Smoked Salmon & Chevre Quesadilla with Cucumber Relish

Salmon and chevre quesedilla

Without exception, this little appetizer brings compliments and recipe requests. It is easy to pull together and fun to serve.  The relish should be made several hours in advance; the quesadilla can be assembled 1-2 hours before baking and serving.

To make the relish: Very thinly slice or cube one hothouse cucumber into a bowl.  Add 2 Tb chopped shallots and 1 Tb minced fresh dill. Set aside. In a small saucepan, combine ½ C white vinegar, ½ C water, ½ C granulated sugar and 1 tsp salt. Bring to a simmer and stir to dissolve the sugar and salt. Pour hot dressing over cucumber mixture and let cool to room temperature or chill.

To make the quesadilla: Divide 5 oz. montrachet goat cheese evenly among 5 medium sized flour tortillas.  Use your fingers to spread it around the entire tortilla. Top cheese with ¼ lb. thinly sliced smoked salmon divided among tortillas. Add a sprinkling of ¼ C chopped green onion and 1 ½ Tb fresh dill.  Place another flour tortillas on top of each one and gently press down.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. Arrange quesadillas on a sheet pan, lightly oiled with vegetable oil. Lightly brush the top with oil and bake for 5 min or until crisp and golden.

Slice into quarters or eighths and serve with the cucumber relish on the side for guests to add as desired.  So great –It’s a tangy relish with slight crunch of the baked tortilla encasing the smoking salmon and creamy goat cheese. 

--Larue