These fool-proof canapés are easy to whip up, but look impressively fancy. 

Words & recipe: Lucy Corry  Styling & photo: Carolyn Robertson

I’m not a fiddly canapé kind of person, but sometimes it’s good to offer guests something better than a bag of crisps. These are dead easy to make and look impressively fancy.

Makes: about 30 small canapés

INGREDIENTS

1 telegraph cucumber
1 cup mascarpone or cream cheese finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 teaspoons mustard or horseradish sauce
1 large handful fresh dill or fennel fronds, roughly chopped
150g smoked fish (trout is delicious if you are lucky enough to have some), broken into small pieces

METHOD

Peel strips of skin from the cucumber to end up with a pretty green and white edge, and cut into 1cm slices — to make about 30 rounds. Arrange on a platter. Beat together the mascarpone, lemon zest, mustard and half the dill. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Dollop spoonfuls of this mixture on top of each cucumber round. Top each one with a piece of smoked fish. Scatter the remaining herbs on top. Serve with drinks.

---

Lucy Corry is an award-winning New Zealand writer and has been NZ Life & Leisure’s Taste editor since 2018. Her latest book, Homecooked: Seasonal Recipes for Every Day, published by Penguin, is out now, RRP$55.

Love this story? Subscribe now!