Salmon Sliders with yogurt-cucumber-dill sauce

To make 4- 8 mini sliders

1 – 2 pound Salmon fillets cut into 2”x 4” pieces or the best size you can(see picture below)
Path them dry and salt and pepper them both sides right before cooking.
1 recipe of Mini slider buns ( see below)
½ red onion
4-6 Radishes
2 tablespoons of rice vinegar , salt and pepper to taste
1 ripe avocado in slices
3-4 Lettuce leaves
¼ cup Kalamata Olives
6-8 Long bamboo skewers

For the yogurt sauce:

1 cup Greek yogurt
½ English or pickling cucumber
1 tablespoon of dry dill or 2 tablespoons of fresh.
½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon celery salt
1 small garlic clove
the zest of one yellow lemon
Place everything on a blender or using a hand blender purée into well combined. Keep it chilled.

Slider Buns

Makes 14-16 / 3”mini buns

1 Tablespoon Active dry-yeast
½ cup warm water
½ cup luke warm whole milk
1 large egg room temperature
2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (you can use clarified butter, olive oil, canola)
2 tablespoons of sugar (brown sugar, mascabado, honey or agave nectar)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 cups unbleached All purpose flour
2 tablespoons of heavy cream, or butter.

Directions:

In a Large metal bowl pour the warm water and sprinkle the active dry-yeast and a pinch of sugar. Let it stand until the yeast is dissolved.
In a medium size bowl combine the luke warm milk, egg, oil, sugar, salt whisk well. Add this mixture to the yeast and combine.
Add the flour to this mixture one cup at the time while mixing with your hand or in a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook. (I’ve find the hand method works best. you can tell when the dough is ready by feeling it and the warmth of your hands helps develop the yeast.) Once you add the 3 cups of flour, the dough should feel a bit sticky, transfer the dough ball into a surface dusted with flour and start kneading it with your hands against the counter in folding movements for about 10 min. The dough ball should look smooth and soft and it should gently spring back to the touch.
Proceed to shape the dough into a ball and place it in to a slightly greased metal bowl cover with a plate or plastic wrap and place the bowl in a slightly warm place (near the stove, inside of the oven, or a sunny window) and let the dough proof and rest for about 1 hour.
Past the 1 hour time, the dough should have risen and doubled in size; punch the dough and gently form a ball placing it on a surface slightly dusted with flour. With a bench scraper cut the dough ball into half and then into ¼ and then into 1/8 until you have 14 to 16 equal pieces.
Start by forming a tight ball with each piece using your hand like a scoop against the counter, making round movements and shape each piece of dough into a nice smooth rounded ball. Place them about 2-3 inches apart into a baking sheet lined with parchment paper giving them enough room for the second proofing.
Once you are done with this process, slightly sprinkle some flour over them and let them proof for at least 30-40 more minutes or until almost doubled in size. Some times the buns stick to each other when they proof, do not worry once they are baked you can tear them apart really easily.
Pre heat the oven at 375 F/ 190 C degrees. Brush each ball with a little coat of heavy cream or butter (you can also sprinkle some sesame seeds on the top and bake the buns for about 14-16 minutes on the middle rack of your oven. They should look golden brown on the bottom and the tops your kitchen by now smells like heaven!!! Pull them out of the oven let them rest for 1-2 minutes and then transfer them into a cooling rack.

To Assemble:

On a very hot skillet sauté the Salmon fillets about 2-3 minutes per side leaving the centers slightly pink. Set them aside.
Thinly slice the red onion and radishes and combine them in a small bowl adding a little rice vinegar salt and pepper.
Cut the slider buns in half and slightly toast them , start assembling the sliders.
Place the bottom bun , lettuce , salmon , yogurt –cucumber-dill sauce, radishes and onions place the bun top and with a long skewer passing and olive through it and secure the mini buns…. Time to eat!
*Assembling the sliders in this order will prevent the bun to get soggy. Always use the lettuce as bun protector.