Tea Sandwiches
Updated May 8, 2024
- Total Time
- 1 hour 20 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 1½ hours
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1English cucumber, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
- Salt
- 32slices soft white sandwich bread
- ¾cup unsalted butter, softened but not melty
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ½cup unsalted butter, softened but not melty
- 1tablespoon chopped fresh dill
- 1tablespoon chopped fresh chives
- 1tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- Salt
- 14slices brown bread, like pumpernickel
- 8ounces smoked salmon
For Traditional Cucumber Sandwiches
For Smoked Salmon Sandwiches
Nutritional analysis per serving (46 servings)
112 calories; 6 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 11 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 3 grams protein; 142 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Make the cucumber tea sandwiches: Place the cucumber rounds in a colander. Lightly salt them and let sit until water droplets form on the slices, 15 to 20 minutes. Lay out some paper towels or a clean kitchen towel, place the cucumber slices on top and pat them dry.
- Step 2
Stack slices of white bread and cut off the crusts. Slather each slice with butter. Put the cucumber rounds on half the slices of bread, overlapping the rounds slightly. Grind pepper on top and sandwich with the remaining slices of bread. Cut in half to make rectangles.
- Step 3
Make the smoked salmon tea sandwiches: Mix the butter, dill, chives, parsley and lemon juice together in a small bowl. Season with salt to taste.
- Step 4
Stack slices of brown bread and cut off the crusts. Slather each slice with the herb butter. Put smoked salmon on half the slices of bread. Top with the remaining slices of bread and cut in half to make rectangles.
Private Notes
Comments
As a cook in Main Line Philadelphia, many years ago, I worked in a kitchen that produced thousands of tea sandwiches every year, for Tuesday afternoon clubs, Thursday afternoon clubs, and any other club that met on some day of the week. We used cookie cutters to make the sandwiches into little flower shapes or circles (as alternative to rigid squares or triangles) and filled them with finely chopped tuna or chicken salad. Another, with watercress and cream cheese was rolled.
For afternoon tea last summer I used the original Boursin cheese with thin English cucumber slices...they didn't last long.
My mother and I used to help make many trays of these tea sandwiches for the Ladies Auxiliary of the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal, back in the 70’s. The secret to perfectly sliced sandwiches was to use an electric carving knife to remove the crusts. Never failed, no sawing or tearing of the bread (Pepperidge Farm thin bread was preferred). I still have my decades old electric knife ready any time tea sandwiches are required!
When our little team of volunteers made mountainous platters of tea sandwiches, we set aside the crusts. They make excellent, easy savory bread puddings.
Lovely traditional English tea sandwiches-thank you.
Great article, thanks; but don't forget the Chinese-black-style tea, brewed strong, steeped long and articulated by whole milk--whole milk, I say! Enjoy!