Mini sandwiches for New Year

Prepare all the necessary ingredients for New Year's mini sandwiches. The main ingredient is red fish. I like to salt the fish at home, so I always know what it will taste like. In this recipe, I used Murmansk trout. I like its delicate flavor and beautiful fillet with layers. You can use any red fish: sockeye salmon, coho salmon, salmon, etc. You can buy ready-made fish, even sliced into pieces. The only thing to pay attention to is the composition and expiration date. Avoid flavor enhancers and dyes in salted fish. It is better to use toast bread, as it has the most suitable shape for making beautiful triangular mini sandwiches for the New Year's table. I chose multigrain toast bread, which contains flax seeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds. You can also use dark toast bread. It will go well with the red fish. To make the mini sandwiches juicy, you need to buy fresh cottage cheese. I used original cottage cheese without additives. However, if you like, you can use cottage cheese with herbs and other additions. Pickles are needed for decorating the New Year's appetizer, but you can replace them with olives or black olives. Also, to fix the pickle or olive on the mini sandwich, we will need several toothpicks for canapes. And the last ingredient is fresh and crispy lettuce leaves.

Place the toast bread on a baking sheet to slightly dry it. We need a crispy crust on top and a soft crumb inside. You can do this on a dry skillet or use a toaster.

Remove the golden pieces of bread from the oven (baking time is 5-8 minutes in the oven at 180 degrees). It is necessary to monitor the process to avoid over-drying the toast and preventing them from turning into croutons or, worse, burning. After the bread has browned, let it cool for 5 minutes to allow the moisture to evaporate.

Slice the red fish into thin slices, removing the skin and bones if any.

Spread each toast with cottage cheese, ensuring a thick layer of cheese. The mini sandwiches should be juicy.

Wash the lettuce leaves and remove excess moisture with a paper towel.

Place a lettuce leaf on top of the cottage cheese, followed by several slices of red fish. Leave the second slice of bread with only cottage cheese.

Cover the fish toast with the second cottage cheese toast and cut diagonally with a sharp knife. You can also cut the bread crosswise to make square-shaped mini sandwiches instead of triangular ones. This will result in 4 mini sandwiches from 2 toasts. Repeat the same process with the remaining ingredients.

To decorate the mini sandwiches for New Year, thread a small pickle or part of it onto a skewer, then add some greens and pierce the mini sandwich. You can also decorate them with olives, black olives, or cherry tomatoes.

The storage stage of mini sandwiches. Ready-made sandwiches can be stored in the refrigerator for 24 hours, for this, they need to be covered with plastic wrap or folded into a container with a lid. Keep in mind that the bread will no longer be crispy after refrigeration. Therefore, if you plan to make mini sandwich appetizers in advance, you can skip toasting the bread and simply use soft white or black bread.

Serve the New Year's mini sandwiches on a flat plate or platter for the festive table. You can also arrange this appetizer in individual portions for your guests. The mini sandwiches turn out to be very beautiful and delicious. They are so tempting to try, and the best part is that they are easy and quick to prepare. Enjoy your meal!