Smoked Salmon Bagel
This smoked salmon bagel is a fast, satisfying deli-style classic with creamy, tangy, salty, and fresh flavors in every bite. Crisp toasted bagel, rich cream cheese, silky smoked salmon, sharp red onion, briny capers, dill, and lemon make a balanced and elegant breakfast or light lunch.
Ingredients
Bagel assembly
- 2 whole (about 200 g total)bagels, halved
- 100 gcream cheese, softened
- 120 gsmoked salmon
- 40 gred onion, very thinly sliced
- 20 gcapers, drained
- 6 gfresh dill, roughly chopped
- 1/2 wholelemon
- 1 gblack pepper
Instructions
- 1
Halve the bagels if needed and toast them until the cut sides are golden and crisp but the centers still have some chew, about 2-3 minutes in a toaster or under a hot grill.
- 2
While the bagels toast, thinly slice the red onion, chop the dill, drain the capers, and cut the lemon into wedges. Keeping the onion very thin gives bite without overpowering the salmon.
- 3
Spread the cut sides of the warm toasted bagels generously with cream cheese. Spreading while warm helps it soften and cover evenly.
- 4
Layer the smoked salmon over the bottom halves, folding the slices loosely rather than laying them flat for a fuller texture. Top with the sliced red onion, capers, dill, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a little black pepper.
- 5
Close with the top halves or serve open-faced straight away. Serve immediately while the bagel is still warm and crisp for the best contrast with the cool toppings.
Nutrition per serving
Notes
- •For cleaner flavor, briefly soak the sliced red onion in cold water for 2 minutes, then drain well before using.
- •If your smoked salmon is very salty, reduce the capers slightly and add a bit more lemon.
- •Open-faced serving makes the bagel easier to eat and shows off the topping.
- •A few cucumber slices or tomato would work well, but they are optional and not traditional to this simple version.
Background
The smoked salmon bagel became a deli classic in the United States, especially in New York, where Jewish immigrant bagel traditions met the popularity of cured fish. Cream cheese, lox-style salmon, onion, and capers remain one of the most recognizable savory bagel combinations.
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