 g)
- Fine salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- for 10 white bread canapés
- Sandwich bread 3.2 oz (90 g)
- Prosciutto cotto 1 - slice
- Smoked Salmon 1.5 oz (40 g)
- Basil to taste
- Lemon peel 1
- Black pepper to taste
- Zucchini 8 - small rings
- Chives to taste - for decoration
- for 20 dark bread canapés
- Basil to taste
- Cucumbers 5 - mini
- Shrimps 5 - (with tail)
- Cherry tomatoes 4
- Salami 2 - slices cut in quarters
- Prosciutto crudo 1 - slice
- Black olives 1 - cut into rings
- Rye bread 5.3 oz (150 g)
- Zucchini 10 - small rings
- Mayonnaise 2 tbsp (30 g)
Herb and Salmon Cream
To prepare the herb cream, put 2 oz of Philadelphia cream cheese with chives 1 in a blender and blend until you get a thick cream 2, then adjust with salt and pepper if necessary. To prepare the shrimp cream, wash, clean, and shell the shrimp, and sauté a clove of garlic with a little oil in a non-stick pan 3.
Cook the shrimp in the pan for a few minutes over high heat 4. Once cooked, blend the shrimp with a mixer along with 1.75 oz of Philadelphia cream cheese 5, a few basil leaves, salt, and pepper to taste, until a thick cream is obtained 6.
White Bread Canapés
SALMON CANAPÉS: To make the salmon canapés, slice a zucchini into thin rounds and grill them for a few minutes (you should obtain 18 rounds) 1. Use a vegetable peeler to cut the zest off a lemon and julienne it finely. Cut strips of salmon 0.6 inches wide and 3 inches long, then roll them on themselves to form a small rose 2. Now, take the white sandwich bread, remove the crust, and using a 2-inch round cutter, get 5 shapes (we used a flower-shaped cutter, like the one for shortbread, and the circle, but you can choose any shape you like) 3.
At this point, you can assemble your canapés: transfer the chive cream into a pastry bag fitted with a star nozzle and pipe a dollop on each bread slice 4, place a slice of grilled zucchini (you will use 5 in total, keep the remaining ones aside) 5, and finally the salmon rose. Decorate with a sprig of chives and the lemon zest 6. Your salmon canapés are ready!
COOKED HAM CANAPÉS: To prepare the cooked ham canapés, use the flower-shaped cutter to cut 5 slices of sandwich bread 1 and 5 slices of cooked ham. Take 3 grilled zucchini rounds from earlier and cut them in half 2. Now compose the appetizers by putting a dollop of herb cream on each appetizer 3 (if you prefer, you can also use the shrimp cream),
then a slice of ham, another dollop of cream 4 and finally decorate with a half slice of zucchini 5. The cooked ham canapés are ready! 6
Dark Bread Canapés
SHRIMP CANAPÉS: To make the shrimp canapés, start by preparing the rye bread base: remove the crust with a knife, and using a 2-inch round cutter, get 5 shapes 1 (we used a flower-shaped cutter, like the one for shortbread, and the circle, but you can choose any shape you like). Take 2 cherry tomatoes and cut them into quarters, then put the shrimp cream in a pastry bag and decorate the bread slices 2. Place a shrimp with the tail, which you previously cooked for a couple of minutes in a pan with a little olive oil and a clove of garlic, on each appetizer, and complete the garnish with a quarter of a cherry tomato and a basil leaf 3. Your shrimp canapés are ready!
ZUCCHINI AND SHRIMP CREAM CANAPÉS: To prepare the zucchini and shrimp cream canapés, cut in half the 10 grilled zucchini rounds you have left 1, garnish the rye bread discs with the shrimp cream 2 and decorate them with the zucchinis to form a flower and a basil leaf 3. Your zucchini and shrimp cream canapés are ready.
PROSCIUTTO CRUDO CANAPÉS: To prepare the prosciutto crudo canapés, cut the prosciutto crudo into strips and roll them on themselves to form small flowers 1, then cut two cherry tomatoes into quarters. Take the rye bread, remove the crust with a knife, and cut 5 small rectangles approximately 2 inches long (you can also use leftover bread scraps from the previous preparation to make the rectangles). Assemble the canapés by placing a dollop of herb cream on each bread slice 2. Complete with a prosciutto flower, a cherry tomato wedge, and a basil leaf 3.
SALAMI CANAPÉS: To prepare the salami canapés, cut the salami slices into quarters, make 5 small rectangles of rye bread as in the previous preparation, using leftovers from previous preparations, slice an olive into thin rounds, and then transfer the mayonnaise into a pastry bag. Assemble the canapé by putting mayonnaise on each bread slice 1 and a quarter of a salami slice rolled up 2; finally, decorate with a small gherkin and an olive slice 3. Your salami canapés are ready!