These salami mozzarella pesto skewers are a three-ingredient keto antipasto bite, salami wrapped around pesto-dipped fresh mozzarella on a toothpick, at about 1 gram of net carbs. They are no-cook party food that vanishes off the board, so make plenty.
I like appetizers as simple as possible and this recipe fits the bill. I love caprese salads, but my husband is one of those guys who needs something more "substantial" a.k.a. a meal with meat in it. I was making up skewers with tomato, mozzarella, and pesto one day and he said "why don't you try using salami instead of that tomato" and that was the birth of this Hors d'oeuvre. I'd like to say that this recipe was more thought out than that, but that is the true story. So if you have a meat loving spouse like me they will love this appetizer.
A salumi board on a toothpick
What this really is, is an Italian antipasto in handheld form. Swap the tomato of a caprese skewer for salami and you have cured meat and fresh cheese, the heart of a salumi-and-cheese board, in a single bite, with the pesto standing in for the basil. Dropping the tomato also drops most of the carbs, which is how a bite this rich stays around a gram. A homemade pesto makes them taste like more work than they are.
Make plenty, serve them right
The only real tip is the one in the recipe: make more than you think, because they go first. Assemble them on sturdy toothpicks so they hold together, and pull them from the fridge a little before serving so the mozzarella softens and the salami blooms. Set them next to a jar of marinated mozzarella for a two-cheese spread. They are a party-board favorite in my low carb snacks guide.
Sources
USDA FoodData Central, nutrient references for salami, fresh mozzarella, and pesto.
Sugarfreechic test kitchen, low-carb appetizer notes.
