Smoked Salmon Sandwich with Avocado & Pesto {Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free}

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Smoked salmon sandwich makes for the perfect epic lunch sandwich. Packed full of veggies such as arugula, alfalfa, avocado and cucumber this one of the best sandwiches of all time. Gluten-Free & Dairy Free. 
handheld smoked salmon sandwich
Smoked salmon sandwiches are my favorite. Well, tied with a classic BLT of course. I almost always have smoked salmon on hand as it is an excellent ingredient to stock up on – it can be frozen too until ready to use.

Smoked salmon is super versatile. It can be served with eggs for breakfast, made into easy sushi rolls for lunch, a simple salad, a sushi bowl, a hands off pasta dish, or a delicious sandwich.

Don’t need the bread or extra carbs? No problem, just serve this smoked salmon sandwich in the form of a lettuce wrap. The ingredients just work together.
Most of the time I see smoked salmon paired with cream cheese, but that’s not the perfect accompaniment. Smoked salmon and avocado make for the perfect pairing. This duo was made to be together. The creamy avocado brings that sharp smoky salmon to life way more than quick and dense cream cheese.
To bring even more zazz to the picture you’ve got to add arugula, alfalfa, cucumber, mayo & pesto. Nothing else, nothing more. Sandwiched between two toasted sliced of bread, this is the perfect lunch, or road trip snack.
If you have to have a cold meal, let it be an epic sandwich. No sad soggy pieces of bread with turkey and cheese here. If I’m heading on a long drive and need to pack something easy to eat in the car this sandwich is always my go to.

Why this smoked salmon sandwich is the best:

  • packed full of bold fresh flavors
  • easy to make
  • refreshing, crispy, crunchy
  • epic flavors for the best sandwich ever
  • every ingredient plays its part
avocado, pesto, mayo, smoked salmon, arugula and bread on a cutting board

avocado, pesto, mayo, smoked salmon, arugula and bread on a cutting board This post contains affiliate links from which I would earn a small commission from your purchase

These are the best sandwich ingredients if you ask me. And I repeat, for this epic smoked salmon sandwich you’ll need

These Ingredients:

  • bread
  • smoked salmon
  • mayonnaise (my go to mayo is always paleo, either Sir Kensington’s or Primal Kitchen)
  • pesto (home made is best)
  • arugula
  • alfalfa sprouts
  • avocado
  • cucumber

To assemble this smoked salmon sandwich first toast the bread. I have a tendency to overtoast my bread, and then it’s simply too hard and crunchy to enjoy without ripping up the roof of your mouth, so don’t make that mistake.

Lightly toast the bread and add a spoonful of mayo to one piece, and a spoonful of pesto to the other.

Next start by topping the pesto slice with arugula, alfalfa, smoked salmon, cucumber and avocado.

Instead of arugula and alfalfa you could add spring mix, romaine, iceberg, different types of sprouts, your call. My favorite is the sharp arugula and the earthy crunchy alfala sprouts.

Alfalfa sprouts just make a sandwich in my book; you cannot have a turkey sandwich without them, and certainly not a smoked salmon sandwich.

The cucumber you can slice into rounds, long strips, or do as I did and use a manadolin or vegetable peeler to get super long and thin strips. This adds a nice texture to the sandwich.

For additional flavor make sure to season the avocado with salt, pepper and lemon juice before adding to the sandwich.

Top with the other piece of bread, and voila your smoked salmon sandwich is ready.

collage of step by step photos making a smoked salmon sandwichcollage of step by step photos making a smoked salmon sandwich

Recipe Tips/Alterations:

  • use fresh bread and don’t over toast it or it will be too hard and cut up the roof of your mouth
  • make your own home made basil pesto
  • add alfalfa sprouts or other sprouts of choice
  • in place of arugula add spinach, spring mix, romaine, or iceberg
  • use fresh and ripe avocados

smoked salmon sandwich on a platesmoked salmon sandwich on a plate
Just one bite of this sandwich and you’ll be transported to foodie heaven. I don’t normally eat or make sandwiches so any time I do it’s got to be the real deal. No sad soggy turkey and cheese sandwiches over here.
I say if you’re not eating a hot lunch your sandwich better be pretty epic; a poorly assembled minimally filled untoasted sad excuse for a sandwich will simply never do.
With just a few extra minutes and ingredients you may already have at home you can have one of the best sandwiches of your life.And these travel quite well too, and always make for an excellent road trip treat.

Hand held smoked salmon sandwichHand held smoked salmon sandwich

For other smoked salmon recipes ideas be sure to check out my:

For other sandwich ideas check out my: