Salmon and Cream Cheese Rolls

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   For this dish I recommend using commercially produced smoked, lightly salted salmon, and here's why: that kind of fish is sliced on special professional equipment, so the slices come out perfectly even in thickness. Personally, I've never managed to cut slices that evenly from a whole piece of fish. But if you can, then great — you're the cook of the year!

2. Step 2:

   

   Check the salmon for bones and leftover scales. Remove anything that shouldn't be there.

3. Step 3:

   

   My salmon slices happened to have long tips on one side. That would have made them awkward to work with, so I trimmed off the long thin parts. They came in handy as a treat for the cook — that is, me :) Scoop up a heaping teaspoon of cream cheese and shape it into a little log. Place the cheese on the salmon slices.

4. Step 4:

   

   Now for the fun part. Roll up the rolls, trying to get a stable base on one end and a pretty rosette shape on the other.

5. Step 5:

   

   Using a skewer, pierce each salmon roll all the way through from top to bottom at an angle (diagonally). Any small skewers will do — plastic or bamboo, like mine. The main thing is that they're sharp enough to go all the way through the roll. Garnish the rolls with a wedge of lemon and a leaf of fresh parsley. Sprinkle sesame seeds and ground black pepper on top to taste. Done!