Smoked Salmon Bagel Sandwich

This Salmon Bagel Sandwich is loaded with a Lemon Herb Cream Cheese. It’s quick, easy and perfect for lunch!

Salmon bagels are an absolute classic. There’s a few different ways to make them, and here I’ll show today how I make mine 😋. Follow me…

Herb Cream Cheese

Where there’s a salmon bagel, there’s gotta be cream cheese. It’s just the rules 🤷‍♂️. Don’t get me wrong, a bagel sandwich that consists of purely salmon and cream cheese IS totally delicious. But this is me and this is this blog, so you know we’re gonna take it up a few notches.

Herb Cream Cheese Ingredients

• Cream Cheese – Go for full fat here, reduced fat cream cheeses tend to be a little tangy.
• Lemon Zest – Important that the lemon is zested properly, just so you get the flavour without the texture. You can sub lemon juice here, the spread just won’t be quite as thick.
• Chives – These add a gorgeous punch of flavour and pair perfectly with the salmon.
• Parsley – A little more subtle than chives, but still adds an extra layer of flavour.
• Black Pepper – This adds a nice little kick of spice to balance out the creaminess.

What Cream Cheese to use?

I always go for Philadelphia. It’s a little pricier than store brands but absolutely worth it in my opinion.

Can I make this ahead of time?

Yep! In fact it’ll actually give time for the flavours to marry into the cream cheese. Just tightly cover in the fridge until needed.

Process shots: add herb cream cheese ingredients to small mixing bowl (photo 1), mash with a fork until smooth (photo 2).

Salmon Bagel Sandwich

Now here’s where the fun begins. You can work to preference and tweak as needed, but for the best salmon bagel sandwich here’s what I recommend:

Salmon Bagel Sandwich Fillings

• Lemon Herb Cream Cheese – (discussed above)
• Avocado – Texture-wise this adds to the creaminess of the cheese spread. The flavour goes perfectly with cream cheese and the salmon itself.
• Red Onion – Not only does this add a pop of colour, but it adds a nice crunch to the filling. The slight acidity works really well with the salmon and adds a punch of flavour to the sandwich.
• Salmon – Smoked salmon, just roughly torn. There’s absolutely no need to cook smoked salmon, it just goes straight in the sandwich!
• Lemon Juice – The juice and zest of a lemon actually offer slightly different flavours. A squeeze of lemon juice over the smoked salmon works wonders and compliments the zest in the cheese spread.
• Dill – Dill and salmon is a classic combo. You won’t need much of this, a little goes a long way with dill.
• Cucumber – This is optional, but I loved shaving a cucumber with a potato peeler and adding the ribbons in. A really tasty way to finish the sandwich!

What Bagels to use?

Here I use sesame seeded bagels, just for an extra layer of flavour. You could however use regular plain bagels if you wanted. In both cases just make sure they’re toasted. Here I toast them in a scorching hot griddle pan to add some char, just for some extra smoky flavour. You could just use a toaster or broil under the grill.

What else could I add to this sandwich?

I’d say this sandwich is already fully loaded, but if you want to add or sub in anything else capers and rocket/arugula work nicely!

Serving Salmon Bagel Sandwiches

From there you’re good to go! Just pop on the other half of the bagel and tuck right in.

What goes with smoked salmon sandwich?

• Crisp/Chip Recommendation: I think Salt & Vinegar really compliment the salmon here. I have been known to put the crisps in the bagel before, but that’s a story for another day.
• Side Recommendation: Some Garlic Parmesan Fries would go nicely! You could even serve with a Berry Fruit Salad for afters.

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this salmon bagel sandwich shall we?!

How to make a Salmon Bagel Sandwich (Full Recipe & Video)

Salmon Bagel Sandwich

This Salmon Bagel Sandwich is loaded with a Lemon Herb Cream Cheese. It's quick, easy and perfect for lunch!

5 from 5 votes

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Course: lunch

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Servings (click & slide): 4 sandwiches

Calories per serving: 637kcal

Author: Chris

Cost per serving: £2.50 / $3

Equipment

• Small Mixing Bowl & Fork (for herb cream cheese)
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Zester

Ingredients

Lemon Herb Cream Cheese

• 7oz / 200g Cream Cheese (full fat)
• 1 tbsp EACH: Fresh Chives, Fresh Parsley, finely diced
• zest of 1/2 Lemon (see notes)
• 1/8 - 1/4 tsp Cracked Black Pepper, or to taste

Salmon Bagel Sandwich

• 4 Bagels, halved & toasted (see notes)
• 7oz / 200g Smoked Salmon, roughly torn
• 2 small/medium Avocados, halved, pitted, peeled & sliced
• 1 medium Red Onion, peeled & sliced into very thin rounds
• 1/2 small Cucumber, shaved into ribbons using potato peeler (optional)
• 4 pinches of Fresh Dill
• squeeze of Lemon Juice, to taste

Instructions

• In a small mixing bowl add cream cheese, lemon zest, parsley, chives and black pepper. Mash with a fork until smooth then place to one side.
• Spread cream cheese on the bottom half of your bagel. Top with sliced avocado, followed by some finely sliced red onion. Top with smoked salmon and add a squeeze of lemon juice. Sprinkle over some fresh dill (careful, a little goes a long way) then finished with cucumber (optional).
• Add the top half of your bagel and enjoy!

Quick Demo

Notes

a) Bagels - You can use any bagels you fancy. Here I've used sesame seeded bagels, but regular work just fine. In all cases make sure you've toasted the bagel halves. The filling is quite soft so it's good to have a nice toasty casing to contain it all. I toast mine in high heat on a dry griddle pan, but you could also toast them in the toaster or broil under the grill.

b) Lemon Zest - Important to use a zester and get the zest super fine. You want the flavour, but none of the texture. You could finely grate it but I recommend dicing it with a knife until it starts to mush into a paste. Failing that you could just squeeze in lemon juice to taste (cream cheese will be slightly thinner).

c) Fillings -  I sometimes use cucumber sometimes don't, both versions taste great. Sometimes I'll add a tsp of capers per bagel, but consider reducing or omitting the onion otherwise the sandwich gets a bit tangy. Rocket/Arugula also works nicely here!

d) Calories - Per bagel using full fat cream cheese: 

Your Private Notes:

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Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts

Salmon Bagel Sandwich

Amount Per Serving

Calories 637 Calories from Fat 292

% Daily Value*

Fat 32.49g50%

Saturated Fat 11.85g74%

Trans Fat 0.038g

Polyunsaturated Fat 3.27g

Monounsaturated Fat 14.726g

Cholesterol 68mg23%

Sodium 679mg30%

Potassium 873mg25%

Carbohydrates 63.35g21%

Fiber 8.6g36%

Sugar 11.28g13%

Protein 26.44g53%

Vitamin A 769IU15%

Vitamin C 13.6mg16%

Calcium 273mg27%

Iron 4.92mg27%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.

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