Smoked Salmon Lettuce Rolls with cream cheese, fresh chives, and cucumber are not only a quick, take-anywhere lunch, but they’re literally as pretty as a rose.
Quick and easy lunches that pack in a lot of flavor with very few ingredients (and prep time) are my mantra these days. These pretty pinwheel bundles of creamy, chive-y smoked salmon tick all of the boxes as a go-to favorite. The smoked salmon lettuce rolls are simple to make, delicious to eat, and look beautiful too!
Scroll down to read more about how it all comes together or click here to jump straight down to the recipe.
What Kind Of Lettuce Works For Salmon Lettuce Rolls?
Every type of lettuce has fiber and a robust cell structure, which keeps the leaves looking like, well, leaves. Some lettuce leaves are a little more rigid than others, but if you try to roll any type of lettuce, chances are, the structure of the leaf will snap and then tear.
Blanching will soften the fiber and cells enough to make the lettuce pliable, but that’s just not a step I’m willing to do when I’m wanting a quick and easy lunch.
I’ve found the most flexible without having to blanch the leaves is romaine lettuce. You will need to remove the stem in the middle of the leaf, called a rib. When the rib is removed, you’re left with two tender, pliable, and roll-able pieces of lettuce, ready for your favorite fillings: cream cheese, cucumber, and smoked salmon, in this case.
Tip: Room Temperature Cream Cheese
To prevent the lettuce leaves from tearing when spreading the cream cheese, allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature. This will also help the cream cheese to act as a binder keeping all of the other ingredients in place and it also helps to hold the pinwheels together to keep their shape. Don’t skip this softening step or you’ll be making things way more difficult for yourself!
When it comes to layering the fillings, less is more. Use no more than a tablespoon of cream cheese per leaf, and only a single layer of the other ingredients to make rolling the pinwheel simple.
How To Roll Pinwheels
When the rib is removed from the leaf, each piece of the leaf will have a straight side and a curly side. As you roll the pinwheels, you’ll instantly create a pinwheel rose.
Place the pinwheels curly-side-up on a plate or in a storage container. The straight side will help keep the pinwheel upright while the curly side creates beautiful texture.
Customize Your Lettuce Rolls
One of the reasons I’m crazy about this recipe is because of its versatility. If you’re not into salmon, you can easily substitute ham or turkey. Or even give it a try with chicken salad!
You can also kick up the flavor with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds or Everything Bagel seasoning. Sprinkle onto the cream cheese when you add the chives. Try them with a dipping sauce too, like our Homemade Teriyaki or a Chili Garlic Sauce.
Want more veggies into your rollup? Substitute the cucumber for broccoli slaw and carrots. Easy is the key, so switch it up so that it works best for you. Then make sure to let me know in the comments how you adjusted the recipe to make perfect for you! – Christine xo
Podcast About Making Lettuce Rolls
Listen to me explain briefly about how to make these smoked salmon lettuce rolls, with some great tips along the way, by clicking the play button below:
Listen to more Recipe of the Day episodes here.
Print
Smoked Salmon Lettuce Rolls Recipe
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
- Category: Entrée
- Method: No Cook
- Cuisine: American
DESCRIPTION
Smoked Salmon Lettuce Rolls with cream cheese, fresh chives, and cucumber are not only a quick, take-anywhere lunch, but they’re literally as pretty as a rose.
Ingredients
- 6 large romaine lettuce leaves
- ½ small English cucumber, seeded, minced
- ⅛ tsp. fine sea salt (optional)
- 12 Tbsp. room-temperature cream cheese, divided (¾ cup)
- 4–5 chive sprigs, minced
- 1 (8 oz.) package thinly sliced smoked salmon
Instructions
- Cut romaine leaves in half lengthwise, removing the ribs; discard ribs.
- Sprinkle romaine and cucumber with salt.
- Place each lettuce leaf on a clean, flat surface, dark side facing down.
- Using the back of a spoon, spread 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese evenly across each piece of lettuce, being careful not to tear the leaves. Sprinkle chives evenly over cream cheese.
- Place a single layer of the salmon over the cream cheese and chives; sprinkle cucumber evenly over salmon.
- Starting from the skinny end of the lettuce leaf, roll tightly toward the wide end of the lettuce, into a cigar shape. Place on a serving plate or storage container with the cut side down so that the leafy part of the romaine is facing up.
- Refrigerate, covered, up to three days.
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This post originally appeared in November 2021 and was revised and republished in May 2023.
Kim says
These tasted amazing! My husband loved them. I found them a little fussy to build the first time, but I’m sure I’ll get better at it.
★★★★★
Christine Pittman says
Everything gets easier with practice. Glad you enjoyed, Kim!