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American

Bagels with Lox

Toasted bagels get a thick layer of cream cheese, cold-smoked salmon, and the sharp extras that make a deli plate. Everything is assembled cold except the short toast.

Prep
15 min
Cook
8 min
Total
23 min
Servings
4
Difficulty
Easy
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Split toasted bagels spread with cream cheese and topped with smoked salmon, red onion, capers, tomato, and dill

Why you’ll love it

  • Store-bought cold-smoked salmon is ready to eat. It is kept cold and is not cooked again.
  • Toasting the bagel in the oven dries the cut side so the cream cheese does not turn the bread gummy.
  • Onion, capers, tomato, and lemon are the contrast. Salmon and cream cheese are rich on their own.
  • The plate should be assembled just before eating so the salmon stays chilled.

Ingredients

Servings4

Ingredient amounts scale. Oven temperature and cook time do not. Salt, spices, and leaveners are a starting point after you scale. Taste and adjust.

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Instructions

  1. 1

    Heat the oven to 375°F. Keep the smoked salmon in the refrigerator until you are ready to plate.

  2. 2

    Set the split bagels cut side up on a sheet pan. Toast 6 to 8 minutes, until the cut sides are dry and lightly golden. Do not walk away near the end.

  3. 3

    Cool the bagels 2 minutes so the cream cheese does not melt into a slick.

  4. 4

    Spread the cream cheese on both halves of each bagel.

  5. 5

    Drape the cold-smoked salmon over the cream cheese. It does not need cooking.

  6. 6

    Add the red onion, capers, tomato, and dill. Grind the black pepper over the top.

  7. 7

    Serve right away with the lemon wedges. A squeeze of lemon is the last seasoning.

  8. 8

    If the salmon smells sour, sharp, or like ammonia, throw it out and do not serve it.

Pro tips

  • Pull the salmon from the fridge at the last minute. It should still feel cold when it hits the plate.
  • A thinner onion slice is easier to eat than a thick ring.
  • Everything bagels are good here. Plain or sesame also work.

Easy substitutions

cream cheese
whipped cream cheese
cold-smoked salmon
hot-smoked salmon, flaked, still kept cold
fresh dill
1 tsp dried dill

Storage and reheating

Storage

Assemble only what you will eat. Keep leftover salmon and cream cheese refrigerated and use within 1 day, or by the package date if sooner. Do not leave the plated bagels out longer than 2 hours.

Reheating

Do not reheat the salmon. Toast leftover bagel halves again and spread cold cream cheese and cold salmon just before eating.

Nutrition

Estimates per serving, using standard ingredient averages and rounded to the nearest gram. This is not a lab analysis, and it shifts if you change brands or add sides.

Calories
434
Protein
22 g
Carbs
46 g
Fat
18 g
Fiber
3 g

Special occasion · Oven

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From the kitchen

Kitchen tools we love

Practical tools these recipes actually use. This is not a review roundup, and these are not paid placements. If affiliate links are added later, they will be labeled and disclosed.

  • A heavy 12-inch skillet

    Most of the chicken and steak recipes are written for one pan that holds heat. Stainless or cast iron both work.

  • An air fryer with a real basket

    The air-fryer recipes expect a single layer. A crowded basket steams instead of browning.

  • A half-sheet pan

    Drumsticks, potatoes, sausage, and carrots all use one. A dark pan browns faster than a very shiny one.

  • A sharp chef’s knife

    These recipes do not need a specialty blade. A sharp 8-inch knife is faster and safer than a dull one.

  • A large cutting board

    Big enough that the onion and the raw chicken are not sharing the same puddle.

  • Dry cups and a liquid cup

    Desserts in particular expect level dry measures and a separate cup for milk.

  • An instant-read thermometer

    Use it for poultry, pork chops, and meatloaf. Color is a weak guide.

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Ingredients