Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Pillows with Prawns

It’s been blazing hot in Adelaide, South Australia recently- 100 ° F– which means early morning walks followed by a cool dip in nearby Holdfast Bay, then being holed up inside until the early evening when it starts to cool down. So, life is not all that bad in the southern Australian summer (especially when you’re retired), but I have been avoiding making things like heavy stews and hot curries.

Instead, I’ve been heading towards cooler recipes like this Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese Pillows with Prawns. ‘Pillows’ you say? What are those? Well, they are thin slices of smoked salmon wrapped around a cream cheese mixture, made with the aid of a cupcake pan (or tin)! Easy to throw together and certainly a recipe to cool you down during the heat, with its chilled cream cheese, lemon slice and drizzling of lemon oil.

The Method

First, you line 6 holes of a cupcake pan with pieces of plastic wrap with the sides overhanging the holes by two inches, followed by lining the bottoms and sides with thinly sliced smoked salmon.

Next, fill each hole with the cream cheese mixture, fold in the sides of the smoked salmon, and finally fold the plastic wrap into the middle.

Finally, un-mold the cream cheese from the plastic and garnish with a lemon slice, piece of cooked prawn or shrimp and a drizzling of lemon oil. This makes a great dish to wolf down by yourself or to serve as a simple (but delicious) appetiser to your friends.

Hopefully, after eating these ‘pillows’, I’ll finally be able to get a good night’s sleep! Bon appétit!