30 minutes or less/biscuits/sides/snacks

Smoked Salmon and Chive Biscuits

Posted October 19, 2018 by Stephanie
smoked salmon chive biscuits

I made these biscuits and Mike didn’t want to try them because they were too brown. He also claimed that he doesn’t like biscuits. I have to admit, these aren’t the prettiest biscuits. They are too brown. And you can’t really see the layers. I used a glass to cut them out instead of a cookie cutter and it basically squished everything together. BUT…they taste good! I mean, I know we eat with our eyes first and all that, but these guys legitimately are really, really tasty.

Smoked Salmon and Chive Biscuits | www.iamafoodblog.com

Anyway, here’s how I made them. First, I gathered all the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Everything went in a bowl with the cheese, smoked salmon, and chives. Mix it all together then pop it into the fridge (or freezer if you have space) to keep all the ingredients cold – you want everything to stay cold because you want your butter to be in distinct pieces in the dough so that when you put your biscuits in the oven, the butter explodes and you get those flaky layers that are so prized in biscuits.

To make sure that the butter stays nice and cold, I always like to freeze it, then grate it on the biggest holes of a box grater. When I first started making biscuits, I used to cut the butter up into little cubes, but after grating frozen butter, there was no going back. I don’t remember where I first learned about it, but it works! The butter is in small pieces so it distributes through the dough well and you don’t have to handle it much.

After the frozen butter is mixed into the flour mixture, just the tiniest bit of buttermilk is mixed in. Side note: if you don’t have buttermilk at home, but you have milk, the easiest thing to do is add a bit of lemon juice or white vinegar (1 tablespoon acid to 1 cup milk) and let it curdle a bit. Boom! Instant buttermilk. If you want those extra flaky biscuits – flakier than mine – try the biscuit folding method.

Mike: Why do I feel between the two of these I’m eating massive amounts of cheese?
Me: Because you are.
Mike: I mean it’s good, but I don’t know if it’s a good biscuit. Why is it so fluffy? Shouldn’t a biscuit be flaky?
Me: Do you think it’s not flaky?
Mike: I dunno. If you think it’s flaky, it’s flaky.

I thought they were flaky! To me, these are the very definition of handheld comfort food: buttery, flaky, cheesy goodness in ever bite. The little salty bits of smoked salmon delightful little pops of flavor and the chives, well, they add a bit of color and freshness. Trust me, these guys are a good thing!

Smoked Salmon and Chive Biscuits | www.iamafoodblog.com

Note from Mike: None of what was said in this post was true, I love biscuits, as long as they are covered with gravy. These biscuits, while good, are incompatible with gravy. Maybe a hollandaise or something, but not gravy, so can you really even call them biscuits?

Smoked Salmon and Chive Biscuit Recipe
makes 6 biscuits


  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 3/4 teaspoons kosher salt
  • 2 ounces shredded mozzarella, about 1/2 cup
  • 1/2 cup chopped smoked salmon
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
  • 6 tablespoons very cold or frozen unsalted butter
  • 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons very cold buttermilk

Heat the oven to 450°F.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder and soda, salt, shredded mozzarella, smoked salmon, and chives. Place the bowl in the fridge. On the large holes of a box grater, grate the butter into small pieces. Mix into the flour mixture.

Slowly add the buttermilk, mixing in with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon until a soft dough forms. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and fold and pat down until the dough comes together in a circle or rectangle, about 1 1/4 inch thick.

Use a biscuit cutter (2-2.5 inches) and cut out biscuits. Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and freeze for 15 minutes. Bake from frozen for 15-18 minutes or until slightly golden. Let cool and enjoy!

2 Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

$(function(){ var trigger = $('.hamburger'), overlay = $('.overlay'), isClosed = false; trigger.click(function () { hamburger_cross(); }); function hamburger_cross() { if (isClosed == true) { overlay.hide(); trigger.removeClass('is-open'); trigger.addClass('is-closed'); isClosed = false; } else { overlay.show(); trigger.removeClass('is-closed'); trigger.addClass('is-open'); isClosed = true; } } $('[data-toggle="offcanvas"]').click(function () { $('#wrapper').toggleClass('toggled'); }); bindBehavior.subscribe(); });