Smoked Salmon and Dilled Cream Cheese Bagel

Day 24

Copyright, Doug Kapustin Photography, 2013

We’ve all heard so much about salmon and the health benefits of consuming fish that is high in Omega-3 fatty acids that we can’t ignore the attention it receives. Thankfully, I have always been a huge fan of salmon in any form—salmon cakes, grilled or broiled salmon filets, and even simple salmon salad made from canned salmon—so it’s easy for me to add it to my diet. 

Recently, I’ve been shopping around in search of really nice smoked salmon. I happened upon some reasonably priced wild-caught, smoked, sockeye salmon this week, so I decided to make salmon and cream cheese bagels. These bagels are really more like sandwiches, and they are excellent to serve with fresh sliced cucumber, melon, and strawberries. 

The cream cheese spread is very easy to make, and the salmon is ready to serve since it’s smoked. This makes for a perfectly simple and simply delicious breakfast, brunch, or lunch to serve to friends and family. Because this week is spring break for our kids, my daughter invited a friend to breakfast and I served whole wheat bagels, my favorite cream cheese spread, and smoked salmon with fresh melon and berries. 

Here’s how to make and assemble it for your family and friends!

Smoked Salmon and Dilled Cream Cheese Bagels

Ingredients:
6 whole wheat bagels, sliced and brushed lightly with olive oil and sea salt
12 slices of wild-caught, smoked, sockeye salmon
1 lemon, sliced thinly and cut into half or quarter slices

2- 8 oz. blocks cream cheese, softened to room temperature
½ cup chopped fresh dill
¼ cup chopped fresh chives
1 garlic clove, minced
salt and pepper to taste
dash of Tabasco sauce
dash of Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. mayonnaise

Directions:
With a fork, blend cream cheese, dill, chives, garlic, salt and pepper, Tabasco, Worcestershire, and mayonnaise until everything is nicely incorporated. Set aside. 

Toast bagels (spread with olive oil and sea salt) under broiler until slightly crisp on oil-brushed side.

To assemble, spread each bagel half with cream cheese mixture, place one slice of salmon on top of cream cheese, then place two lemon slices on salmon. Serve immediately.