Salmon and Pepper Croissant Sandwiches

I think that sandwiches made with croissants are so luxurious. Even if all you can get are bakery croissants that aren’t very flaky, and just have the texture of regular bread, the large surface area of the rolls gives them more texture. They stand up to fillings much better than white bread or plain rolls. And they are delicious in my Salmon and Pepper Croissant Sandwiches.

If you can find real croissants, of course, that’s best. But in Minnesota, I take what I can find! Sometimes I’ll buy frozen croissant dough and bake them just for these sandwiches. But most bakery croissants are just fine.

The filling in this easy recipe is simple and so good. The combination of salmon, mustard, mayonnaise, red bell peppers, and avocados is just about perfect.

You could, of course, use any type of meat or vegetables you’d like in the filling. Shredded cooked chicken, sliced rare steak, cooked shrimp, or even tuna would be delicious. You could use sliced zucchini in place of the bell peppers, or use leftover green beans or even peas. But don’t omit the avocado; I think that ingredient is necessary for the luxurious taste of these sandwiches.

Why this recipe for Salmon and Pepper Croissant Sandwiches works:

• Luxurious ingredients give this sandwich a wonderful mouth-feel. Mouth-feel, by the way, is a technical term for the texture of a food as you chew it. Good mouth-feel terms include creamy, crisp, crunchy, tender.
• Even though this is a quick recipe, it tastes wonderful.
• Make sure that the avocado is ripe before you slice into it, and rinse the fruit before you slice. A ripe avocado will give slightly when it’s gently pressed with the fingers. To ripen an avocado, put it into a paper bag with other avocados or a banana. The banana gives off ethylene gas that hastens ripening.
• You can substitute canned salmon, well drained, for the cooked fillets if you’d like, but the sandwich won’t be as good. (Remove the bones and skin before you add the salmon to the filling.) I like to cook extra fillets when I’m grilling, and save them specifically to make this sandwich.