Bite-sized smoked salmon pikelets featuring dill and horseradish cream cheese and a fresh dill garnish. Perfect for your afternoon tea stand or prettiest plate.

A cup of tea, a plate of Smoked Salmon Pikelets

Elegant Bites for Effortless Entertaining

Luxurious and full of flavour, smoked salmon adds an elegant touch to any special occasion—especially Afternoon Tea—and pairs perfectly with a glass of Champagne!

These little pikelets topped with smoked salmon look like a lot of work, but secretely they are one of the easiest things to make with many of the components able to be made ahead of time.

Why You’ll Love These

Elegant yet effortless – They look impressively refined, but are surprisingly simple to make with minimal prep on the day.
Perfect for entertaining – Ideal for Afternoon Tea, festive brunches, or champagne soirées.
Make-ahead friendly – Prep the pikelets and cream cheese topping ahead of time for a stress-free serving experience.
Flavourful & balanced – Creamy dill-horseradish topping pairs beautifully with the rich, silky smoked salmon.
Neat, bite-sized portions – Easy to serve, easy to eat, and beautifully uniform thanks to the thicker pikelet batter.
Visually stunning – A piped swirl of cream cheese, vibrant salmon, and a delicate dill garnish make these picture-perfect for any occasion.

My pikelet batter is intentionally thicker than usual, ensuring a sturdy base for the toppings while also making it easier to control when spooning into the pan. A thinner batter tends to spread more, often resulting in oblong rather than perfectly round pikelets.

For the best results, cook the pikelets in a lightly greased non-stick pan—I prefer vegetable oil for its neutral flavour and colour. The cream cheese is mixed with fresh dill and a little horseradish cream, then piped through a star nozzle for an elegant finish. A generous portion of smoked salmon and a sprig of dill complete these bite-sized treats.

The best part? You can make my Smoked Salmon Pikelets a day in advance—just leave off the dill garnish. Once assembled, cover gently with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Before serving, simply remove them from the fridge, arrange on a tiered stand or platter, top with a sprig of fresh dill, and they’re ready to enjoy!

For a simple Afternoon Tea menu, why not make these as well as:

Afternoon Tea Scones

Curried Egg Finger Sandwiches

Daisy Choux Puffs

Ingredients

Self raising flour: A type of flour that already contains a leavening agent (baking powder) making it a convenient ingredient for baking. It’s commonly used in recipes like cakes, scones, biscuits, and pikelets / pancakes, where a light and fluffy texture is desired.

Egg yolk: Adds flavour, colour, and texture while also acting as a natural binding agent.

Full Fat Milk: Also known as whole milk, contains around 3.5% fat, giving it a rich, creamy texture and a naturally sweet taste.

Salt: Fine table salt works well.

Vegetable oil: A neutral-flavoured, all-purpose cooking oil used for frying, baking, and making dressings due to its high smoke point and mild taste.

Smoked salmon: Cured and smoked fish known for its silky texture, rich flavour, and delicate smokiness.

Cream cheese: Creamy with a rich, slightly tangy flavour and a smooth, spreadable texture. While I have tried a number of store-brand versions, I prefer the texture of the Philadelphia brand.

Fresh dill: A delicate, feathery green herb known for its bright, slightly tangy, and anise-like flavour.

Horseradish cream: Hot and tangy condiment available to purchase pre-made. I like the Masterfoods version.

How to make Smoked Salmon Pikelets

Watch the short video at the end of the recipe card. It will show you a number of handy techniques.

A jug with milk and egg yolk for Smoked salmon pikelets

Make the pikelet batter

Line a tray or plate with paper towel and set aside.

Place the flour and salt in a medium bowl.

Put the egg yolk and milk in a small jug and mix with a fork to combine.

Flour and a little milk sit in a bowl with a fork

Add the milk/egg mixture a little at a time, stirring with a fork between additions to keep it lump free.

Switch to a whisk once the last of the milk is added and mix until smooth. Set aside.

Cook the pikelets

A frying pan being greased with vegetable oil and paper towel in preparation for cooking Smoked Salmon Pikelets

Using a piece of paper towel, coat a non-stick pan with a little vegetable oil and place it on a medium heat.

Using a measuring teaspoon (to ensure the same size pikelets and a round shape), drop equal spoonfuls of mixture into the pan.

Smoked salmon pikelets cooking in a frying pan

Cook until little bubbles appear then flip each pikelet over.

Cook for a further two minutes then remove the pan from the heat and place the pikelets on the tray/plate lined with paper towel.

Repeat with remaining mixture, greasing the pan each time, until you have no more mixture left.

Make the cream cheese mixture

Place softened cream cheese, horseradish cream and fresh dill in a small bowl and mix with a spoon until light and fluffy.

A piping bag filled with dill and horseradish cream cheese sits on a marble bench ready for Smoked Salmon Pikelets.

Fill a small piping bag fitted with an open star tip – I’ve used a 1M. Don’t use a closed star tip as the dill and horseradish will get stuck.

Remove any irregularly shaped pikelets, then count how many remain.
Place the smoked salmon on a cutting board and divide it into the same number of portions as the pikelets. Fold each piece over so it looks uniform.

Construct the Smoked Salmon Pikelets

Hold the piping bag directly above the pikelet, lowering it until the tip just touches the surface.

Gently squeeze until a star-shaped amount of mixture is piped onto the pikelet, then carefully lift the piping bag away.

Repeat with the remaining pikelets.

Take a piece of folded smoked salmon and place it on the piped cream cheese. Neaten it with your fingers if you need to. Repeat.

Garnish each pikelet with a small sprig of fresh dill.

To serve

Place the completed Smoked Salmon Pikelets on a tiered stand, sandwich tray or decorative plate. For a professional touch, make sure the salmon and the garnishes are angled in the same direction.

FAQs about Smoked Salmon Pikelets

How do I make these ahead? – There are lots of ways to do this:

Make the pikelet mixture the day before and keep it covered in the refrigerator before making the next day.
Make the pikelets and refrigerate them for up to two days before serving.
Make the pikelets and freeze for up to one month, then defrost when required.
Make the cream cheese mixture up to two days before serving, allow to come to room temperature then stir before piping.
Make the complete Smoked Salmon Pikelets (without the dill garnish) the day before your event. Place in a sealed container and refrigerate. About 30 minutes before serving, remove them from the fridge, arrange on a tiered stand or platter then top with a sprig of fresh dill.